Two flora and fauna survey camps held at Gregory
National Park in June and July last year served the dual purpose of
obtaining data for the Park’s biodiversity strategy and
gathering Traditional Ecological Knowledge as well as giving the
local Traditional Owners an insight into what NT Parks and Wildlife
Service do at these survey camps.
By Kerri Watkins
Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts
(NRETA) scientist Kym Brennan said the five-day Paperbark Yard camp
included NRETA scientific and ranger staff, Northern Land Council
Caring for Country Rangers from Timber Creek and the area’s
Traditional Owners.
He said the 10-day Spring Creek camp included NRETA’s
Parks and Wildlife Service rangers from throughout the NT,
scientists from Darwin, Geographic Information Service staff and
Traditional Owners from the area.
“Both surveys were undertaken within the Park boundary to
monitor and evaluate the biodiversity of the areas," said Kym
Brennan.
"The aim of both camps was to collect data that will add to
Gregory National Park’s biodiversity strategy which will
provide valuable information for the future and on-going management
of the Park.”
Kym said traditional scientific methods were used to obtain the
data, which included selecting actual trapping sites, setting up 50
x 50m transects, laying out 20 Elliott traps, digging in four pit
fall traps and setting up two funnel traps.
“Birds were counted and plants and landform descriptions
were done, as well as trapping animals,” he
explained.
“There was much excitement at the Paperbark Yard camp
where good numbers of the Kimberley Pebble Mound Mouse were caught
because this animal was previously thought to exist only in
‘Bungle Bungle’ country but we later found these mice
at the Spring Creek camp so this was a tremendous result."
Kym also said the legless lizard, Delma nasuta, was also
recorded for the first time in Gregory National Park at the
Paperbark Yard camp.
“This was one of just a handful of records of the species
from the northern part of the NT, with most others being from
central Australia.
“In terms of plant life the highlight of the Paperbark
Yard camp was finding a previously unknown patch of the rare wattle
Acacia stipulosa,” he said.
Participants at both camps were involved in all aspects of the
site establishment, capture, identification and release of the
animals.
