7 March 2017

Environmental monitoring in northern Australia is complicated by a range of resource and logistical constraints including the sheer size of the region, limited and variable site access, environmental hazards (including crocodiles!), relatively small population, and limitations on technical capability. To help researchers and managers overcome or work with these challenges a Northern Hub project has identified, through a survey, literature review and workshop, emerging environmental monitoring technologies and techniques that are best suited to the region.

“This project summarises what we know about emerging technologies applicable to environmental monitoring in northern Australia, identifies how they’re currently used and explores their potential use in the future. It discusses the pros and cons of each technology, and identifies the research needed to more fully utilise them” Project Leader Associate Professor Alison King, from Charles Darwin University, explained.

“Participants identified technologies such as fine-scale aerial photos, drones, satellite imagery and genetic techniques as most likely to be useful in the future, as well as camera trapping, tracking telemetry and remote listening stations”.

A follow-up research project focusing on environmental DNA has been developed based on the outcomes of this project – more details will be available shortly.

For more information on the remote environmental monitoring project, see the wrap-up factsheet, read the full report or email Alison.king@cdu.edu.au.