Platypus Watch
Central Coast Platypus Watch is a community focused, citizen science program aimed at increasing the awareness of platypus on the Central Coast and providing protection for this iconic species and it’s habitat, through a range of educational workshops and ongoing water monitoring programs.
Platypus Watch Program
The program is a great way to get involved in monitoring the health of your waterways, learn about the platypus, the food they eat and the habitats they like to live in, as well as learn about what you can do in your own backyard to protect this species and its habitat.
Historically, there have been platypus sightings across the Central Coast, but much of what is known is dated, with some sightings greater than 20 years old. In recent years, projects such as the Australian Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) Platy-Project have helped to increase the awareness of the platypus and add recent sightings to the map.
Mapping platypus on the coast
Working with landholders and community members, Central Coast Platypus Watch set out to close some of the knowledge gaps of platypus distribution within the Wyong River Catchment, by using a brilliant and non-invasive technique, called Enviro DNA (eDNA).
Enviro DNA is an exciting technique which allows us to obtain DNA fragments by collecting samples from the environment which, in this case, is water.
DNA can enter the water column when Aquatic animals excrete urine or faeces, or when they groom themselves and shed their skin or fur. This makes the platypus the perfect candidate for sampling, because they toilet in the water and spend most of their time grooming while swimming or floating.
They have exposed areas of skin on their feet and bills, which can shed fragments of skin when they brush against rocks and submerged branches while the animals are feeding.
The DNA fragments that enter the water can be present for variable lengths of time, but eDNA degrades or becomes undetectable quickly, so its detection is generally linked to recent activity at the site – generally within the last few days.
Working with landholders across the Wyong River Catchment, Central Coast Platypus Watch trained community members in the process of collecting eDNA samples at 14 locations across the Wyong River Catchment within the 2024 Breeding season.
The results of the study are very promising and indicate a strong presence of platypus within the catchment. Six of the 14 sites tested were positive for platypus detection, while a further 5 showed indicators of platypus presence, but fell outside of the parameters required for positive classification.
What’s next for Central Coast Platypus Watch?
The results of this study are extremely useful for implementing priority management actions and will be used to seek additional funding to carry out targeted remediation works at platypus detection sites within the catchment. In addition to this, we will be seeking funding to repeat this study within other catchments across the Central Coast region and bridge some of the gaps of what is known for this species.
If you would like more information on the Central Coast Platypus Watch Program or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Meg Rice at meg.rice@cen.org.au
This project is proudly supported by the Community Environment Network, Coastal Wetlands Project and Waterwatch NSW.
