THE South Coast’s first-ever “Bioblitz” is coming to Bermagui on the weekend of March 30-31 and everyone is invited to join in.
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“The Bioblitz is an event where scientists, naturalists, students and ‘citizen scientists’ work together to find, identify and record as many kinds of plants and animals as possible,” project coordinator Libby Hepburn said.
“The 30-hour event will be fun to participate in and it will provide valuable information about Bermagui’s diverse wildlife.”
Organised by the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness (ALCW) group, the event marks the start of a 10-year biodiversity survey to identify as many living creatures and plants of the region as possible.
“Many people who live in this region would like to learn more about its rich biodiversity and can contribute something positive to our scientific knowledge by learning to identify and record observations,” she said.
Participants should bring cameras to help record sightings, and there will be a photography competition.
The results of the surveys and the competition will be shared in an exhibition in April.
Starting on Friday morning (March 30), the Bioblitz will run over two days, offering opportunities to observe and identify a wide range of plant and animal life.
Survey teams will be led by local naturalists and invited specialists interested in working with us as well as qualified scientists and environmental educators from the Bournda Environmental Education Centre.
The Bioblitz will include surveys of shore, tideline and estuary areas, as well as wetlands, rainforest, reefs and saltmarshes.
There will be snorkeling and scuba surveys led by qualified scientists and divers. Night time surveys of animals and marine life will also be undertaken.
“By participating, you can learn how to identify species and record sightings into the ALCW database, which in turn will contribute to the national Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) project,” Mrs Hepburn said.
“These projects are a valuable resource to scientists and natural resource managers, helping to provide detailed data about the region’s biodiversity and how it may change over the years.
“We have been offered data from historical surveys, going back to 1997 and 1988, and we hope to replicate some of these to see how things are changing.”
The Bermagui Fishermen’s Coop is supporting the event, providing their grounds as the Bioblitz Basecamp for registration, first aid and communications.
Other Bioblitz supporters and contributors include the Australian Museum, CSIRO Discovery, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and Bega Valley Shire Council.
The Bioblitz has attracted other interested organisations and universities, as well as colleagues from local naturalist groups, such as the Sapphire Coast Marine Society, the Nature Coast Marine Group and Sulisit Consulting.
The official launch of the Bioblitz will be at 4pm on Friday, March 30. Those wishing to join the Bioblitz can register at the Basecamp tent any time from 9.30am on.
For more information, or to find out more about Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness (ALCW) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), visit www.alcw.org.au and www.ala.org.au