More than $730,000 in funding for threatened species research

Published Friday, 08 March, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation
The Honourable Leanne Linard

Nine research projects will share in more than $730,000 in funding to enhance the recovery and protection of threatened species including glossy-black cockatoos, seahorses, frogs, brush-tailed rock wallabies, palm cockatoos and the endangered night parrot
The funding has been awarded under the Miles Government’s Queensland Threatened Species Program which supports research projects that focus on increasing knowledge of threatened species and help with their recovery in the wild

The endangered glossy-black cockatoo is one of the species that will benefit from funding aimed at improving the protection and recovery of threatened flora and fauna species in Queensland.

The Miles Government has awarded more than $730,000 in funding to nine research projects under its Queensland Threatened Species Research Grants program.

Announcing the funding today, Environment Minister Leanne Linard said grants of up to $100,000 were offered to support research projects focused on improving knowledge of Queensland’s threatened flora and fauna species and assisting with their recovery in their natural habitats.

A key focus of these research projects is to identify the main threats being faced by the threatened species and develop actionable ways to mitigate these threats.

Nine research projects were successful in receiving funding. The projects include research on species such as glossy-black cockatoos, seahorses, frogs, reptile species in the Southern Brigalow Belt, brush-tailed rock wallabies, palm cockatoos and the endangered night parrot.

Quotes attributable to Environment Minister, Leanne Linard:

“Queensland is the most bio-diverse state in Australia.

“But sadly, more than 1000 species are currently listed as threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act.

“That’s why the Miles Government is investing significantly to enhance and protect our important ecosystems and biodiversity.

“This round of the Queensland Threatened Species Research Grants provides vital funding to universities and not-for-profit organisations for projects that will safeguard some of our state’s most endangered animal and plant species.

“By partnering with these organisations, we can tap into their vast research experience to improve our understanding of the threats being faced by our threatened species to ensure they survive for generations to come.”

Further information:

Full list of grant recipients:

Organisation	Location	Project Description	Funding
Artemis Nature Fund		This project aims to find new Night Parrot populations in Queensland, identify Night Parrot habitats, and manage the known threats to the species	$99,853
Griffith University	Southport	This project aims to examine the effects of firefighting chemicals on amphibians and the potential effects of the disease, chytridiomycosis	$99,997
Griffith University	Various national parks in South East Queensland	This project aims to establish long-term monitoring protocols that provide reliable estimates of the population distribution, habitat utilisation, and trends in SEQ for the endangered glossy-black cockatoo	$99,060
The University of Queensland	Southern Brigalow Belt, Darling Downs	This project will investigate the extent of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation by surveying the Condamine earless dragon, the Roma earless dragon, the Grey Snake, and the Five-clawed Worm-skink via traditional and innovative methods. It will also measure habitat scales at two scales to capture the species’ association with habitat and land management	$42,140
The University of Queensland	South East Queensland	This project aims to understand the abundance and distribution of White's Seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) populations in SEQ, examine the genetic relatedness of SEQ individuals to NSW populations, conduct behavioural trials to examine habitat preferences, and conduct seagrass and habitat mapping to identify key sites and any changes to habitat which may threaten the abundance and distribution of the species	$70,321
Murdoch University	Wet Tropics	The project aims to adapt a new, smart, automated feral cat trap that will contribute to the conservation of several threatened species in the Wet Tropics including the black-footed tree-rat, northern quoll, lemuroid ringtail possum, northern bettong, and the spotted-tailed quoll	$96,448
James Cook University	Townsville	This project will use telescopic inspection cameras to monitor the reproductive successes of Black-Throated Finch by studying parental care behaviours and determining whether a lack of natural nesting cavities is limiting the reproductive success of BTF	$64,537
University of Southern Queensland	Crows Nest National Park, Mount Glen Rock Reserve at Esk, upper Brisbane River catchment	This project aims to create routes of safe passage between colonies, improving Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies' dispersal success by confirming the presence of BTRW’s at multiple sites in the upper Brisbane River catchment	$100,000
People for Wildlife	Northern Cape York Peninsula	This project will develop Palm Cockatoo call-recognisers to aid in the long-term population and nest success monitoring across Cape York, identify the location of nesting hollows to guide priority fire management and conservation research, research the efficacy of creating artificial nesting hollows for increasing nesting site availability, and install cameras at nest hollows to determine the reproductive success rate, the cause of low reproductive success and ways to improve it	$67,546

More information about threatened species and the Queensland Threatened Species Research Grants program is available at https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/conservation/threatened-species.

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339