Helping hand for Wheatbelt wallabies at risk from feral predators
22 May 2009
The future of the beautiful but threatened black-flanked rock wallaby remains uncertain as foxes and feral cats continue to wreak havoc on remaining wallaby populations, WWF-Australia has warned on International Day for Biological Diversity.
Over the last 10 years, WWF has been working with farmers and community groups in Western Australia to help reduce the threat of introduced animals like foxes which have become a major threat to the nation’s unique wildlife and are believed to have contributed to the extinction of several small mammal species.
To date, almost one million hectares have been baited across the state through funding provided by the Threatened Species Network Community Grants.
The blank-flanked rock wallaby is one WA mammal that is particularly vulnerable to attacks by foxes and feral cats. In order to ensure the long-term survival of the wallabies, WWF has partnered with the Shire of Kellerberrin and provided $120,000 of Australian Government funds to carry out a program of baiting and culling to reduce introduced predators in the wheatbelt.
“Foxes and other invasive animals are having a devastating impact on our native animals,” said Katherine Howard, WWF’s Threatened Species Regional Manager. “We’re encouraging local landholders to take part in an ongoing, coordinated baiting program to help protect one of our state’s most vulnerable species.”
“Less than 700 of these wallabies remain in southwest WA, in a handful of isolated colonies on rocky outcrops in the central wheatbelt,” explained Brad Thompson, the Shire of Kellerberrin’s Natural Resource Management Officer.
“The open farmland around these outcrops provides little shelter for the wallabies and they risk attack from foxes and feral cats if they try to move between sites,” he said.
Mr Thompson is working with landholders to conduct baiting on the private farmland surrounding the outcrops, which will make it safer for the wallabies to travel between these outcrops. Work is also being carried out to reestablish connections between the wallaby populations through the creation of vegetation corridors.
The WWF project expands on the Department of Environment and Conservation’s (DEC) baiting program which covers the outcrops but not the surrounding farmland. DEC also carry out monitoring of the rock wallaby populations and PhD researcher Nicole Willers is investigating their reproduction, population dynamics and genetics to get a better understanding of the remaining populations and overall biology.
WWF’s Katherine Howard is hopeful that the wallabies will continue to call the wheatbelt home. “With future funding and the ongoing commitment of surrounding landholders to continue predator control, we hope to see black-flanked rock wallabies bouncing around the wheatbelt for many years to come,” she said.
The United Nations General Assembly first held International Day for Biological Diversity in 1993 to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year the theme is invasive species and WWF is highlighting the impact that invasive species such as foxes and other non-native species are having on Australia’s threatened species.
Landholders interested in taking part in the baiting program should contact Brad Thompson at the Shire of Kellerberrin on 08 9045 4006.
More information
Paula Schibeci, Media Officer
Phone: 0406 381 137
Katherine Howard, Threatened Species Regional Manager
Phone: 0423 516 430
