A month since the fires in the Otways started… and the Carlisle River fire has now been listed as under control. As we turn our attention to research and our response for wildlife and habitat, we’ve been reflecting on what unfolded over the past month.
So how are we doing down here at the Conservation Ecology Centre?
The words of ecologist Tamika Farley-Lehmer sum up how we’ve been feeling beautifully…
Another successful round of OMER surveys was completed in October and November, with CEC staff and an enthusiastic team of volunteers surveying Marengo, Blanket Bay, Skenes Creek, Parker Inlet, and Crayfish Bay.
These seasonal surveys form the backbone of the Otways Marine Ecosystem Resilience (OMER) initiative, which is building up-to-date ecological baselines for intertidal and subtidal ecosystems along the Otway coast.
Forests are managed for a wide range of important reasons – to protect and enhance biodiversity, reduce bushfire risk, create opportunities for tourism and recreation and make use of forest products like firewood to name a few.
Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) have a profound impact on natural ecosystems, agriculture and cultural values.