"Involvement in a PACT style platypus project should benefit councils in many ways. As community awareness of the presence of platypuses in the local waterways improves, stakeholders seem to begin to value their riparian areas more. Ties between landholders and councils are strengthened. " - Environmental Officer Danielle Hargreaves.
Getting Started
How can you find out if there are platypuses in your area?
- positive sightings (reported to council by reliable sources such as academics, National Parks and Wildlife Service, wildlife officers and more)
- wildlife atlas
- anecdotal evidence
- survey target areas.
Who can help you?
- local interest groups such as land care, river care and bush care groups
- Catchment Management Authorities
- National Parks and Wildlife Service.
What can you do to protect platypus habitats?
- signs
- maintain healthy waterways through catchment management
- education
- raising local awareness through signs, use of local media
- join or help form a local PACT group to liaise with all relevant stakeholders such as fisheries compliance officers
- promote responsible action by retailers of yabby traps such as advice, tagging traps with platypus warnings.