On behalf of Lake Macquarie City Council, Narla Environmental staff undertake monthly monitoring of the Grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) camp at Blackalls Park, NSW.
Since January 2017, Narla have collected data on the population dynamics, breeding activity and distribution within Blackalls Park, as well as progressive movement into rehabilitation areas created by Council to increase habitat for the camp.
Grey-headed Flying-foxes are currently listed as Vulnerable under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Threats to the ongoing survival of Grey-headed Flying-foxes include:
Deliberate destruction associated with commercial horticulture,
Competition with Black Flying-foxes,
Negative public attitudes and conflict with humans,
Electrocution on powerlines, entanglement in netting and on barbed-wire,
Climate change, and
Disease.
A key objective of this study is to understand the local microclimate within Blackalls Park and the correlation between vegetation condition and severity of heat-stress events for Grey-headed Flying-fox.
