Deakin ecologist embarks on big roo count to help save mammals

A Deakin University ecologist has launched a fundraising campaign to support his journey into the far northern tropics to collect information on kangaroos and wallabies as part of his mission to save them from extinction in northern Australia.

According to Dr Euan Ritchie, from Deakin's Centre for Integrative Ecology, within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, while we may have an overabundance of some kangaroos in southern states, some species may be disappearing at the other end of the country.

Dr Ritchie's mission, which began more than a decade ago when he first began his ecology career in northern Queensland, will involve heading back to the region west of Townsville and up to Cape York, to count not only the kangaroos, but also their poo.

The poo, he says, provides vital clues to determine which species live where and in what numbers.

"It's probably the less glamourous aspect of the job, but we can tell a lot about a roo from its poo," Dr Ritchie said.

But to count roos and roo poos, he firstly needs to raise the funds to spend three months in Queensland from July. He has so far raised $13,000 of his $15,000 target, through Pozible.

The mission is also personal, with Dr Ritchie's professional and personal lives merging through the evolution of this kangaroo project, after meeting his wife at a conference while they were both researching mammals at opposite ends of the continent.

"Ten years ago we were finishing up four years of fieldwork in some of Australia's most remote and spectacular habitats," Dr Ritchie said.

"We'd collected first-of-its kind information on four different species (antilopine wallaroo, common wallaroo, eastern grey kangaroo and agile wallaby). We worked out where they each occurred, how big the populations were and why each species lived in certain areas and not others.

"Since then, we've been blessed with two kids, health, happiness and so much more, but unfortunately our northern mammals haven't been so lucky over the same period.

"We have genuine cause for concern because local Indigenous communities tell us they are seeing fewer and fewer kangaroos and wallabies. It may be because there are too many fires, many of them at the wrong time of the year, or perhaps just too many feral cats dining out on the smaller wallabies." 

Dr Ritchie said it was also possible that climate change had led to some habitats becoming unsuitable for the kangaroos and wallabies.

His plan involves packing up his family and tent into a 4WD and setting off on an epic adventure and journey of scientific discovery to find out how the kangaroos are faring 10 years down the track.

"It's rare for ecologists to have long-term information like this and returning to northern Australia to continue our work is an opportunity not to be missed," Dr Ritchie said.

Dr Ritchie and his wife, University of Melbourne lecturer in science communication, Dr Jen Martin, will repeat the work they did a decade ago at the same field sites, which includes conducting kangaroo and wallaby counts and mapping their habitats.

"This time around we'll also bring some new technology with us into the field, including remotely-triggered camera traps," he said.

"We know how successful these can be, and in this case these cameras will be particularly important for finding smaller species like the spectacled hare-wallaby. But it's not just about the data – we both know how important (and fun) it is to talk with people about what we're doing and why.

"We'll also write a regular blog, with posts from the field, roos, flies, crocodiles and all. With the generous support of the community, we'll be able to hire a 4WD and buy the remote camera traps we need to do this important work.

"The results of our project won't only help with the conservation and management of kangaroos and wallabies, they'll also help with the successful conservation of other native animals that live in the same region.

"Sadly Australia doesn't have a good track record when it comes to mammal extinctions.

"Since 1788 we've lost more than 10 % of our native mammals, of which nearly a third are kangaroos and their close relatives. It's devastating to think we could be on the road to losing more of these iconic Australian animals. We have a plan that will give us our best shot at conserving Australia's northern kangaroos and wallabies."Pledge your support for Dr Ritchie and Dr Martin's mission, by going to Pozible.

The team will post regular updates to donors, who can also check out what's happening on Facebook. Those on Twitter can follow the journey @EuanRitchie1and @scidocmartin, using the hashtag#BigRooCount.