National Malleefowl Recovery Group
Malleefowl Annual Monitoring
One of the largest single-species monitoring programs in Australia, powered by hundreds of volunteers across four states.
The program
National Malleefowl Monitoring Program
The Recovery Group coordinates the program to ensure that mounds are monitored in the same way in all regions, which is critical for understanding genuine population trends across Australia.
The program began in 1987 when Dr Joe Benshemesh established the first monitoring sites in Victoria. Similar programs soon grew in South Australia and Western Australia, supported by volunteers in each state. By 2004 it was decided to bring all this information into a single place: a National Database.
Get involved in monitoring
Volunteers are at the heart of this program. No prior experience is necessary — just a willingness to get outdoors and contribute to something meaningful. Get in touch to find out how to join a monitoring group near you.
National Database
The data behind the program
With information being collected by hundreds of volunteers, a standard set of guidelines was written for use in the field — the National Malleefowl Monitoring Manual. This ensures that all data going into the database is collected and recorded consistently.
As technology has evolved, so has data collection — from handheld GPS devices to smartphones now capturing digital images of each mound. Every year another photo is added for each mound, creating a photographic record of the many stages a mound can pass through over decades.
All volunteers can access the database. Knowing population trends across different areas leads to critical questions — why are Malleefowl doing better in one place than another? Answering this informs what the species needs to survive, and allows managers to target areas where birds are struggling and measure how effective different management actions are.
The aggregated data produced through this database was gathered by many individuals, many of them volunteers, and is held in trust by the National Malleefowl Recovery Group Inc. The information will be used to provide management information to land managers or as directed by the National Malleefowl Recovery Team.
In the field
Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group Training Weekend 2022
The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group held its annual training weekend in Wyperfield National Park. An amazing turnout of long-standing volunteers and newcomers, all ready to monitor mounds for the year ahead. Training covers fieldwork requirements, safety in the bush, and use of the latest technology.