In April and October 2008 ecologia staff took part in a collaborative survey of the Neale Junction Nature Reserve located in the Great Victoria Desert (GVD).  DEC ‘s Goldfields region ecologist, Dr Karl Brennan, recognised the gap in our understanding of the GVD with no large-scale surveying occurring in the Neale Junction Nature Reserve, Australia’s fifth largest conservation reserve, since 1977. 

ecologia provided invertebrate and vertebrate fauna specialists to the team and worked in conjunction with DEC staff, LANDSCOPE Expeditioners, scientists from museums, traditional owners and staff from other consultancies. 

The survey and ecologia’s involvement would not have been possible without the financial and logistical support provided by Tropicana JV.  The broad-range of expertise and enthusiastic efforts of volunteers made for an outstanding survey. 

The number of plant species known from the reserve doubled, undescribed species of reptiles were captured, and the second ever specimen of the blind snake Ramphotyphlops margaretae was collected (see photo below).  ecologia is proud to have been a partner in this study, contributing to a greater appreciation of Western Australia’s diverse deserts.

For more information, see the current issue of LANDSCOPE (volume 24, number 4) for an article about the survey.