Melbourne Water is working to boost populations of threatened fauna and shield the biodiversity of greater Melbourne.

Amid challenges posed by a drying climate and the needs of a burgeoning population, Melbourne Water is harnessing the power of predictive research modelling to better understand the lives of platypuses: their habitats, potential responses to urban expansion and climate shifts, and most crucially, the strategic interventions required to ensure their preservation in the long term.

“Our platypus research is helping conservation efforts throughout Greater Melbourne which in turn will protect these iconic mammals. We are fortunate to still have platypus in several of our waterways and in some cases, within urban areas,” says Rhys Coleman, leader of the authority’s Waterways & Wetlands Research.

Amplifying traditional platypus monitoring practices since the mid-1990s, which involve netting to capture specimens, the new research employs cutting-edge environmental DNA technology. 

This technology can detect traces of platypus DNA in water samples, enabling the tracking of their presence without disturbing their habitats. 

Monitoring is the cornerstone of conservation; without knowledge of their whereabouts, safeguarding these creatures becomes an uphill battle.

“The platypus has been recently classified as near threatened in Victoria and our researchers are using real time techniques to determine how threats like climate change, water availability, riverbank condition, predators, and population growth can guide further environmental works,” Mr Coleman said.

“By incorporating predictive forecasting with data analysis, we can create an integrated system to deliver accurate monitoring and forecasting to track early warning impacts to our platypus populations.”

Many platypus populations in Victoria intersect with greater Melbourne’s peri-urban areas where population growth and urban sprawl has impacted on the waterways they rely on for habitat. 

Prolonged drought over the past decades has also had an impact on their numbers, particularly small, isolated populations.

“All Victoria’s native wildlife is precious – our commitment in protecting greater Melbourne’s water quality and unique biodiversity in partnership with other organisations and the community is about taking critical steps to build resilience in our natural environment, and support research to understand the risks posed by climate change so aquatic life can thrive, not just survive,” Mr Coleman said.

The centrepiece of this commitment is the Healthy Waterways Strategy 2018-2028 bringing together an integrated framework for managing waterways, across five major catchments within the Port Phillip and Western Port region: Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong, and Westernport.