Mallee Fire & Biodiversity Project

The Mallee Fire & Biodiversity Project is a large, four-year collaborative project jointly led by Assoc Prof Mike Clarke (La Trobe University) and Assoc Prof Andrew Bennett (Deakin University), which commenced in March 2006. The project aims to identify the properties of habitat mosaics produced by fire that enhance the persistence and status of a broad range of taxonomic groups (birds, mammals, reptiles, key invertebrates and plants) in eucalypt-dominated mallee habitats across three states (VIC, SA, NSW). Seven PhD students are researching the respective taxonomic groups. 

 Project Update - April 2008

The fieldwork aspect for the project is almost complete, with only one bird survey fieldtrip remaining.

Pitfall and Elliott surveys have been completed with an amazing 9,500 captures of reptiles and small mammals over the course of the project. The species captured comprised 56 species of reptile, 2 species of amphibians and 7 species of small mammals in some of our 2,800 pitfall traps over 28 mosaics across VIC, NSW and SA.

The termite surveys concluded in December, and the results of the sampling have been great. By combining direct searching for termites with using toilet rolls for baits, a number of species have been detected across the study area. Scorpions and psyllids that were collected in earlier sampling are currently being identified.

In the bird surveys to date, many threatened species have been observed on the 280km of transects walked including Mallee Emu-wren, Black-eared Miner, Red-lored Whistler, Malleefowl, Southern Scrub-robin, Striated Grasswren and Regent Parrot to name a few.

Vegetation and habitat surveys have been completed at all 840 sites across the study area.  Soil samples have been collected across the region to study the soil seedbank and they are currently growing well.