Forest Health Monitoring Program

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Council has been working with Parks Victoria, Nillumbik Landcare Network and local landowners since 2017 to measure the health of wet/damp and dry forest remnants across the Shire. 

The Forest Health Monitoring Program is a structured wildlife monitoring program that uses remote survey techniques (such as motion-sensing cameras and acoustic recorders) to detect ‘indicator’ wildlife species that are associated with healthy and degraded forested habitats.

Annual collection of data at these and other sites across the Shire will help us assess the health of Nillumbik’s forests and track changes over time - including the impact of bushfires and climate change. 

The 30+ sites are on private and public land across Nillumbik.

In July 2024 we held a webinar to share information about the background to the program, and some of our findings over the first seven years of monitoring. You can watch the recording here:

How forest health is being measured - our 31 indicator species

With advice from local wildlife experts and community consultation, 31 species of mammals and birds have been selected as ‘indicator’ species to represent forest health.

Mammals

  • Brush-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa)
  • Slender-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis murina)
  • Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta)
  • Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis)

Birds

  • Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)
  • White-throated Nightjar (Eurostopodus mystacalis)
  • Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)
  • Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera)
  • White-eared Honeyeater (Nesoptilotis leucotis)
  • Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)
  • Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua)
  • Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)
  • Crested Shriketit (Falcunculus frontatus)
  • White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis)
  • Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)
  • Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)
  • Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
  • Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)
  • White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea)
  • Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)
  • Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus)
  • Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)
  • Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
  • Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
  • Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)
  • Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys)
  • Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)
  • Jacky Winter (Microeca fascinans)
  • White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus)
  • Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
  • Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)

What we've seen so far

Between 2017 and 2022, more than 70,000 camera images were taken. 

We identified:

  • 29 species of native and two non-native birds
  • 11 species of native and nine non-native mammals
  • three species of native reptiles
  • one native butterfly.

In this short video you can see some of the native wildlife and pest animals that we've been detecting:

  

And here are some of the photos taken:

An echidna in Hurstbridge

A screenshot of an echidna at the forest floor

Phascogale in Plenty Gorge

A black and white picture of camera footage of a Phascogale

Superb Lyrebird in Kinglake

A superb lyrebird stands on a log

Wombat in Hurstbridge

Black and white image of a wombat at night

 

What we've heard so far

From the list of 31 indicator species, we have been able to create acoustic recognisers for 16 of the species so far; and citizen scientists and experts have validated the results of seven of them.

The Southern Boobook and the White-throated Treecreeper are the most common indicator species being detected by acoustic recordings – present at 31 and 29 sites respectively. The Powerful Owl is the rarest, detected at only three sites.

Listen to some of the recordings

How to get involved

If you are interested in bird calls and would like to become a citizen scientist, find out how to volunteer.

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