The Giant Gippsland Earthworm GGE is listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and has been recognised as a priority species under the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032.

Giant Gippsland Earthworms are found in South and West Gippsland in Victoria, mostly on private land with limited connectivity between populations. They rely on high soil moisture almost year-round to keep their burrows suitably wet and are facing threats from climate change and other activities that reduce soil moisture or cause soil disturbances to soil.

Project objectives

This project will provide much-needed information on species distribution and population size. It will update and expand on a previous population census to fill knowledge gaps that limit conservation planning and management and help support efforts to improve the trajectory of the species. The objectives of the project are to:

1. Digitise and consolidate historical and contemporary records and conduct analysis to identify the expected population distribution.
2. Work with and survey landholders to locate populations, and conduct on-site verification, where appropriate, to determine baseline data on current population distribution and size.
3. Analyse and map distribution data and conduct analysis to improve our understanding and identify any change in distributions or population size from historical data.
4. Develop an online open-use application for users to capture location data on future Giant Gippsland Earthworm sightings.