Tas-Cam makes discoveries on state’s threatened native wildlife and invasive species
Wildlife researchers using one of the most sophisticated camera trap networks in the world are lifting the lid on the activities of animals in Tasmania’s rugged bushland. PHOTOS >>
Tasmania
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WILDLIFE researchers using one of the largest and most sophisticated camera trap networks in the world are lifting the lid on the activities of animals in Tasmania’s rugged bushland.
The Tas-Cam project has a camera network of about 1400 sites around the state, with about 250 active cameras spread out to the west and southwest of Tasmania.
Professor of Environmental Sustainability at University of Tasmania, Barry Brook, said the data showed species such as pademelons, wallabies and Tasmanian devils were found widely across the state.
On World Wildlife Day on Friday, Prof Brook said some invasive species, including feral cats, were clearly spreading in Tasmania.
“We’re finding deer in a lot of places where they didn’t once exist,” he said.
“The lyrebird, which was introduced in the 1930s and that species has spread out and is now found as far west as Queenstown and Roseberry, which means its probably heading right up the West Coast.”
Prof Brook said that with millions of photos taken, a thylacine has never once been spotted
“You’d think if anyone would have seen one, it would be us, but we’ve never found one,” he said.”
Prof Brook said the scale of the camera network meant it generated a lot of photos, with researchers ending up with 100,000 images over a month or two.
As part of the project, an AI system has been developed to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the ‘big data’ created by these wildlife cameras.
Prof Brook, said the prototype AI helped streamline the project because much of the tedious work was taken away.
“We’re seeing a massive improvement in our efficiency, saving weeks of time. We’re seeing interesting things about ecology and behaviour. The models really good now, it improves accuracy overall.”
Prof Brook said teams had collected information on 150 species from the extensive library of images.
The developed AI system means that experts can spend more time studying important data, as opposed to sifting through and filing thousands of photos, Prof Brook said.
“No one actually wants to be the middle man, it’s boring and tedious, and it bottlenecks a lot of projects,” he said.
The results of the photos are spectacular, showing how different species move through the same environment at different times.
The project, which started in 2018, aimed to assess the impact of land use, climate, and disturbances such as fires, on mammal and bird communities Prof. Brook said.
“Having lots of cameras out can act as a sentinel for dangerous things happening. such as a fox arriving in Tasmania.”
It also allows authorities to respond quickly to invasive species such as deer impeding on World Heritage areas.
Prof Brook said research teams want to focus on a new campaign in the Southern Midlands, a community that hasn’t been sampled.
“The dry forest community is very rich and also heavily impacted by people with a lot of farms and settlements.”
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