WILDLIFE conservation scientist Dr Ryan Witt from the University of Newcastle has recently been commissioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to carry out drone surveys for koalas and dingoes in the Myall Lakes National Park and in parts of Hawks Nest.

The drones use thermal imaging to identify animal body heat when flying precise transects across wooded areas.

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This method of surveying is far more productive than traditional techniques, permitting much larger areas to be surveyed in a given time.

Dr Witt has agreed to present to the community his preliminary findings from the surveys in Tea Gardens on Thursday 1 September.

He will show photographs and videos of the process from 2 to 3 pm in the Silver Dolphin Room at the Tea Gardens Hotel.

Anyone with an interest in koalas, dingoes or leading-edge technologies used in wildlife surveys is welcome to attend.
Dr Witt specialises in marsupial reproduction and reproductive technologies, marsupial ecology, and emerging drone-derived thermal imaging technologies for surveying for koalas and other cryptic species.

As a Novocastrian, Ryan has a passion and interest in developing local and regional conservation projects for at-risk marsupial populations in the Hunter Region.

He aims to deliver grassroots conservation research of international benefit that is aligned with the National Agenda across three contemporary spheres: drone-based thermal imaging, genome storage, and translocation science.