Keeping A Watch On Our Wildlife

Gympie Council’s new Wildwatch Gympie website is calling all budding scientists in our community to share their sightings of our region’s most threatened and priority species.

The recently launched citizen science site makes it easy for people to share sightings of animals, such as koalas, by simply taking a photo and submitting a record – all of which takes less than a minute.

Council’s Environmental Planning Coordinator, Amy Whitfield, said that the site is a great way to better understand the location and movements of our region’s priority species.

“The data that we hope will be captured through this site will better inform Council and other government agencies on the location, health and movement of our local wildlife,” Amy said.

“The data means that we can better understand the animals’ habitats and threats, as well as identify priority areas for conservation and rehabilitation efforts.”

Amy said that the site is also being used to help record vehicle strikes of native animals.

“We encourage people who see an injured or deceased native animal on the road, to pull over – only if it is safe to do so, of course – call a wildlife rescue group if required, and record the vehicle strike on the Wildwatch Gympie site.”

“By knowing the locations of these injured and dead animals, we can make more informed decisions about ways to prevent or reduce the number of vehicle strikes.”

Wildwatch Gympie can be used on a smartphone or tablet, or on a desk-top computer provided there is internet.

“It’s really simple: take a photo of what you see, upload your photo, answer a few questions, and mark the location of your sighting on a map,” Amy said.

To find out more and access the site, visit www.gympie.qld.gov.au/wildwatch or call 1300 307 800.