The Ginninderry Conservation Trust contracted three institutions to undertake environmental DNA-based surveys for vertebrate fauna through water samples within the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor and surrounds in the ACT. The Trust was interested in seeing what DNA results would come from sampling different dams and flowing water in and around the Corridor. This sampling was done on five separate occasions in three years (2021-2023) across 12 sites. Bridie has been analysing the four reports on the eDNA results in the Corridor and has found a lot of differences between each report and the results they presented which sparked interest to analyse further.

Frogs are excellent indicators of waterway and wetland health because they are highly susceptible to environmental changes. Therefore, monitoring frog populations is crucial for tracking waterway health over time. This is where Anke Maria comes in. As coordinator of the ACT FrogWatch Program, she has been training volunteers in the art of frog surveys since 2011. She is a strong advocate for citizen science, stewardship, and, above all, frogs.

While the Ginninderry name is now well known across the Capital Region, its origins and meanings may not be. The name Ginninderry was chosen following two years of research and consultation with the project’s People and Place Group (PPG), a forum of key local stakeholders. The team also worked closely with the Australian National University, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the local First Nations community to ensure all available linguistic records were considered. Ginninderry is derived from a First Nations word meaning sparkling or throwing out little rays of light’. It symbolises the creek that flows through the district and is a fitting acknowledgment of both the area’s First Nations and European Heritage.

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This study explores the fascinating world of macroinvertebrates, where tiny creatures wield immense ecological significance. These critters, visible to the naked eye, are often overlooked as they inhabit freshwater systems. They tell a story of water quality and ecosystem health. Their diversity, ranging from the pollution-sensitive mayflies to little glass shrimps, play an important role in nutrient cycling and food chains.

Major construction activities often result in negative environmental effects, however, Ginninderry is staying ahead of the curve by employing groups to conduct environmental impact monitoring throughout the project, in an industry-first approach. The Centre for Applied Water Science has conducted water quality monitoring of the Ginninderry development for over five years, in support of the project’s sustainable development goals. Through long-term monitoring, they can identify potential impacts to natural waterways across the development and recommend improved water management approaches, resulting in a range of benefits.

The Little Eagle is listed as a vulnerable species in the ACT and NSW. The overall aim of this study by the Little Eagle Research Group is to determine the population ecology of the Little Eagle in the ACT and nearby NSW. This has been done by finding out how many breeding pairs there are in the study area, what the birds eat, what habitats they use, how far they move from their nest sites, how far they move in the non-breeding season, and where they go.

The Scarlet Robin is listed as a vulnerable species in the ACT and NSW. This study aims to identify where and when these birds live in the Ginninderry area,what habitats they use, and if they move between there and adjacent properties, especially Trevaskis across Stockdill Drive. Knowing what habitats the Scarlet Robins use in the Ginninderry area is crucial to aid their conservation in the Ginninderry area.

A local bird group ‘The Canberra Ornithologists Group’, now known as ‘Canberra Birds’, has been conducting surveys in ACT woodlands since 1998. A total of 16 sites have been surveyed at Ginninderry since the spring of 2023. A report analysing observations from 15 sites is available and provides a very valuable document to compare the observations from Ginninderry with elsewhere.

This study addresses the critical need to understand and measure the significance of large old trees. Such understanding has been lacking because tree canopies are complex and traditional assessments typically have coarse resolution. This research mapped more than 100,000 branches from millions of laser samples using lidar technology and recorded bird behaviour through years of field observations. Comparing trees reveals that the vast majority of suitable branches are found only in large old trees. On average, large old trees had 383 metres of horizontal or dead branches preferred by birds, while medium trees had very little and young trees had none.

Cara’s research explores the different aspects of conserving mature trees in urban environments, with a particular focus on the ACT and southeast Queensland. The objectives of her thesis are to identify the patterns of mature tree retention during residential property development, explore the way bird and microbat communities vary with differing numbers of mature trees in urban greenspace, and explore ways to design residential property developments so that more mature trees can be retained within acceptable tolerances of risk to people and infrastructure.

In any typical new suburb on the edge of Brisbane, Sydney or Canberra, about 30% of existing native trees are retained. At Ginninderry over 80% are retained. In this research, E Wen Wong and Phil Gibbons explore what was done differently at Ginninderry to retain these trees and whether the lessons from Ginninderry can be applied to other suburbs.

Evaluating the importance of mature trees for birds in urban landscapes, this research project found that among other vegetation and landscape factors, mature trees were found to be important predictors of bird diversity.