Ballarat environmental volunteers have joined a state-wide investigation into the platypus population to improve knowledge of the threatened species.
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Members of three Ballarat region Landcare groups took part in citizen science project Great Australian Platypus Search in October and November.
They were trained to collect environmental DNA samples and went to five river and catchment sites.
The samples collected will help determine the distribution of aquatic species like the platypus.
It will help us to hone in our actions and make sure they are targeted to give platypus a chance
- Sam Marwood, Odonata
Leigh Catchment Group environmental projects officer Bianca Fammartino said volunteers had worked hard to restore the health of the vegetation around the rivers so were excited to see if their work had paid off.
"It will be very rewarding for the groups if there are good results," she said.
Volunteers frequently work to clear invasive species of weed like gorse, blackberry and willow that interfere with the banks of the river where the platypus nest.
They also work to plant native vegetation which is important to provide shade and coverage for the rivers and assist with evaporation.
"Weed removal is always a big task," Ms Fammartino said.
"Volunteers are motivated by looking after wildlife... trying to help out and restore the environment for these animals, so hopefully we will get good results from the testing."
Volunteers from Garibaldi Landcare Group, Napoleons Enfield Landcare Group and and Upper Williamsons Creek Landcare Group participated in the training and sample collection in late October.
Sites around Ballarat registered for the Great Australian Platypus Search included Yarrowee River at Scotchmans Lead, Sebastopol, Black Hill and Brown Hill and Burrumbeet Creek in Mount Rowan.
The Moorabool River at Wallace, Williamson Creek at Clarendon and Lal Lal Creek at Lal Lal were also listed as sites, with dozens more across the broader region.
There were 1500 sites for sampling across Victoria and more than 600 people participated in collecting 1800 samples.
Sam Marwood, chief executive of Odonata which is leading the research project, said he believed it was the largest citizen science wildlife survey conducted in Australia and possibly the world.
"Usually the data is collected by scientists heading out and observing, but that is so dependent on the day, on funding and is usually very localised," he told The Courier.
"To get the whole of Victoria sampled in a couple of months using a consistent method, we are in a new world (of research).
"We had a well spread out army of scientists taking the samples for us. It was a real community and there was so much positivity."
The citizen science project uses a wildlife detection technique known as environmental DNA (eDNA) which will allow scientists to develop a map of platypus populations across Victoria.
eDNA is traces of DNA wildlife shed into their environment. Samples are collected by pushing water through a filter using a syringe and adding a preservative.
The platypus is at risk of extinction and has suffered the impacts of habitat loss, drought, climate change and bushfires.
Evidence shows rapid population decline, but determining the conservation status of the platypus is challenging due to data deficiency.
Samples from sites across Victoria were due to submitted on Tuesday, the end of the platypus breeding season which runs from August to November.
The samples will provide information on all aquatic species for scientists to understand what species live in different areas of the state.
The project also asked citizen scientists to log information about the health of waterways sampled.
Findings from the samples will be revealed and distributed next week, with hopes for platypus data ready for release in March and data on other wildlife mid-year.
Mr Marwood said he expected the data to reveal for the first time a comprehensive understanding of where different species were and were not located, including predators like foxes and cats.
"Knowing where platypus are and aren't is a massive advantage," Mr Marwood said.
"We can keep working with the Victorian government and catchment management authorities to help us prioritise actions that will help restore or ensure permanence of refuge for platypus.
"It will help us to hone in our actions and make sure they are targeted to give platypus a chance."
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