Operation Possum

January 1st, 2008 - December 31st, 2008 | PROJECT

Operation Possum was a large-scale, community-based study of possums in South Australia. In 2008, Operation Possum collected data about possum species, how people manage possums, and participants’ attitudes towards possums, with a total of 2,234 online surveys completed from 462 different suburbs and towns. The conservation of wildlife living close to people can be complex, especially when the species behaves in ways that disturb or distress people, as possums certainly do. However, we found that a general admiration of possums, with a caveat regarding their less desirable behaviours, defined the relationship with these adorable yet troublesome marsupials: the paradox of the possum. Results from this project, including information about possums, stories submitted by participants, management strategies (and their effectiveness), and an introduction to Citizen Science, have been published as a book - The Possum-Tail Tree: Understanding Possums through Citizen Science.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

http://unisa.edu.au/Research/Barbara-Hardy-Institute/Research-1/Citizen-Science/
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/projects/barbarahardy/possum/

Team Members

Philip Roetman, Contributor, University of South Australia

Tags

Audience: Educators | Teachers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | General Public | Middle School Children (11-13) | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Ecology | forestry | agriculture | Life science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Citizen Science Programs | Public Programs