Kangaroo Island Wildlife Recovery: A Rapid Response System

Wildfires, intensified by rising temperatures, droughts, and CO₂ emissions, are an escalating global crisis. Recent disasters in Chile, Greece, Canada, Maui, and Spain underscore their devastating impact on human lives, wildlife, and ecosystems. As climate change continues to fuel this destructive cycle, urgent action is needed to mitigate long-term damage and strengthen recovery efforts.

Preliminary Exploration

• Wildfires cause injuries, habitat destruction, and ecological disruption.

• Wildlife experiences burns, dehydration, and exposure to toxic gases.

• Food shortages and habitat loss drive displacement and competition.

• Reduced breeding success endangers species survival.

• Recovery efforts are vital to stabilise ecosystems and safeguard biodiversity.

Keystone species are crucial to Kangaroo Island’s ecosystem, providing food and shelter for wildlife such as the Kangaroo Island Dunnart and Glossy Black Cockatoo. The 2019–2020 Black Summer fires devastated these habitats, causing food shortages, nesting loss, and population declines. Restoring keystone species is essential for long-term ecological recovery and wildlife survival.

Bushfire recovery depends on collaboration between government, community, and conservation groups. The Wildlife and Habitat Taskforce spearheads habitat restoration, while conservation organisations focus on monitoring and protection. Support initiatives—such as recovery funds, feral animal management, and food drops—contribute to long-term resilience.

Precedents

• Customisation, accessibility, and sustainability are crucial to wildlife recovery.

• Bee Home: Open-source, locally sourced, user-driven design.

• Bush Habitat: Biodegradable, species-specific shelters.

These insights inform Helpinn’s rapid response approach, fostering community engagement and eco-friendly solutions.

The Solution

Helpinn provides a rapid-response system for post-bushfire wildlife recovery by combining community engagement, digital tools, and eco-friendly shelters. An interactive platform enables users to identify affected species, customise habitat designs, and follow step-by-step building guides.

The system tracks deployments to ensure efficient resource use and minimise waste. By leveraging local participation and sustainable materials, Helpinn supports a scalable and resilient recovery approach for fire-affected ecosystems.

Helpinn’s two-phase approach delivers both immediate relief and long-term recovery. During the emergency phase, shelters, veterinary aid, and food support are deployed. The recovery phase then focuses on habitat restoration and species conservation. Community involvement scales according to fire risk, ranging from individual action to coordinated task force efforts.

Material selection is crucial for balancing accessibility, environmental impact, and structural performance in post-fire recovery shelters. Cardboard stands out as the most accessible and biodegradable option, making it ideal for temporary habitats despite its lower durability and water resistance.

The Helpinn Awareness Campaign engages communities through digital and physical outreach, promoting safe habitats for fire-affected wildlife. The Marked Safe Campaign uses QR codes on posters to direct users to an online platform for education and action.

The Outcome

The Helpinn platform simplifies habitat building with a step-by-step process. Users can select species, customise shelters, and generate structures while collaborating with the community to support wildlife recovery.

The Helpinn habitat prototype provides customisable, easy-to-assemble shelters for fire-affected wildlife. Designed for species such as the Glossy Black Cockatoo and Kangaroo Island Dunnart, it features ventilation, secure entrances, and efficient deployment through interlocking components.

Helpinn shelters bridge destruction and regeneration, supporting wildlife until habitats recover. As ecosystems heal, the shelters biodegrade, ensuring seamless reintegration and highlighting the importance of rapid-response solutions for ecological resilience.

Project Results

• Developed a scalable, rapid-response system for post-fire wildlife recovery.

• Designed an intuitive digital platform to enable users to build and deploy shelters.

• Created modular, eco-friendly habitat prototypes tailored to affected species.

• Integrated a community-driven approach, empowering individuals to contribute directly to conservation.

• Established a model for future fire-affected regions, demonstrating how service design drives ecological resilience.

Lessons Learnt

Building Helpinn has provided invaluable insights from a service design perspective, especially in designing for post-disaster recovery, rapid response, and community-driven solutions. Key takeaways include:

• Co-creation with stakeholders accelerates adoption. Involving local communities, conservation organisations, and government agencies ensures that solutions are practical, scalable, and meet real-world needs.

• Service resilience requires adaptability. Designing flexible, modular solutions allows for rapid adjustments based on evolving environmental conditions and stakeholder feedback.

• Balancing accessibility, sustainability, and durability is key. Material selection must consider cost-effectiveness, environmental impact, and structural longevity to optimise usability in emergency contexts.

• Ecosystem thinking is essential. Wildlife recovery is interconnected with human involvement, requiring a holistic approach that integrates habitat restoration, education, and long-term conservation efforts.

• Digital tools can bridge gaps in crisis response. A well-designed digital platform can mobilise volunteers, streamline habitat deployment, and track shelter effectiveness, improving coordination and response efficiency.

These lessons will inform future service innovations, ensuring more resilient, user-centred, and scalable recovery systems for fire-affected regions.