First Nations rangers are trialling thermal imaging drones to track one of Australia’s rarest and most secretive wallaby species in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The endangered black-footed rock-wallaby, or wiliji as it is known by Traditional Owners in the area, is a small and extremely agile animal that darts among rocky outcrops and caves, making it challenging to find and track.
The Nyikina Mangala Rangers have been successfully monitoring the elusive wallabies using sensor cameras since 2013. However, it takes months to process imagery and model data as cameras are retrieved weeks after deployment.
A partnership between the Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, Charles Darwin University, and WWF Australia is using a combination of traditional knowledge and cutting-edge technology to assist rangers in their conservation mission.
Rangers and researchers are seeing if multirotor drones can provide a more timely and cost-efficient method to capture population data. It is the first time drones have been used to monitor wiliji.
Nyikina Mangala Ranger William Watson has received drone training from CDU researchers, so he and others can continue to conduct surveys.
“We’ve been hand-picked to represent our tribe and protect our Country, which means we need to work together with modern-day science now," said Mr Watson.
Nyikina Mangala Ranger William Watson using drone vision goggles to search for wiliji in caves on the Erskine Range. Source: Supplied: WWF-Australia / Leigh-Ann Woolley
"We’re here to do a job for our old people and our young people.
Postdoctoral research fellow at CDU, Rebecca Rogers has been on field trips with other researchers to the Erskine Range near Broome to gather drone data.
“We want to find out how many black-footed rock-wallabies are in the area, where they go and what other animals they might be interacting with,” said Ms Rogers.
In initial trials, the thermal camera installed on the drones was able to detect the heat signature of the wallabies and could cover a large area in a short period of time.
“We were also able to detect feral cats on the plateau, which are a potential threat to this species. We hope this information will help rangers to better manage predator populations and protect the black-footed rock-wallaby from the threat of extinction,” said Ms Rogers.
Example of a wiliji detection from a remotely pilot aircraft (RPAS or drone). Source: Supplied: Rebecca Rogers/Charles Darwin University
The black-footed rock-wallaby is only found on Walalakoo Country in the Grant, Edgar and Erskine Ranges of the west Kimberley. A population once thought to be more than 2,500 strong has plummeted to an estimated 500 animals, due to the impact of introduced predators and indiscriminate wildfires.
“The thermal imaging drones could be a game changer," said Dr Leigh-Ann Woolley, WWF-Australia’s WA Species Conservation Manager.
“It’s vital to understand how this culturally-important species is tracking, so the rangers can monitor population response to any management interventions they apply, such as fire and feral cat management."
