Eco-friendly way of exploring Brisbane

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Statues in Brisbane citySome of our guests have come to Brisbane only to do our wildlife tours, arriving on the morning of the tour or the nigt before, and are then dropped off at the airport at the end of the tour.

There is actually quite a lot that Brisbane has to offer, both around the city centre (museum, botanic gardens, Southbank and Roma Street Parklands, ethnic cafes, the only mangrove boardwalk in an Australian capital city, ferries along the river…) and throughout the Greater Brisbane region, with its wonderful bushland reserves (Araucaria Ecotours operate wildlife and bushwalking day tours here).

A new tour group helps you to explore Brisbane by foot and bicycle.  Shaun Gilchrist is an enthusiastic and friendly guy who grew up here and now works for Brisbane Urban Adventures.  So if you’d like to consider an extra day or two exploring Brisbane in an environmentally friendly way while you’re here, visit the site and get in touch with Shaun.  His tours and ours could be a good complement to each other and you could develop your own package around them.

Can wildlife tourism make money and also help conserve wildlife?

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One of the reasons I personally went into ecotourism was to provide governments, developers etc. with an economic reason for preserving wildlife and its habitats (my other main reason was to share my enthusiasm with others for the wonderful diversity of wild creatures and wild places on this planet, and hopefully in so doing  to deepen their understanding of the same, and appreciation of their intrinsic non-monetary values).

One of the positive benefits of wildlife tourism towards tourism conservation has long been identified as the potential for donations towards conservation, from  tourism operators, their guests and perhaps local businesses and governments that directly or indirectly benefit from the tourism dollar.

But to give we need to also receive –  at least   enough to keep giving without going broke.    And tourism operations that make non-financial contributions (e.g. habitat restoration, quality interpretation, conservation-breeding) have to make enough to survive.  It also helps if the local community benefits, and  continues to support their efforts.

Can all this happen, either at an individual operator level or a regional level?

regent bowerbirdOne of Australia’s best-published economics researchers (amongst the top three in the country according to Wikipedia) – Clem Tisdell –  has conducted many studies on the economics of wildlife tourism in Australia and elsewhere, including amongst many other topics rainforests and glow worm caves in Southeast Queensland,  Antarctic voyages and an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. Apart from individual studies he has provided a number of very useful and wide-ranging review papers.

We will have a chance to hear Professor Tisdell’s latest information and advice at the Wild Benefits conference to be held at the Gold Coast 1st to 3rd September 2010, and it will be a great opportunity to ask him questions (and listen to his answers to the questions of others, both immediately after his presentation and at other times during the conference).

This is the third national wildlife tourism conference to be held in Australia. There are day registrations and student registrations available, ad the earlybird discount registration is open until the end of July.

Koala at Araucaria property, Scenic Rim

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The koala that arrived at our home property about a month ago seems to have decided to stay.  He has been moving from tree to tree, but staying in the same corner of our property, and we hear his grunts and  strange rattling noises through the bedroom window at night.

This is the first koala we’ve seen at home for almost two years, so we were very pleased when he moved in, and even more pleased that he’s decided to stick around a while

Breeding season starts soon, so we hope a female might join him briefly.  I say briefly because koalas are solitary creatures, coming together for breeding but then going their separate ways again.

We hope this and other  photos showing the pattern of markings on his rump will help us recognize him as an individual if he moves on and then returns some day.

How to see a platypus

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platypus

platypus

Darren went down to our creek to see how a family from America were doing in their attempts to see the platypus. They had been advised to sit quietly with no sudden movements or noises, so he was a bit alarmed to see both kids walking along right at the edge of the water. When they saw him they shouted ‘There’s no platypus here!’

Well, no, there wasn’t that day. There were a pair living there but probably if they had started to emerge for their night of foraging they were by now tucked up back in their burrows waiting for a little peace and quiet before re-emerging.

In Tasmania platypus are often seen throughout the day, and occasionally the same is true further north, but  they are primarily nocturnal.  Typically they will leave their burrows an hour or so before dusk, continue feeding throughout the night and return to the burrow  an hour or so after dawn.

Thus the best time to see them is usually during the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset.

They are found in unpolluted streams along the east coast from Tasmania to far north Queensland, and have been introduced to Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The best foraging spots seem to be slow-moving areas where the water is between one and three metres deep. Don’t bother looking for them high in the mountains above tall waterfalls though – they would find it hard to travel up to these.

Their eyes and ears may not be brilliant (and they don’t use either for foraging), but unless they have become well habituated to human presence, they will notice anyone sitting or standing near the bank, and most likely return to the safety of the burrow.  Sudden sharp movements or loud noises will almost guarantee they will disappear until it is too dark to see them. Quiet human presence in the water – in a canoe or floating for instance – doesn’t seem to worry them quite so much, perhaps because most of their predators come from the land.

They tend to be more predictable during breeding season in the last half of the year, so if you are advised late in the year that they have been seen recently in a particular part of the creek, there is a good chance they will continue to use this spot for a while,.

So, to see a platypus, find out which local streams are likely, wear something warm, perhaps take a book or something to nibble if you have trouble sitting still, then do just that – sit still and quietly from sunrise onwards or from late afternoon, glancing at the water evry minute or so if you don’t feel like watching it constantly.

No grunts or bellows announce its arrival.  It is not there and then suddenly, very quietly, it is there. Sometimes you will see a small row of bubbles just before it surfaces, then can watch as it floats on the surface chewing whatever it has just caught, or perhaps scratching its ear or swimming along a little way. Then it hunches its back and dives down again for maybe a minute or two before re-emerging.

Maybe you won’t see one on your first few attempts, but there are worse ways fo passing the time than sitting by a quiet stream listening to bird calls.

Or maybe, suddenly, very quietly, there he is in front of you.

Scenic Rim’s Wildlife Expo a great success

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Martin Fingland from Geckos WIldlife with his channel-billed cuckoo

channel-billed cuckoo

Perfect weather, a wonderful display of live locally-native animals, interesting displays and presentations  and a crowd of cheerful people of all ages made our Wildlife Expo a great success.  Visitors got to meet bettongs, potoroos, gliders, fruitbats,  owls, cuckoos, flap-footed lizards, turtles, pythons and other creatures and learn about wildlife conservation,  care of orphaned and injured animals, wildlife feeding, nesting boxes, wildlife-attracting plants, nature photography, wildlife art, tertiary courses involving wildlife, birding, reptiles shows and more.

The photo shows Martin Fingland of Gecko’s Wildlife, with one of his tame local species.

The Expo was run by the Scenic Rim branch of the WIldlife Preservation Society of Queensland.

For details of this great day, visit Scenic Rim Wildlife, and stay tuned for the next expo (either 2011 or 2012)

Wildlife Tourism Conference September 2010

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A reminder: the third national wildlife tourism conference is to be held at the Gold Coast, Australia from 1st to 3rd September.

The conference will present the latest on the economics of wildlife tourism (relevant to both strategy planners and individual tourism operations), environmental benefits and risks associated with wildlife tourism, and the social and psychological benefits of animal-human interaction. There will be workshops on how to make wildlife tourism cater better to wildlife conservation and how to interpret wildlife to people of different backgrounds, plus ample time for other discussions – a great opportunity to toss around ideas, exchange information and discuss problems and potential solutions

Visit www.wildlifetourism.org.au for details, and get your registrations in ASAP. There may still be an opportunity to submit a belated abstract if you act swiftly

Platypus settling down for breeding?

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platypus

platypus

Platypus have lived in  our part of Running Creek (Scenic Rim, Queensland)  for many years, but during the first half of each year they can be a little unpredictable, turning up in several places along our kilometre of creek frontage.  Around the middle of the year they seem to settle down to the serious business of deciding where they’ll be nesting and then raising their young. Wherever we see them appearing several times a week in July tends to be where we’ll then be seeing them for the rest of the year. This time it is in a spot we can walk to within half a minute from our Wildlife Ecology Centre and watch quietly from the cliffs above.

Can tourism save dolphins?

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I’m reproducing here (with permission)  an email recently received from Michael Dalton of Sea Shepherd

“Earth Island Institute, the Save Japan Dolphins Campaign and Brisbane supporters are heading to Taiji, Japan Wednesday Sept. 1st, 2010 to celebrate “Dolphin Day”.

September 1st marks the beginning of the annual six-month dolphin kill and Save Japan Dolphins Campaign Director Ric O’Barry has made a pledge to return to Taiji to keep his eyes on this tragic situation.

Rather than protest, our goal is to deliver a positive message of support for the many good things that are possible in Taiji.

We support efforts to develop sustainable eco-tourism for Taiji and the surrounding area. Eco-tourism provides jobs, and in many places around the world there is a growing recognition of the value and importance of living dolphins and whales offshore. Imagine if instead of allowing a small group of Taiji fisherman to continue the dolphin kill, Taiji residents took the public on dolphin and whale watching cruises.

Tangalooma Resort on Brisbane’s Moreton Island was once a whaling station, but now thrives as a vacation resort that attracts people from all over the world. We hope Taiji can find alternatives to end the annual drive hunts for dolphins and the sale of mercury-laden dolphin meat to the public.

So pack your bags! Taiji is beautiful at this time of year. Plan to spend some time in this coastal resort town and countryside. Bring your family and your friends to share this experience. There are plenty of opportunities for walking and hiking, boating, several historic temples and religious shrines nearby.

Logistics:

We have no specific plans for the day, except to show up and enjoy the National Park at the Cove. Bring a picnic lunch and expect to spend the day on the gravel beach. As emphasised above, there is no protest and we will avoid any confrontations.

We are also working on plans for a Peace March to be conducted over the historic pilgrims trail into Taiji. This is a very strenuous walk that will require advance preparation. More details will be available soon about this event.

Travel:

Please contact me if you think you will be able to join us. We will try to assist with information on travel directions and options. Emails should be sent to brisbane@seashepherd.org or mjrice@earthisland.org.

Also, if you know of anyone in Japan who you think should learn about our activities in Japan, please let us know!

There are many daily flights into the Japanese airports of Tokyo (Narita Airport) and Osaka. Tokyo is about 6-7 hours by train to Taiji. Osaka is about 5-6 hours by train to Taiji. You might want to arrive early in Japan for a few days before September. 1st to get over your jet lag and adjust to local time.

A Note of Caution:

We are gathering in Taiji to express support for the many people in Japan and throughout the world who want to see an end to the dolphin slaughter and trade. This will be a peaceful, quiet celebration of nature. We will be not be demonstrating or displaying signs of protest. It has been reported that Nationalist groups supporting a continuation of the dolphin kill will show up in Taiji on September 1st. They have been active against The Cove movie, intimidating theatres and film distributors. We do not intend any confrontation whatsoever. The Wakayama police have always acted in a professional manner and will be on hand.

We cannot be responsible for your travel, accommodations, or safety due to all of the unknown factors in this situation.

We look forward to your help and support for the Save Japan Dolphins Campaign.”

Scenic Rim Wildlife meeting

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Members of the Scenic Rim branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland will be meeting at 4.30 pm on Sunday 18th July, at the close of the (free) full-day Wildlife Expo at Enterprise Drive, Beaudesert.

Non-members are cordially invited to come along and meet members and join in our discussion of the Expo and activities for the coming year, including our efforts to collate information on wildlife needa and potential habitat  corridors in our region.

Albert’s lyrebirds seen in Border Ranges National Park

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We quite often hear the Albert’s lyrebirds during their breeding season (winter) in both Border Ranges National Park and Lamington National Park but see them more rarely so were excited to  see two of them yesterday near Brindle Creek in Border Ranges NP.  Unfortunately the view was too brief for photography.

Lyrebirds are confined to Australia, and are out largest passerines (songbirds).  The males are quite possibly the world’s greatest mimics, and also do an impressive dance to attract the female, bringing  their lyre-like tail over their heads and shimmering it like a water fountain.  They also show some primitive characteristics that provide one of the arguments for the Australian section of Gondwana being the birthplace of the passerines.

The superb lyrebird is found from southeast Queensland down to Victoria, but the Albert’s is confined to the wetter rainforests and tall moist eucalypt forests of the southeast Queensland / northeast New South Wales border regions, as far south as Evans Head (south of Ballina) and north to Tamborine Mountain (south of Brisbane). It is regarded as vulnerable, and threatened by habitat changes and feral predators in much of its range, but hopefully will have a long future in the extensive protected forests of the Border Ranges