Improving soil health, reducing flies and boosting farm profitability.
The Lower Blackwood LCDC is proud to partner in the Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative – a regional collaboration aimed at harnessing the benefits of dung beetles to improve soil structure, suppress bush flies and livestock parasites, and enhance pasture productivity and profitability across southern Western Australia.
Led by Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee and Southern Forests Community Landcare, and supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, this initiative focuses on the Peel, Wheatbelt, South West and Great Southern regions
Project Activities:
- Fly Monitoring
- Gathering new and historical data to monitor bush fly activity and correlate population trends with dung beetle presence.
- Beetle Monitoring
- Through field surveys, we will identify the active dung beetle species locally, map their seasonal activity and highlight any gaps where future species introductions may be beneficial.
- Community Outreach
- This project is working with land managers, raising awareness of the benefits if dung beetles, showcasing best-practice land management and sharing the latest research and tools
Why Dung Beetles Matter:
- Natural pest control
- Dung beetles bury manure, interrupting bush fly breeding and reducing parasite loads in livestock
- Soil regeneration
- Their tunnelling improves aeration, water infiltration, nutrient recycling and pasture health.
- Low-input returns
- Over time, farmers can reduce external inputs and improve long-term profitability through natural processes.
Project Data Findings
This initiative is managed by Southern Forests Community Landcare and Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee. This project is also supported by funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
