The recent Yarram Gap fire (December 17, 2024 – 78,316 hectares/300 sq. miles) in the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park has significantly impacted the local fauna. Parks Victoria has been out in the field installing habitat pods to provide some relief and support as the animals navigate their bushfire recovery.
Several Parks Victoria Field Officers recently head out to two high-value conservation sites impacted in the Yarram Gap firescar to place 160 habitat pods for those animals in need of shelter along with 20 cameras were placed across the landscape to monitor fauna activity and observe how the newly deployed artificial habitat is used. Both deployments present a great opportunity to see how effective the pods are and to monitor a variety of threatened species.
Parks Victoria Field Officer Marcello Bold said it is still early days in fire recovery in the Yarram Gap footprint, but it is an encouraging start and one that has involved a great deal of planning, preparation and implementation.
“We’ll be back out in around a month or so to see how the pods are faring in the weather and to see if the cameras have recorded any of our target species, such as long-nosed potoroo and southern brown bandicoot,” Marcello said.
Marcello will be out deploying cameras at control sites this week to draw comparisons to the recently deployed pods of small mammal activity.
“A big thank you to my colleagues at Parks Victoria and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Deakin and Macquarie University, Zoos Victoria and our wonderful local Halls Gap volunteers for all their assistance with this project.”
The cameras have already captured red foxes, yellowed footed antechinus’ and feral cats with further findings to come. Although this is just one method, any habitat support and monitoring will help support our threatened species recover.
Images: Courtesy of Parks Victoria
Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park is located in Victoria, Australia.
