In 2016, NSW began fencing feral cats and foxes out of three reserves; 10 years later, 13 locally extinct species had returned, some after 100+ years, and were breeding again
Thirteen native animal species that had become locally extinct in New South Wales have returned and started breeding again across three major conservation reserves. The recovery comes a decade after state authorities built large predator-proof fences to keep out feral cats and foxes. The results come from a 10-year conservation partnership involving the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the University of New South Wales Wild Deserts program. Official details released in a ministerial statement by the NSW Government confirm that the state has extended the conservation agreement for another 10 years to build on the wildlife recovery network. The reintroduction work focused on three fenced sanctuaries protected from introduced predators: Mallee Cliffs National Park, the Pilliga State Conservation Area, and Sturt National Park. Before the project began in 2016, several of the species had not been seen in the wild in New South Wales for more than a century. They had disappeared from their former ranges because of feral predators and land clearing.
Reintroduced marsupials breeding in predator-free zones
The 13 species returned to the reserves include the greater bilby, numbat, bridled nail-tailed wallaby, western quoll, burrowing bettong, and Shark Bay bandicoot. Monitoring teams from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and UNSW confirmed that all the reintroduced populations have formed self-sustaining colonies inside the fenced areas. Several generations are now breeding naturally at the sites. According to a ministerial release published by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe visited Mallee Cliffs National Park to take part in health checks and oversee the release of more burrowing bettongs into the sanctuary. “We’re bringing native species back from the brink. Bilbies, Numbats and Shark Bay Bandicoots are back where they had disappeared from and they’re thriving,” Minister Penny Sharpe stated in the official NSW Government announcement. “The next ten years of these partnerships is not just about what happens inside fenced areas, it’s about improving our knowledge of what contributes to successful reintroductions, so we can drive recovery of threatened species and tackle our extinction crisis.” Predation by introduced red foxes and feral cats remains the main cause of mammal extinctions in Australia. Environmental agency figures show that about half of the mammal species still found in New South Wales are currently at risk of extinction.
Science and teamwork drive desert recovery
The three sanctuary sites are part of a wider network of 10 areas across New South Wales that are free of feral predators. Together, these protected areas aim to reduce the extinction risk for 33 locally extinct species while providing a safe home for another 45 threatened native species. The Wild Deserts project in Sturt National Park is led by UNSW Sydney in partnership with Ecological Horizons, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, and local landholders. It focuses on restoring damaged arid ecosystems. Scientists use adaptive management methods to study how the return of digging mammals affects soil health, seed germination, and local vegetation.Professor Richard Kingsford, UNSW Scientia Professor and Leader of the Wild Deserts Project, described the ecological impact of the programme in material released by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. “This is a realisation of the tremendous progress we have made over the last decade in restoring the desert ecosystem in Sturt National Park by reintroducing marsupial species that were wiped out by cats and foxes more than a hundred years ago. There is so much more to be done,” Professor Kingsford stated in the report. “Our focus on science linked to adaptive management is producing new learnings which improve the effectiveness of our management and are applicable not only to the Wild Deserts site in Sturt National Park but useful across NSW and nationally.” Professor Kingsford added that the recovery effort depended heavily on long-term cooperation between scientific organisations, government rangers, nearby pastoralists, and volunteers.
Ten-year extension targets releases beyond fences
The renewal of the 10-year partnership will provide continued funding and operational support for maintaining the sanctuaries, monitoring ecosystems, and managing the genetics of the isolated animal populations. One of the main goals for the next decade is to use research from the fenced areas to develop strategies for returning native animals to areas without fences. Australian Wildlife Conservancy Chief Executive Officer Tim Allard highlighted the importance of continued cooperation between agencies in statements provided to the NSW Government. “By working together, we’ve proven what long-term collaboration can deliver for conservation in Australia,” Tim Allard said in the media release. “Together with NPWS, we’re turning the tide of extinction by restoring threatened species to their former range, rebuilding resilient ecosystems and reconnecting local communities to nature. With this partnership now extended, we’re excited to build on this success and see an even greater impact for Australia’s wildlife over the next decade.” With stable breeding populations now established at Mallee Cliffs, the Pilliga, and Sturt National Park, research teams will next focus on testing management methods outside the fenced areas. They will study whether strong control of feral animals can help native species survive in open landscapes.
