Ms Megan Suthers1, Mx Njanjma Rangers Njanjma Rangers2, Ms Rachel Tulloch3, Dr Kelly Dixon1,4, Dr Erin Hahn3
1Territory Natural Resource Management, Darwin, Australia, 2Njanjma Rangers, Northern Land Council, Gunbalanya, Australia, 3National Research Collections Australia, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, Australia, 4Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
Biography:
Megan is an ecologist passionate about applied conservation, with experience in assessing, translocating, and monitoring threatened species and habitats across Australia. In her role with Territory Natural Resource Management, Megan works alongside First Nations Ranger groups throughout the Arnhem Plateau to support threatened species monitoring and land management aimed at protecting the white-throated grasswren and the Arnhem rock skink. A key partner in this work is the Njanjma Rangers and their senior ranger and Manilikarr Traditional Owner, Manbiyarra Nayinggul. Based at Gunbalanya and Mikkinj Valley in West Arnhem Land, Manbiyarra and the Rangers work across their stone country, woodlands, and floodplains to care for Country, culture, and community.
Abstract:
Remote landscapes present significant challenges for biodiversity monitoring, particularly for cryptic and difficult-to-survey species. In partnership with the Njanjma Rangers and Traditional Owners, we deployed passive airborne eDNA samplers alongside acoustic recorders targeting the white-throated grasswren (WTGW) across the “Stone Country” in western Arnhem Land. Sampling sites were selected in consultation with Traditional Owners and targeted long-unburnt habitats within the endangered Arnhem Plateau Sandstone Shrubland Complex, where fire had been absent for at least three to five years. Across three deployments, we progressively evaluated and scaled airborne eDNA sampling under remote field conditions. An initial 10-site deployment yielded no amplification following approximately 30 days in transit. In a subsequent deployment, all six samplers produced detections, recovering 48 plant and vertebrate taxa, including black wallaroo and four avian taxa. A third, targeted deployment sampled 10 sites near recent WTGW sightings for vertebrates, with detections recovered from four sites, including sandstone pseudantechinus. Across successful deployments, metabarcoding recovered 50 taxa, comprising 35 plants and 15 animals. Acoustic monitoring detected WTGW during one sampling period, but the species was not detected by airborne eDNA. This contrast highlights challenges in interpreting metabarcoding non-detections for poorly represented taxa, alongside logistical constraints on sample transport and preservation in remote environments. Our findings demonstrate both the potential and current limitations of airborne eDNA in remote environments and are informing the integration of broad metabarcoding with targeted molecular approaches for priority species, supporting the development of practical tools for ranger-led biodiversity monitoring on Country.