Whether you’re a farmer or just curious about soil health, GeoCatch’s Dung Beetle Stories workshop offers practical insights into how dung beetles contribute to more productive and sustainable farming systems.
Held at a local farm in Ludlow on 27 August from 9:30am – 12pm, you’ll learn about how to support healthy dung beetle populations on your property; parasite management to protect dung beetles and the latest feedback from local monitoring activities.
Local monitoring is essential to understanding which dung beetle species perform best under South West conditions and how their activity can be maximised to deliver environmental and agricultural benefits.
The event includes a paddock walk featuring live capture and release demonstrations and dung beetle translocation tips.
The workshop forms part of the broader Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative, a collaborative project between GeoCatch, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and Southern Forests Community Landcare.
The initiative monitors dung beetle activity across the region, educates landholders about their benefits, and identifies opportunities to increase dung beetle populations on local properties.
“Learning how to trap and redistribute dung beetles will be a feature of this workshop. No other species in Australia are really suited to our local seasonal gaps in dung beetle activity,” said GeoCatch Project Officer Lisa Massey.
“However, monitoring data gathered by this project has revealed differences within regions, suggesting there are opportunities for local translocations,” she said.
Farmers, landholders and interested community members are encouraged to attend and learn more about these underground heroes and the important role they play in building healthier soils and more productive farming systems. Bring your boots and questions and see the beetles in action!
To register for the event, visit www.geocatch.asn.au/event
This project is supported by the Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative, a collaborative effort to enhance the value of dung beetles to livestock producers across Western Australia.
