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Five people some with binoculars looking at camera, smiling and standing on a clear area with dry grass and tufts of green with trees and vegetation in the background.

Spectacled Flying-fox tech & tradition team up

  • Context: Regional

The Spectacled Flying-fox is a keystone species and plays a critical role in maintaining the health of rainforests across the Wet Tropics. However, populations have experienced a severe decline over the past two decades, falling from more than 325,000 individuals to around 78,000. As a result, the species has been identified as one of the 110 priority threatened species by the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner.

To support the recovery of the species, Terrain NRM is working closely with the Spectacled Flying-fox Recovery Team. The team brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, including scientists, Traditional Owners, all levels of government, and community conservation groups.

A key component of the recovery effort is a region‑wide monitoring program that combines the local knowledge of 16 Indigenous Ranger groups with emerging scientific approaches. This work integrates ranger expertise with new technologies such as drones, thermal imaging, and artificial intelligence to improve population surveys.

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This project is funded by the Australian Government under Saving Native Species and delivered by Terrain NRM as member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel. The thermal drone project is supported with funding from the Australian Government under the National Environmental Science Program.

By combining Indigenous ecological knowledge with advanced drone and AI technologies, researchers are developing more accurate and efficient methods to monitor flying‑fox populations across northern Queensland. This improved monitoring is providing the Recovery Team with a deeper understanding of population trends and behaviour, helping to inform effective conservation strategies.

In parallel, Terrain NRM is identifying and assessing key habitat areas for improvement and delivering targeted on‑ground works, including weed control. A particular focus is addressing outbreaks of wild tobacco bush, which attracts Spectacled Flying‑foxes and increased fatalities from paralysis ticks.

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A person looking at a pair of binoculars in hand and another person standing looking through binoculars towards the sky, standing on a grassed area landscaped with rocks and trees in the background with a hill.
Terrain NRM, Traditional Owner training Spectacled Flying Fox monitoring, Qld
Person standing in room looking through binoculars with images of binoculars on screens behind him.
Terrain NRM, Teaching use of binoculars, Qld, Andrew Dennis
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