In the aftermath of the extensive bushfires that swept across south-eastern Australia, Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is swinging into action and helping with recovery efforts on the ground. Our practical field experience and hands-on approach puts us in a good position to support front-line conservation efforts and help prevent further wildlife extinctions.
As I write, AWC is deploying strike teams to Kangaroo Island and to fire-affected sites in NSW. In the coming weeks, the teams will be conducting targeted surveys, assessing damage to habitat, providing strategic advice and carrying out urgent interventions to protect surviving populations of threatened species. We are very grateful for your generous support which is making these interventions possible and helping us to secure threatened wildlife populations.
South Australia's Kangaroo Island is home to a unique species of Dunnart (a small carnivorous marsupial related to quolls and Antechinus). Even before the bushfires the Kangaroo Island Dunnart was rare: it had only been recorded at eight sites in the past two decades, and fewer than 500 individuals remained. The entire known range of the species was affected by large bushfires in the first few weeks of January, resulting in a catastrophic loss of habitat.
Following the fire, AWC provided camera traps and survey equipment to assess the damage to the Dunnart population. Encouragingly, some Dunnarts survived the blaze and AWC is now working with Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife and the Doube family to protect the surviving animals which are now among the most endangered mammals in the country.
Time is of the essence. With little shelter to hide, feral cats pose an immediate threat to the remaining Dunnarts ... and already these lethal predators are moving in, hunting along the fire scars for surviving wildlife. AWC's expert cat trapper, Murray Schofield, is on the ground leading efforts to control predators in the fire-affected area. At the time of writing, five feral cats have already been removed. Watch the video above for an update from Murray about this project.
The Australian Army has provided crucial support by clearing a 1.7-kilometre easement so we can construct a feral-proof fence and secure 13.8 hectares of remnant habitat where Dunnarts have been detected post-fire. The fencing contractor arrived on the island on Wednesday and construction is now well underway. Once the population is secured, work will commence on a larger fenced area (at least 370 hectares) to provide a long-term safe haven for this critically endangered mammal. This will also offer protection to other threatened wildlife including Southern Brown Bandicoots, Southern Emu Wrens and Kangaroo Island Echidnas. AWC is proud to help. Thanks to your support, we can bring to bear decades of experience in conservation fence construction and feral animal eradication to help save these threatened species from extinction.
AWC is working with private conservation group South Endeavour Trust to send a team of ecologists to fire affected areas in northern NSW. Two reserves were heavily impacted by fire: Bezzant's Lease near Glen Innes and Kewilpa, near Casino. The AWC team will conduct targeted surveys at these reserves which lie within the range of several threatened species, including the Spotted-tailed Quoll, Giant Barred Frog and Powerful Owl.
AWC is actively investigating opportunities to support other bushfire recovery projects, in keeping with our mission to provide effective conservation for all Australian animal species and their habitats. This week, an AWC reconnaissance team is visiting Wollombi Valley to assess the impact of bushfires and provide advice to the local Landcare group. AWC is also offering assistance in post-fire monitoring of known Regent Honeyeater habitat. Before the fires, the population of this critically endangered species was estimated to be fewer than 400 individuals - the immediate priority is to assess the damage to important nesting sites, in collaboration with researchers from Birdlife Australia, the Australian National University, and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
The full extent of the damage to Australia's wildlife will become clearer in the weeks and months to come. With your support, AWC is stepping up to provide practical assistance and advice to help secure populations of threatened species and restore habitats. We are grateful to all of the organisations and landowners we are working with for the opportunity to collaborate with them for the benefit of Australia's wildlife. Please stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks.
The recent bushfires have highlighted the need for urgent intervention in order to secure the future of Australia's threatened wildlife across the entire continent. In addition to assisting others in the wake of the bushfires, AWC is committed to delivering effective conservation including fire management, feral animal control, weed eradication and threatened species translocations across 6.5 million hectares of Australia, including in iconic regions such as the Kimberley, Cape York, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, and the Top End. Your support for this work is now more important than ever.