AFTER seven and a half years in operation in the Northern Tablelands, one of the longest running dung beetle projects is losing its strongest ally.
Pam Wilson, the dynamic driver of the Dung Beetle Express project working within the boundaries of Stanthorpe in Queensland, Walcha, Newton Boyd and Coolatai, has decided to call it a day after funding for a three-year stage of the program finished last month.
Based at the Glen Innes office of the Northern New England Rural Lands Protection Board, Ms Wilson was keen to point out that this did not mean the project had officially finished.
“It’s just time for me to move on,” Ms Wilson said.
“There is still a lot to achieve with this program, and we have a very keen committee to keep things ticking over,” she said.
Since the CSIRO originally started the first program a few decades ago, many landholders have embraced the role dung beetles play in burying livestock dung, therefore helping to reduce fly problems, and nutrient runoff.
Over 170,000 dung beetles comprising of nine different species have been distributed across the landscape over the past three years alone, with a third of them found during monitoring programs.
Ms Wilson said some of the highlights of her time working on the project included her visit to South Africa as part of a Churchill Fellowship, to examine some of the more winter-active dung beetle species.
“The visit to South Africa and receipt of the fellowship would have to be one of the best experiences of my life. Winter-active dung beetles are something we need more of in Australia to combat the dung problem.”
Much of Ms Wilson’s work has been aimed at helping farmers identify, capture and release dung beetles. Field days, educational material and a website had all helped lift the profile of dung beetles and the role they play.
Harvest and release protocols developed by the project were found to pass stringent biosecurity tests put in place by the DPI for the equine influenza outbreak.
Ms Wilson said the project was unique in that it involved several Landcare groups jointly throughout Armidale and Northern New England areas.
“It was also the first time the RLPB has worked closely with Landcare groups in such a capacity,” she said.
Despite her departure Ms Wilson will not disappear off the radar.
“I’m relocating to pursue other interests, but I have been asked to supervise the Barbers Pole Worm project, sponsored by Meat and Livestock Australia, which is looking into the effect dung beetles could have on reducing the incidents of Barbers Pole Worm in sheep.”
Ms Wilson is also awaiting the proposed August launch of a book she has co-authored.
It’s on dung beetle identification, of course!
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