Wildlife Queensland's new Gold Coast Platypus Project Coordinator, Glenn Costello

Climate change, changing water levels, and chemical and material pollution - the issues that worry people also affect Queensland's platypuses.

The environmental concerns of humans in the 21st century also pose a threat to platypus numbers in Queensland according to the new Gold Coast coordinator of Wildlife Queensland's statewide Platypus Care project.

Speaking on Sunday 20 November at the Greenspace Tent at the Joyfest at Carrara, Gold Coast Platypus Project Coordinator Glenn Costello talked about the threats facing our platypus population and how the community can contribute to Wildlife Queensland's Platypus Care conservation project.

In addition to the high level threats of climate change, local threats - such as stream bank clearing - are removing the home sites and cover that platypuses need to survive.

Glenn introduced the audience to the platypus's controversial conservation status including claims that even though the platypus is officially not considered vulnerable or threatened, it is 'hanging on' - over time it has reduced in diversity, range, and numbers.

Glenn also took the opportunity to invite the public to become involved in Wildlife Queensland's Platypus Care project. The project aims to publicise the platypus's unique ecology and threatened conservation status, and provide information to the community on preserving habitat and the importance of healthy waterways.

An innovative aspect of the project is to build partnerships with landholders to improve their wildlife monitoring skills in order to support platypus numbers. The project also aims to encourage government and non-government bodies to get more involved in platypus conservation.

Glenn was appointed as Wildlife Queensland's Gold Coast Platypus Project Coordinator at the beginning of November 2005. His position is funded by Gold Coast City Council. He was previously Project Coordinator of the Quoll Seekers Network's Quoll Conservation Project in the Granite Belt of Queensland funded by Envirofund (NHT).

More information about Platypus Care

For more information about the poultry shed grant scheme and other activities, contact Wildlife Queensland by email or call +61 7 3221 0194.