For so long flying foxes have been the unfortunate recipients of misguided criticism. Could this innovative surveillance project help people see these misunderstood creatures in a more positive light?
Biosecurity Queensland in partnership with the Gold Coast Council and the Queensland Herbarium, now located in the Department of Environment and Science, are surveying vegetation around flying fox camps to establish whether they could serve as an early warning system for serious new weed species. Could flying-foxes provide an opportunity to prevent the spread of potentially invasive plants by revealing their locations early enough to allow for eradication?