From 2023-2026, Kholo Creek Catchment Group partnered with Lockyer Uplands Catchment Inc and Pullen Pullen Creek Catchment Group to deliver an Australian Government Saving Native Species Program funded project for the Collared Delma. The project worked with scientists, landholders, bush regenerators, governments and the public.
Surveys to Find Collared Delmas
65 surveys were undertaken on private properties and public reserves in the Lockyer Valley and Kholo Creek and Pullen Pullen catchments over this three-year project.
Each survey involved hours of professional ecologists from Dogwood Ecology and landholders walking together to agreed survey locations in suitable Collared Delma habitats (e.g. eucalypt open forest with surface rocks and minimal weeds) to flip rocks and then reposition the rocks exactly as they found them. It is hard work and hundreds of rocks need to be lifted and put back in exactly the same spot to find one Collared Delma or shed skin.
Detection Dogs Find Collared Delmas
Danny, a detection dog, was trained to find Collared Delmas. This is the first time in Australia, and potentially the world, that a detection dog has been trained to detect such a small reptile. Danny was trained on the scent of Collared Delmas skins (which are skins shed annually) by Bellden Environmental Services.
21 days of detection dog surveys occurred in the Lockyer Valley, Kholo Creek and Pullen Pullen catchments over this three-year period.
Danny can find Collared Delmas underneath a rock without having to flip the rock and disturb the animal. He can also sniff out traces of delmas such as their shed skins or where they have been sheltering. Detection dogs can cover a much wider area, in difficult terrain in a much shorter time than manual surveys by people.
Habitat Enhancement to Help Collared Delmas
Carpet tiles were deployed by researchers from University of Southern Queensland on several private properties. These provide extra habitat for Collared Delmas and make surveying easier with minimal habitat disturbance (e.g. no rock flipping). The carpet squares were laid on the ground in known Collared Delma habitats and will remain in place to help researchers study the population genetics of Collared Delma.
Survey Results
After three years of extensive surveys from 2023 to 2026 by people and Danny the detection dog, 18 live individuals &/or skins of Collared Delmas were found.
Collared Delmas were found at Withcott, Ballard, Helidon Hills, Anstead, Mt Crosby and Pullenvale.
Weed Control to Help Collared Delmas
During this three-year project, 131 days of weeding occurred on known Collared Delma habitat by professional bush regeneration companies, OCCA Biodiversity Services, Bushtekniq and ECollaboration. A range of weeds were treated using best-practice weed control methods of spraying, cut/stump and/or manual removal depending on the site.
Educational Workshops & Community Days
Over 250 people attended educational workshops and field days as part of this three-year project. Over 150 landholders were involved in allowing access to their properties or attending field days. A children’s book and interactive play were created by Bushtekniq to teach the next generation about Collared Delmas in a fun and educational way.
