The Urban Bushland Initiative (UBI) are a Melbourne-based group aiming to revegetate urban park spaces, including organising community events ‘to get plants into the ground first and foremost’. The group corresponds with local councils and subsequently travels to wherever help is needed at the various community planting days. But, apart from mobilising volunteers around Melbourne, rather remarkably, they are also raising awareness on emerging 3D-printing technology that creates an artificial nest or breeding hollow for a threatened powerful owl species.
Supporting the research of a PhD student from the Deep Design Lab at the Melbourne School of Design, a think-tank group has promoted a workshop to help locals design and build some hollows using a variety of sustainable materials. Students use 3D-printing technology to create an artificial breeding hollow to precisely fit the shape of a range of trees with computer-aided techniques. They also assist with site selection and the design of the hollows which are then mapped to fit specific locations on suitable trees and installed with the help of UBI volunteers.
The powerful owl (Ninox strenua) is a threatened species native to South-eastern Australia that does not build its own nest—rather, it utilises the large hollows in old, tall trees instead. But with the widespread deforestation of urban areas, the would-be homes, which can take 150 years or more to develop a hollow suitably sized for a nesting pair, are regrettably in short supply, meaning that the powerful owl is currently in decline.
The owls are lured to the urban lifestyle by the abundant prey on offer (possums in particular tantalise their taste buds) but with declining options in which to nest, the owls struggle to breed in the confines of the city, putting untold pressure on their long-term chances of survival. Without the hollows that are needed, the powerful owl populations will only continue to shrink.
As chance would have it, Sydney photographer Ofer Levy, snapped an owl nesting in a tree-bound termite mound and a way forward was found. Oddly shaped termite mounds nestled in the branches of trees seemed to meet all the necessary characteristics for the successful breeding of powerful owls. This suggested that younger, healthier and more common trees could potentially become nesting sites, with the ground-breaking idea from designers and ecologists to make artificial nests similar to tree-bound termite mounds with the aid of 3D-printing and augmented reality.
Artificial breeding hollows were created to precisely fit the shape of trees such as the Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna) and mapped to specific locations like Moonee Valley where UBI helped install cutting-edge homes for the endangered powerful owls. Previous nesting boxes, not just for the powerful owl, had limited success, with most failing to attract the intended species. Longevity was also a problem with most rotting or deteriorating over time. At a minimum, the owl nests needed to provide enough space to support a mother and two chicks, shelter the inhabitants from rain and heat, and have rough internal surfaces for scratching and climbing.
To design and create each termite-inspired nest, a laser was used to model the shape of the target tree. A computer algorithm was then used to generate the structure tailored to the owls’ specific requirements. Next, the structure was divided into interlocking blocks that could then be manufactured by overlaying digital images onto physical materials such as wood and even hemp concrete and then assembled with augmented reality headsets to form the finished nest. These materials can be tailored to fit the specific location and being lightweight they can easily be fixed onto trees by anyone wanting to boost local biodiversity and protect threatened species.
What an amazing high-tech solution to a man-made problem in nature. Early results look promising not just for the future of the powerful owl but many other species affected by habitat destruction.
Original stories and images from The Conversation
