The distribution of the Platypus in New South Wales through community-based surveys in 1987 and 2006

This paper reports and interprets a state-wide community survey of Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus conducted across New South Wales (NSW) in 2006, and summarises an earlier state-wide survey in 1987. The 1987 survey found that the overall distribution of the Platypus had remained stable since the early to mid-20th century, and likely since European colonisation. These two surveys remain the only broad-scale, state-wide assessments of Platypus distribution in NSW. Both relied on targeted questionnaires completed by government field personnel in 1987 and local residents in 2006. A comparison of the two surveys assessed potential changes in Platypus distribution. The 2006 survey recorded more locations than the 1987 survey, reflecting its broader reach, but when the two surveys were compared, there was no evidence of a detectable change in Platypus distribution between them. The Platypus is currently not listed as a threatened species under either NSW or Commonwealth legislation. This is a precarious position for what is arguably the world’s most evolutionarily distinct mammal. As an iconic species, the Platypus underscores the importance of conserving and managing all native wildlife, not just those already recognised as threatened.