The GEMG has provided funding for the following projects to assist with research studies, to help promote environmental awareness, and to help local groups and organisations remain sustainable.

Eucalypts of the Goldfields of Western Australia- Malcolm French & Dean Nicolle (2024 $10K)

The book describes approx. 160 species and subspecies and is presented in a manner for those with no botanical training to enjoy, to assist professional workers, botanists and those interested in appreciating, identifying, and growing the unique eucalypts of the Goldfields.

The GEMG’s contribution of $10,000 helped towards the publishing and design of the book.

Reptile conservation in the Esperance region: how to assist small, at-risk populations of the ornate dragon lizard (2024)

This project is focused on the ornate dragon lizard, Ctenophorus ornatus, a reptile species occurring throughout the Esperance region and much of the Goldfields. The ornate dragon has recently experienced substantial population declines and extinctions in the Esperance region.  This project aims to determine the extent of the population declines and to assess the genetic health of at-risk populations that persist.  Assessments will be made to determine if the population declines observed in the Esperance region are also evident across the Goldfields, thereby underscoring the viability of Goldfields populations as source for future translocations.

Through this project, the demographic and genetic factors contributing to the extinction versus persistence of C. ornatus populations across the Esperance-Goldfields distribution range will be determined, as well as an assessment of the fine-scale population genetic structure. The proposed ornate dragon research provides an opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge on small, threatened populations, as well as to assess/assist populations that are currently at high risk. The ornate dragon system also provides a high level of population replication to tease apart the predictors of extinction, a level of replication uncommon in natural population studies. The ornate dragon provides a compelling opportunity to learn how fragmented animal populations could be managed into the future.

GEMG funding would be used to assess the genetic health of any populations which were observed to have substantially declined. GEMG funding would also be used to check the genetic health of nearby Goldfields populations, and determine if there are any healthy, large populations that could act as source for translocations if necessary

Total funding TBA