A new report has just been released from the Muscles in the Mud project. This project looked at how, or even if, lokeri (Ngarrindjeri name) populations recovered after they disappeared during the Millennium Drought. Lokeri is a freshwater mussel, which are one of the most at-risk groups of animals in the world.
Community drives research
This citizen science project began when community members expressed concern about mussel populations in the region. The team connected with community through yarning circles to share knowledge and talk about ideas for the project, which included lokeri surveys with community members.
Lokeri has always been important to Ngarrindjeri people as a source of food and for tools and decoration. Lokeri is also important for the environment because the animals and their shells help create healthy sediments, recycle nutrients, rehabilitate habitats and filter out pollutants.
Lokeri survey across Lower Lakes
34 historic lokeri sites in the Lower Lakes were surveyed, with teams of researchers, community members and individuals from the Ngarrindjeri Nation shuffling through the mud to try and locate mussels using their feet. The team found 76 live mussels in Lake Alexandrina but did not find any mussels in Lake Albert. Overall, the team found that Lokeri abundance in the Lower Lakes was less than 1% of historic abundance, when Lokeri was last surveyed in 1979.
Signs of a slow recovery
The team examined lokeri shells under the microscope to see if they could find out the ages of mussels they collected. Using annual growth marks, they determined that the mussels ranged in age from 5 to 13 years old, which corresponds to recruitment following the Millennium Drought.
Although lokeri weren’t found in high numbers overall, there are signs that Lokeri could be recovering after the Millennium drought.
Project lead Scotte Wedderburn said: “Finding lokeri during our research may represent the very early stage of a very slow recovery following the catastrophic impacts of drought. Numbers were not high. Lokeri existence is still vulnerable so improving understanding of growth and reproduction in changing conditions is vital for management and decision-making on the use of water in the River Murray and Lower Lakes.”
Cultural knowledge key to project
The Muscles in the Mud project brought together science, community and culture to gain information that addressed cultural and community concerns. Around 25 scientists and citizen scientists worked on the project and more than 35 people attended yarning circles.
Cultural knowledge guided how this work was undertaken, and community participation ensured it remained grounded in Ngarrindjeri priorities. The recovery of Lokeri is part of Ngarrindjeri responsibility to care for Ruwi and any ongoing work must continue to support Ngarrindjeri leadership in how research is designed, carried out, and applied.
Want to dive further into the details? Read the full report here
