Part of the

Atlas Fire Recovery Project

2020

The best food for native animals is the food they find for themselves. We all acknowledge this. Yet when we see underweight kangaroos or birds seeking nectar where there is none, we want to help. In some situations supplementary feeding is helpful. But it is very easy to do more harm than good.

Too much access to the wrong sorts of foods is bad for individual animals. For example, did you know that fruit is bad for possums? And supporting populations of animals artificially, when their environment is not ready to cope with such numbers, can also create problems.

Fortunately there is some excellent information available to help us make informed decisions when it comes to supplementary feeding.

Record the location of your feeding station

To help manage the distribution of feed stations, it is very important to record your station on the NatureMapr platform. It’s easy to do and it will greatly assist the relevant environmental agencies in their monitoring and management of wildlife recovery efforts.

Monitoring who visits

Again, as with water stations, if you do set up a feeding station be sure to monitor it closely. If it is attracting the wrong kinds of animals, remove the feed immediately. If the food is uneaten, remove it and stop feeding. And be sure that the seeds from any food don’t become the next batch of weeds in native environments. Lucerne hay and fruit dropped into native forests could easily create problems in the future.

A motion-sensitive camera is ideal. This won’t be available or practical in many cases, so regularly checking for scats and tracks is another option.

Your observations can be valuable in planning for the most effective use of wildlife feeding stations in the future. Please report all animal sightings on NatureMapr. Species experts can help you identify your animals and you will be making an important contribution to Fire Recovery 2020.

Here’s how to record your sightings to NatureMapr using the App. This is great for uploading photos taken on a phone. Alternatively, you can upload via a web browser - here’s a step-by-step guide.

More information about bushfire recovery in nsw

The NSW Government website is a source of reliable and valuable information on the effect of our recent fires and the processes involved in nature’s recovery. Many of the information sheets have been published recently, and others will appear soon. Below are links to a few key documents, and it is worth scrolling through the ‘related links’ at the bottom of each page for new publications or other items of interest.

The Google Earth Engine Burnt Area Map … “A rapid mapping approach to find out where wildfires in New South Wales have affected vegetation” … and in a couple of clicks you can view the map for your area! Note that the assessments are ongoing and not all fire grounds in our region have been evaluated yet.

Helping wildlife in emergencies … an introduction to how members of the public can best assist wildlife during emergencies such as the recent fires.

Impact of fires on plants and animals … “Providing advice for the recovery of biodiversity after fire” … explaining the Department’s strategy for monitoring, mapping and impact assessments.

Wildlife and Conservation Bushfire Recovery … “Immediate Response January 2020. This document sets out our immediate actions to support native wildlife recovery.” … a more comprehensive document detailing the recovery projects being undertaken, including the projects assisting threatened species.

This web page is provided in support of initiatives by National Parks and Wildlife, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and the Bega Valley Shire Council. The Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness is pleased to be a part of the NatureMapr network and this broader, collaborative recovery effort. Any errors or omissions are mine. Please contact me if you see a problem. Kerri-Lee Harris, 15/2/20