Bush Blitz – putting biodiversity on the map!

Bush Blitz – putting biodiversity on the map!

Earthwatch has partnered with the Australian Government, BHP Billiton and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network to develop Bush Blitz – a three-year partnership to document the plants and animals in properties across Australia's National Reserve System.

Australia is home to more than 560,000 species, many found nowhere else on earth - yet only one-quarter of this biodiversity has been scientifically documented.

With nearly 40 years experience in field research, Earthwatch will manage the health and safety of Bush Blitz surveys and coordinate volunteers to assist the scientific teams.

Earthwatch Australia's Executive Director, Richard Gilmore explains: “Bush Blitz is expected to uncover hundreds of new species and provide the baseline scientific data that will help us protect our biodiversity for generations to come.”

"The Blitz is bringing together business, community groups, government and volunteers in a way that probably hasn’t been done before. This is an important large-scale project that just couldn't be done by one group, or by scientists alone."Bush Blitz was launched with a scientific expedition at Darkwood - a 1,035 hectare property recently added to New England National Park and managed by the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett joined Earthwatch and other Bush Blitz partners at the NSW property of Darkwood to launch the project, as a dozen researchers set traps to search for rare frogs, moths and small marsupials.

Scientists working at Darkwood have already found a new species of Wolf Spider, and the presence of the Giant Barred Frog, a species critically endangered due to the chytrid fungus.

"No country has documented the biodiversity that exists in their reserve system in this way, let alone across an entire continent," says Mr Gilmore.

"These are incredible results not only New South Wales, but for the whole country.

"A crucial part of Bush Blitz is the follow-up science – taxonomy. Once the scientists are able to head back to their labs, we'll know a lot more then and the next steps we need to take.”

Bush Blitz will bring together dozens of Australia's top scientists and volunteers, supported by global resources company BHP Billiton with a $4 million investment and the Australian Government with an investment of $6 million.

For information on Bush Blitz visit bushblitz.org.au.