Conservation Projects and Campaigns

Summer months are a busy peak holiday season. During this time, Phillip Island welcomes thousands of visitors who come here to surf, explore local attractions, nature reserves and trails, delight their taste buds in local cafes and restaurants, and simply enjoy their time with family and friends while soaking up sun on a beach.

Phillip Island is very fortunate – so many amazing species call it their home. And during summer months you can help our precious and vulnerable wildlife raise their young safely on our shores.

You can help protect our local wildlife by mindfully sharing our shores.

WHAT WILDLIFE CAN BE FOUND ON THE SHORES OF PHILLIP ISLAND

During this summer season 

Hooded Plovers 

Hooded Plovers typically nest on the sand on ocean beaches in the busy summer months. Their nests, eggs and chicks are extremely well camouflaged and prone to being accidentally trodden on, disturbed by people and animals passing by, or harmed by dogs. This disturbance can cause adult birds to move away from their nests, which can be fatal for their chicks.  

For more facts about the species, have a read of our Hooded Plover Nature Notes

How you can help hooded plovers 

When walking past a wildlife refuge, please ensure your dog is on a lead and walk quickly past the wildlife refuge and along the water's edge.

Be on the lookout for hooded plovers and their behaviour wherever you walk - the birds may move from the protected areas.

Short-tailed shearwaters 

The short-tailed shearwater is a mid-sized migratory bird, and one of just a few that come to Australia to breed. These birds - also known as mutton-birds - travel around the world and arrive on Phillip Island around the end of September after a 16,000 km migration from the waters off the Aleutian Islands near Alaska.  

They spend their time around Australia’s southern coastline, renovating past nests and building new ones. The breeding pairs lay just one egg in the last week of November in a sand dune burrow. The egg hatches in mid-January and the parents feed the chick before beginning their migration back to the northern hemisphere in mid-April. The fat, fluffy chick is left behind until it grows its ‘adult’ feathers and begins the migration weeks after the adults leave.

Please refer to our short-tailed shearwater Nature Notes for more information.

How you can help short-tailed shearwaters

Please stay on paths and away from the dunes - this is where shearwaters make their fragile burrows, which can easily be collapsed.

Please keep your cat contained to your property, especially at night - shearwater chicks left alone in their burrows are vulnerable to predation.

Please ensure all rubbish ends up in the bin - shearwater parents can mistake rubbish for food.

Australian Fur Seal 

Australian fur seals play an important role in Australia's marine ecosystems. There are around 20,000 seals at Seal Rocks (off Phillip Island) and 10,000 at The Skerries (near Mallacoota).

The Australian fur seal is the largest of nine species of fur seal in the world. They have two layers of fur, a longer outer layer of guard hairs with a fine underfur for warmth.

Although they can breathe air, Australian fur seals prefer to live in the water and spend weeks feeding at sea. As you can imagine, they’re very good swimmers.

For more facts about the species, please check out our Australian fur seal Nature Note.

How you can help Australian fur seals

Please ensure all rubbish ends up in the bin and cut any loops before disposing of them - playful seals can easily become entangled in this rubbish.

Seals often "haul out" to lie on beaches or other areas to rest or moult, moving between land and sea of their own accord. This is normal behaviour and is especially prevalent over the summer months as the seal pups have been weaned and are fending for themselves.

What to do if you see a seal on the beach 

Please leave it alone and maintain a distance of least 30 metres to allow the seal to rest.

Keep dogs on a leash and at least 50 metres away from the seal to avoid frightening or injuring it.

Please do not feed the seal as it may become habituated to humans and unable to fend for itself in the wild.

Please do not attempt to move the seal back into the water or throw water over it – they can self-regulate their body temperature.

Report sick or injured wildlife 

To report sick or injured wildlife on Phillip Island, please call Wildlife emergency response line on (03) 8400 7300 24/7 or use this link to report online.

What can I do as a business owner? 

Phillip Island businesses can get involved in protecting our native wildlife by making sure their staff are aware of the 'Sharing Our Shores' campaign, and what they and their families can do to help keep the wildlife safe.

You can put campaign posters in store and share our posts on your social media to let your customers know that you will be supporting this important local campaign.  

Contact us to receive a free campaign poster.

What is the Phillip Island Nature Parks Conservation team doing?

During summer months, December 2024 -February 2025, Phillip Island Nature Parks rangers and volunteers will patrol the shores to monitor the nesting activities of beach nesting bird species, which contributes to long term research studies into the breeding success and conservation status of these threatened birds. 

Can I volunteer or help? 

Yes! We would love the help of volunteers to assist our rangers on patrols by collecting and collating data. NOTE: volunteers will not be handling birds. Places are strictly limited.

Please contact us if you would like to take part.

Yes! Volunteers can assist by joining the Hooded Plover Watch. This team of citizen scientists gather observational data for our beach nesting bird team. You can find more information here.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS 

The Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Biodiversity Project aims to protect and assist the natural recovery of native ground flora, restore biodiversity values, and alleviate coastal erosion issues in this coastal reserve. The construction of a rabbit exclusion fence in conjunction with a rabbit control program and targeted revegetation/restoration will protect significant coastal vegetation and cultural heritage from the impacts of rabbits.

This project is a resident-led initiative, with the support of Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Coastcare Group, Bass Coast Shire Council, Bass Coast Landcare Network, Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and Phillip Island Nature Parks.

WHERE
The Rabbit Exclusion Fence will protect approximately 3 hectares of coastal vegetation from Surfies Point Carpark to the end of Sunderland Bay Rd steps. 

IMPACT FROM RABBITS
Rabbits have been identified as the primary cause in the decline of coastal flora in the Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Coastal Reserve.  Heavy grazing by rabbits has severely depleted herbaceous groundcover and without improved protection we may lose the biodiversity in the area, and it may lead to localised extinctions.

A trial of rabbit exclusion cages indicated that coastal ground species can respond and recover when the pressure of heavy rabbit grazing is removed.

The subsequent installation of a rabbit exclusion fence removed the principal threatening process and further protected and enhanced the remnant coastal vegetation.

FACTS ABOUT RABBITS

• They have extremely high reproduction rates.  
• They are reproductively viable at 3 months old and can become pregnant 1-2 hours after giving birth to a litter. Litter sizes vary from 4-8 kits. 
• They require an underground warren system to reproduce successfully. This fact highlights the importance of warren destruction to halt reproduction and population growth. 
• More than one rabbit/hectare is enough to decrease natural recruitment of native vegetation. 

PROGRAM RESULTS

• Extensive warren mapping has taken place within the rabbit exclusion fence, and no active warrens have been located. 
• Regular fence checks and maintenance have ensured no new rabbit incursions have occurred. 
• Regular monitoring indicates a reduction in the rabbit population within the fenced area. 
• Rabbit baiting under exclusion cages has achieved a significant reduction in rabbit abundance over the past 12 months.  
• Surveys indicate between 60-90% reduction in rabbit dung prevalence and up to 92% reduction in rabbit excavations.  
• Bait has been consistently consumed by rabbits, indicated from camera footage and green rabbit droppings observed around bait stations. 

MINIMISING IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE
The following activities were undertaken as part of the project to minimise the impact on wildlife such as wallabies and echidnas.

• A free-feed phase for rabbits will be undertaken prior to laying Pindone. This will allow rabbits to get used to eating the baits.
• Cameras will be installed near the exclusion cages to monitor the baits and determine which species are eating them.
• Baits will be laid under exclusion cages which will prevent local wildlife accessing the bait.
• Baits are dyed green to reduce the likelihood of uptake by birds which usually seek out ripe seeds or fruit.
• Pindone is applied to the husk of the oats which is usually removed by birds.
• Echidnas are not at risk as they eat insects and worms.
• Pindone is quickly metabolised by rabbits.
• Birds of prey would need to eat a significant number of dead rabbits to be affected. Dead rabbits will be removed and disposed of to reduce this risk.
• Dogs should remain on lead at all times and be kept on the boardwalk.
• Pindone has an effective antidote if secondary poisoning should occur.  

WALLABY AND ECHIDNA ACCESS
We want native animals such as echidnas and wallabies to be able to move in and out of the fenced area as their browsing keeps the vegetation more open and is beneficial for the ground flora. There were six 'echidna gates' installed along the fence which are specially designed to allow echidnas to move through but are too difficult for a rabbit to push through.

Echidnas have been captured on camera using the specially designed echidna gates and are regularly observed within the fence line. Wallaby activity within and outside of the fence line has been regularly monitored with no negative impacts observed. 

FLORA MONITORING 
Following the rabbit exclusion fence's construction, a flora survey was done to capture baseline data of species diversity and abundance. To support a measure of change over time, the project plan is to monitor the site at one, four and ten-year intervals after the installation of the fence.  

A follow-up survey was undertaken in October 2023 and healthy natural regeneration has occurred with species such as pale fruit ballart (Exocarpus stricta) and the prostrate form of Hop goodenia (Goodenia ovata) regenerating since rabbit control has been undertaken.   

Also of significance is the germination of Trigger plant (Stylidium spp) seedling being recorded inside the enclosure. While the first-year results are promising, it is still too early to draw any further conclusions at this stage. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP
You can Volunteer with the Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Coastcare Group, contact Gayle Seddon - Coordinator, Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Coastcare Group
By email
Or through socials

You can get involved in other conservation-based Volunteering with Nature Parks, for more information click here.

You can help to restore natural biodiversity and help protect wildlife by keeping your dog on a lead and remaining on formal boardwalks while in this area.  
If you see injured wildlife, please call Wildlife VIC 24/7 hotline on 03 8400 7300. 

RABBIT FREE PHILLIP ISLAND 
Rabbit Free Phillip Island is a local initiative driven by local volunteers in collaboration with several organisations and agencies.  
Aiming to ‘inspire, engage, educate and facilitate community action’ the Surf Beach Sunderland Bay Coastcare Group together with Phillip Island Landcare has been working together to support the local community to reduce rabbit numbers. 
A range of initiatives support the Biodiversity Project including: 

• rabbit proofing homes will be a ‘first line of defence’, offering advice and training (warren fumigation and rabbit proof fencing) to homeowners, aiming to eliminate the major refuge enjoyed by rabbits.  With support from the Ross Trust and Bass Coast Landcare Network the “Teaming Up to Tackle Rabbits” program provides residents the opportunity to rabbit-proof their homes.  
• promoting citizen science in the form of warren mapping and understanding rabbit abundance and behaviour (use of a warren smoker and recording data using RabbitScan)  
• vegetation monitoring through a combination of vegetation quality mapping, photo points, citizen science and quadrat data analysis, to help assess the effectiveness of the program. 
• weed control and erosion control, seed collection and revegetation. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Bass Coast Landcare Network 0456 390 423. 
Rabbit-Proof Your Home and Garden from Bass Coast Landcare Network on Vimeo. 

The world-famous Penguin Parade is Victoria’s most popular regional tourism attraction, and one of the top five nature-based attractions in Australia. 
In 2022 Phillip Island Nature Parks finalised detailed designs to reinvigorate the Penguin Parade boardwalks and viewing stands to deliver the final stage of the Summerland Peninsula Master Plan. 
The Nature Parks has been successful in securing partial funding for the $37.8M project with a $5 million grant through the Regional Tourism Investment Fund and additional funding through the State Government enabling the construction of new boardwalks and upgrade of ageing infrastructure. 
Terroir Architects in partnership with Simpson Construction have been engaged to design and construct this exciting project to ensure the Penguin Parade remains a world class ecotourism destination. 

WHAT
New Outbound Boardwalk
The construction of a new all accessible boardwalk, creating an improved looped visitor experience to connect visitors with nature.  This new boardwalk will provide a Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant walkway to the Penguin Parade viewing stands. 
Construction will commence 1 May 2024, outside the penguin breeding and shearwater migration period.  Completion is expected by December 2024. 

HOW 

This project has involved consultation with key stakeholders to avoid or minimise impacts to Aboriginal cultural heritage, flora, and fauna. 
Impacts to Aboriginal cultural heritage are being managed through a Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation approved Cultural Heritage Management Plan. 
Flora and fauna impact is being managed through a comprehensive biodiversity assessment and a Construction Environmental Management Plan. 

WHY 

The Nature Parks has a long-term vision to create a holistic experience to immerse our visitors in nature across the Summerland Peninsula.  We have focused our funding to restore the ageing infrastructure at the Penguin Parade to support our growing visitation and improve our visitor experience for all. 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

During construction works please expect some minor delays in accessing the viewing stands. 
Please allow extra time to get to and from the viewing platforms if you are on a bus tour or time restriction. 
Signage and staff will be available to assist you during this time. 

Accessibility 
A buggy service will continue to operate throughout the construction periods for sections of the boardwalk. 
Your own personal wheelchair or other aiding device is recommended. 
Please telephone 03 5951 2830 for further information on your individual requirements. 

Closures

Day time impacts 
Some delays may be experienced accessing Summerland Beach throughout the day. 
You may experience work vehicles accessing the pathways and closures of Penguins Plus and Guided Penguin Tour stands. 
Delays and restricted access may occur from 1 May to December 2024. 
Please follow directions of signage, staff, and contractors during this time for your safety.