Tracking the Invisible: Using eDNA to detect Chuditch

Healthy Environments
Written By Rebecca Turner

Nature Positive = Stop nature loss + Add more nature than we have now (credit South West NRM CEO Dr Manda Page)

Wheatbelt NRM is excited to be trialling the use of eDNA this autumn to search for Chuditch (Western Quoll) in key locations within Eucalypt Woodlands of the WA Wheatbelt, a Threatened Ecological Community (TEC).

As a solitary, cryptic, and primarily nocturnal species with a large home range, Chuditch are challenging to track, making it difficult to pinpoint the best areas for conservation efforts. This is where eDNA sampling becomes an invaluable tool – helping to identify key Chuditch habitats with greater accuracy and efficiency.  

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling of air, water and soil is an innovative scientific tool used to detect the presence of threatened, cryptic and transient fauna – species that would otherwise go unnoticed without extensive surveillance.

The Chuditch is a small, carnivorous marsupial native to Australia. Once found across the continent, it is now restricted to the southwest of Western Australia.

Listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biosecurity Conservation (EPBC) Act, Chuditch face a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.

There are several factors that have led to the decline of this species:

  • Introduced animal predation and competition for resources (primarily foxes and cats)

  • Habitat loss and fragmentation due to clearing, land use and altered fire regimes

  • Deliberate and accidental deaths from poisoning, trapping and illegal shooting. Secondary poisoning can also occur from eating rats and mice that have eaten rodenticides.

  • Vehicle strikes when scavenging on roadsides. 

This March and April, Wheatbelt NRM are hosting free, interactive community events in Brookton, Newdegate, Narembeen, Merredin and Mukinbudin to explore the role of eDNA sampling in native fauna conservation. The events will include an engaging presentation, exciting door prizes, light refreshments, and hands-on field experience installing eDNA air sensors to detect the elusive Chuditch.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn, connect, and contribute to conservation efforts. Stay tuned for event details or get in touch with Project Delivery Officer Karen Carter at kcarter@wheatbeltnrm.org.au

For more information on how you can help protect Eucalypt Woodland, which are a Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) visit here

For information on project’s underway supporting private landholders to protect and improve the habitat values of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo breeding and foraging sites in the Avon River Basin please visit here

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Published eNews #400, March 2025

Rebecca Turner
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