The annual kangaroo count marked 40 years when the flight commenced on June 18, providing an insight into kangaroo numbers and movements across SA.
The survey, which began in 1978, is carried out by the Department for Environment and Water and covers 230 000 square kilometres of pastoral and agricultural regions of SA.
DEW Kangaroo Management operations manager, Tom Gerschwitz, says the declining seasonal conditions over much of the pastoral area are impacting on the high numbers of kangaroos.
“This survey will continue to inform DEW about trends in kangaroo populations across the broader landscape,” Mr Gerschwitz said.
The data will inform the setting of quotas within the commercial harvest area for kangaroos and aids in understanding the effect of environmental conditions on kangaroo numbers
Surveying indicates that kangaroo populations largely respond to climatic conditions, with populations generally decreasing during droughts and recovering in good conditions.
“An aircraft flying low with streamers attached to its wing struts and following a seemingly unchanged flight path is an unusual sight but it is the most efficient way to gather data on kangaroo populations,” Mr Gerschwitz said.
“Two trained observers sit in the rear of a Cessna 206 aircraft and scan the landscape, counting kangaroos in a 200 metre wide strip each side of the aircraft, surveying one square kilometre every 97 seconds.”
Providing there a re good weather conditions, the survey will take three weeks, due to be completed July 10.
Starting to the east of the Flinders Ranges then across to the NSW border, the survey will then move south to between Burra and Renmark.
In the second week the survey will cover areas north of Port Augusta, including pastoral lands either side of Lake Torrens and some areas of the Gawler Ranges.
The final portion of the survey will include the Kingoonya and Coober Pedy areas.
“Community members should not be worried if they see a low-flying aircraft doing east-west transects across properties,” Mr Gerschwitz said.
