Wildlife Landtrust Newsletter Issue 10 2012

THE NEWSLETTER OF HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL’S WILDLIFE LAND TRUST

WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

Saving lives

Sanctuaries

BY SAVING LAND

Since last edition

Although an individual property may not significantly contribute to biodiversity conservation nationally or perhaps even regionally, it can still provide essential habitat for native wildlife within a smaller framework or serve as a useful linkage between larger vegetated areas. The collective benefit such wildlife safe havens contribute to wildlife preservation is an essential part of the bigger picture, and can be clearly seen when they are united through a program such as the Wildlife Land Trust.

With our 150th member sanctuary, Arnold and Mary Vayo’s Vineyard Haven, coming on board since last issue, the Australian WLT count now stands at 164 members covering an ever-increasing 29,683 hectares of wildlife friendly land — with a steady influx of membership we’ll have passed the 30,000 hectare mark and be preparing to welcome the 200th member in the next issue of Wildlife Lands!

Over the past six months we have welcomed 24 new sanctuaries to the fold, with, as is often the case, the majority (11) coming from New South Wales. However the spread has been a little more even than in previous updates, with 6 new sanctuaries in Queensland, 3 each from Western Australia and Victoria, and 1 from South Australia joining the network. Check out the full list of new members alongside an updated sanctuaries map by heading to page 10. Read about the WLT sanctuaries of Pam and Matt May (SA), Glenda Dodd (QLD), Simon and Nicci Whitehouse (WA), Tobin and Jennifer Rowallan (TAS), Ken and Beverley Rumsby (NSW), and Airlie Morris (VIC) on pages 2-5 — thanks to all for your contributions.

We were fortunate enough to make some quick trips out to WLT sanctuaries around Sydney recently, with short tours of the Canberra and New South Wales mid-north coast in April and at the end of May respectively. Head to page 11 for a brief recount and some photos of the fantastic sanctuaries visited.

Wildlife

Grey-headed flying-fox pup on Oakview Nature Refuge — Anne-Marie Dineen

What you’ll find inside

The wildlife profile focuses on bandicoots in this edition (page 9), while the Threatened Ecological Community profile on page 8 is on a nomination submitted to the Commonwealth

by Humane Society International / the Wildlife Land Trust in 2008 and of which we are hopeful of hearing favourable listing news later in the year — the River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea.

Continued on page 2

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Continued from page 1 Overseas features include a look at ARCAS, a large-scale WLT supported wildlife rehabilitation centre in Guatemala (page 7), as well as a look at the impressive Ogden Wildlife Sanctuary, a US WLT sanctuary in Texas which is home to such wildlife species as coyotes, beavers and armadillos (pages 11 and 12).

We’ve also got plenty of grants news inside (page 6), with the recipients of the fifth round of the WLT partnered NSW Private

Land Conservation Grants and the Federal Government’s inaugural Biodiversity Fund having been announced, with WLT members finding success in both cases.

In other news, we’re quickly approaching the 2012 Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference, of which the WLT is a proud sponsor, which will be held in Townsville from the 16th to 20th of July — hope to see some of you there! The masthead photograph for Wildlife Lands 10 is from Peter and Christine Waterhouse’s NSW sanctuary, The Knoll.

Messages from

Owners

WLT SANCTUARY OWNERS Ken and Beverley Rumsby “Buckombil” New South Wales

In 1982 my wife and I set off on a search for some acreage in northern New South Wales that would provide a home site in a partially wooded setting. We wanted a property that would feature native bush and support native wildlife, and eventually found a 6.1 hectare property located on Buckombil Mountain in Meerschaum Vale — we bought Buckombil right away and, after retiring, built our home there in 1995.

Our first priority was to join the local Society for Growing Australian Plants to help us begin a native garden and improve the Big Scrub remnant that was a part of our property. There we met other members who were working to regenerate their properties, and who had a love of Australian wildlife.

One was a trained bush regenerator who was keen to help us establish a wildlife friendly environment, and we soon hired him to assist us.

He started by working with us to establish a bird friendly garden, featuring native shrubs and ground cover, and birdbaths in four areas. The result was a noticeable (and continuing) increase in the bird population, with a satin bowerbird becoming a permanent resident and adding to the collection of blue objects around his bower every year.

With the garden underway the bush regenerator quickly got to work on our Big Scrub remnant, eliminating weeds and evaluating the native flora and fauna there. By 2003 we had accomplished enough to demonstrate the property’s potential and made a proposal to what was then the Land and Wildlife Branch for funds to assist in further work.

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Buckombil

In 2004 our proposal was accepted and a contract was signed, resulting in 4.4 hectares of Buckombil being protected in perpetuity under a Registered Property Agreement through the Native Vegetation Conservation Act, 1997.

Our 4.4 hectare Buckombil Scrub is a remnant of ‘Big Scrub Rainforest’, a native vegetation type that once covered much of this northern NSW area but of which only 1% remains in isolated remnants, mostly on private land. Our remnant is on the extreme south edge of the Mt Warning caldera — as a result it benefits from a rich red soil, while two small creeks have also aided regeneration. A special feature of Buckombil is the presence of the third largest Aristolochia in the district, plus two smaller ones, which are the home of Richmond birdwing butterflies that we are fortunate enough to see along the edge of our Scrub.

The property was an early participant of the Land for Wildlife program through Ballina Shire Council, and recently another bush regenerator and close friend encouraged us to join them in the WLT. We were pleased to join with other conservationists in this excellent endeavor and are proud to display the signs on our front gate. It is our intent to continue to protect our Buckombil property from any development detrimental to sanctuary principles and to enhance its ability to regenerate and support wildlife.

WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

Nicci and Simon Whitehouse “Numbie” Western Australia This 40 hectare property had been farmed for 100 years before we came to own it, and we had to decide whether to sell or do something with it for posterity.

Numble Numbie

In the end the decision was easy and for the past four years we have been kept very busy re-vegetating and encouraging the local wildlife to treat it as home.

Numbie is located in an area that has been largely cleared for broad acre wheat farming. Currently it is lucky to get its long term average annual rainfall of 298mm. Fortunately for us however, the two planting years yielded rain just at the time the 20,000 plus seedlings most needed it — including unusually good summer rain.

The block is flanked by two small areas of remnant bushland that are home to several species of kangaroos and other smaller wildlife species. As the vegetation grows we are hopeful the land will re-populate from these remnants. It already has an abundant bird population including at least one pair of wedge-tailed eagles and we are treated to a superb bird chorus in the early morning.

The re-vegetation has included over 20 different native plant species — including a range of Acacias, Eucalypts, Callistemons and Melaleucas. The magnificent Eucalyptus salmonophloia (Salmon gum) is a native of the region and we hope to be around long enough to see some of the seedlings we have planted reach at least half of their lofty height.

Deborah and Kerry Wilson “Rise and Shine” Queensland

Where the sugar cane once grew the native trees are beginning to regrow, it’s a wonderful sight to see them regenerating.

Rise and Shine is situated 64 kilometres north of Mackay and consists of 23 hectares of open woodland forest featuring plenty of grasstrees, which are now all in flower. Eight hectares of land had been cleared for sugar cane farming by previous owners, with cattle free to roam throughout the property over past decades.

Cattle land borders Rise and Shine on two sides, barren with not a lot of trees. Mount Catherine National Park is at our back and we front onto Catherine Creek. Water always flows no matter how dry it gets, and in monsoon season the small creek becomes a raging, fast-flowing river. The only access during these times is by a flying fox — thought up, built and erected by my generous father Bill Siivonen.

Rise

&Shine

We live on a small area of land and the rest is given over to the wildlife population, with wallabies and the occasional kangaroo gradually returning to Rise and Shine. We have echidnas, bush pythons, numerous snakes and lizards, possums, horseshoe bats, kookaburras, pheasants, honeyeaters, owls and other native birdlife, including wedge-tailed eagles which sometimes help themselves to a free lunch by snatching a chicken or guinea fowl.

I have always loved the bush and all animals and I’m fortunate that my husband is of the same mind. This is the perfect peaceful place to live and to give something back to nature.

We are strong financial supporters of Humane Society International and the next step was to become part of the ever expanding Wildlife Land Trust.

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Airlie Morris “The Block” Victoria I first came across the Wildlife Land Trust in a promotional flyer in Earth Garden magazine. I was initially curious, then downright intrigued by the relative ease of “dedicating” our block of land to preservation of habitat for the local wildlife.

In an area of Victoria that was once pristine, then pastoralised, stripped almost bare by goldmining, and finally left alone again, our block of land is surrounded by box ironbark forest and is home to a myriad of wonderful creatures we are often privileged to spot on our walks.

The Block

Since joining the WLT and hanging the sign proudly on our wonky front gate, the word “habitat” springs to mind in all my wanderings and workings on the block. Sometimes even when I pick up a log of wood for the fire and discover all sorts of tiny creatures living underneath I gingerly replace it rather than tear away their home! We share our paddocks with literally hundreds of eastern grey kangaroos at dusk and dawn, have some amazingly loud frogs in our dams, and are constantly awe-inspired by the two wedge-tailed eagles that circle overhead.

Less often we have spotted echidnas, possums, and a small tree-dwelling creature we don’t even know the name of!

The Block is comprised of four 20 acre blocks that were cleared just after the gold rush to make available small farming lots for miners who wished to settle in the area.

Tobin and Jennifer Rowallan “Tobin and Jennifer’s Refuge” Tasmania

Tobin & Jennifer’s 4

While half of me stands in awe of those industrious pioneers who cleared the forest without power tools, it’s also saddening to think of the trees that were felled. It is therefore so heartening now to see how the bush has crept back onto the property over the past five or six years — some of the naturally seeded saplings standing two to three metres tall.

The biggest remaining tree on The Block now has a small forest of hundreds of children around her skirt line. Our hope is to return the land “to the forest” and encourage wildlife to take up residence there again.

Since moving in and declaring our property a wildlife refuge, we’ve had to do a fair bit of work to remove some large concentrations of weeds. In particular there were large amounts of foxglove and quite a few thistles too. There are still a few thistles left but after a reasonable effort over the summer we’ve gotten rid of almost all the foxglove.

During the course of the work in the yard we’ve identified the presence of bettongs, although they’ve only been seen briefly.

We believe there are bandicoots around but haven’t seen any yet, but we’ve certainly seen plenty of pademelons, possums and some wallabies. We have also seen an albino possum, but it was very shy, and a few tawny frogmouths have been spotted in the area, including one in our yard. Despite our hopes, a small survey of the area below our property found no obvious evidence of wombats, but things could change.

We’ve been involved in a number of campaigns in relation to the wildlife in the area, and are hoping to leaflet the nearby area in a few months with a brochure explaining the dangers of dogs off-lead and unsecured on properties — which we have unfortunately witnessed quite a bit in the local area. We’ve also attended a few wildlife carer workshops and in time we hope to be able to be more involved in that — luckily our refuge is ideally suited to soft releases.

WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

Pam and Matt May “Stringybark Sanctuary” South Australia We bought Stringybark Sanctuary in 2010 with the intention of building a residence/art studio and actively maintaining the indigenous flora and fauna. The near entirety of the 220 hectare sanctuary is protected in perpetuity under a Heritage Agreement with the South Australian government, with a 3 acre exclusion area being sufficient for an attempt at a self-sufficient lifestyle, nestled in amongst the natural bushland we love.

The Limestone Coast region is renowned for vineyards and sheep grazing, with little emphasis on the natural environment apart from the Bool Lagoon wetlands and World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. Our land is a small area of remnant scrub featuring blue gums, pink gums and brown stringybarks, with a few sheoaks that support the endangered red-tailed black cockatoo, which also feed on the stringybark blooms and Banksia marginata. We have collected seed from our trees, propagated a few and planted selectively to increase the fodder for these lovely migratory visitors.

The understory of the area changes with the soil type and terrain, providing a great deal of diversity within a small area. Grass trees (Xanthorea australis), Banksia ornata and heaths, peas and small flowering shrubs with a variety of seasonal orchids abound in sandy zones (this is an ancient sand dune). Sticky hopbush (Dodonea viscosa) and native cypress pines (Callitris preissii) create tiny monoculture forests with carpets of muntries (Kunzea pomifera) beneath. Red-necked swamp wallabies and black swamp wallabies are the dominant wildlife species, sheltering in dense clumps of grass trees, and grazing on a variety of native creepers and grasses in natural clearings. Western grey kangaroos remain aloof from the wallabies, as do occasional emus preferring the perimeter access to neighbouring paddocks.

Stringybark Sanctuary

The land has never been cleared to my understanding, but some trees were harvested about 50 years ago. Without bushfire for over one hundred years the scrub has loads of fallen timber that encourages a proliferation of echidna activity — the regular sightings and close observations of several individuals have inspired many wonderful paintings. The lack of fire has created a lot of open heathlands with abundant orchids in winter and spring. One species of orchid, red-beaks, has enormous leaves but no flowers as they require fire — I hope to conduct a few experiments with spot burning, soaking with smoke infused water, and addition of ash to some clumps to see if I can prompt flowering.

As a wildlife artist I have studied Australian animals to paint in pastel and exhibit for over 20 years, and love being close to bushland. We keep a website for interested people that encourages permaculture, sustainable building and lifestyle decisions and displays my artwork, and hope to support local biodiversity officers with bird observations, weather monitoring, plant and animal species identification and management of feral species in this and adjoining bushland. Joining with the Wildlife Land Trust is an attempt to further promote the preservation of bushland in this area, educating our local community on the value of animals and their habitat.

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Conservation member success in

The Roost — Lynn Childs

WLT PRIVATE LAND CONSERVATION GRANTS & BIODIVERSITY FUND Private Land Conservation Grants

The fifth round of the Private Land Conservation Grants (PLCG) took a much changed shape to years past thanks to the injection of a significant amount of additional funding ($2 million over the next six years) by the New South Wales Environmental Trust, acquired and managed by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW), with more than $300,000 awarded to some 72 landholders with various forms of conservation agreement this year.

The WLT is very pleased to be a partner in this FNPW coordinated venture along with the Paddy Pallin Foundation, Nature Conservation Trust of NSW, Diversicon Environment Foundation, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage’s Conservation Partners Program, Community Environment Network, and Catchment Management Authorities. Previously open only to NSW landholders with in-perpetuity Conservation Agreements, Trust Agreements or Registered Property Agreements, 2012 saw three different levels of funding available:

Level 2: Similar to previous years of PLCG but open to Wildlife Refuges and in-perpetuity Property Vegetation Plans, with up to $1,000 available per year for up to three years for works to improve biodiversity.

• Level 3: Available to NSW members of the Wildlife Land Trust or Land for Wildlife, with up to $2,000 available per year for up to three years for group conservation training.

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The increased funding provided by the NSW Environmental Trust through the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife is an extremely positive step for the PLCG, and recognition of the program’s success in delivering on-ground conservation benefits.

However, the changes did make for a rushed organisation and application period for the 2012 round which caused a few crossed wires and made it difficult for all interested to complete their application forms in time. But with the experience gained in this pilot year of the bolstered PLCG we’re confident that all kinks will be ironed out in time for the 2013 round. A full list of the successful applicants from this year can be found on our website www.wildlifelandtrust.org.au under the ‘Member Resources’ tab.

Biodiversity Fund This year also marked the introduction of the Federal Government’s Biodiversity Fund, a grants program aiming to “help land managers store carbon, enhance biodiversity and build greater environmental resilience across the Australian landscape” with $946 million available over the next six years. Just a fraction of the funding was dedicated to the initial ($36.6 million) and second ($34.6 million) years of the program, indicating that the Biodiversity Fund is likely in a functional testing phase — with the funding available skyrocketing to $249.75 million in year three.

When the list of successful applicants was published for the initial round of funding in May, we were thrilled to find two Wildlife Land Trust members were featured: Mary White of

Biodiversity

• Level 1: Identical in structure to previous years of PLCG, with up to $5,000 available per year for up to three years for works to improve biodiversity on the property.

•

Three Wildlife Land Trust members were successful in their applications this year: Marie and Raymond Wynan were provided $1,175 under Level 1 of the program to assist with feral species control in an effort to protect the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens endangered ecological community present on their sanctuary, Edala; Peter and Christine Waterhouse were granted $5,000 through Level 1 for weed management and forest restoration at The Knoll; and through Level 3 of the program Patricia Edwards was awarded $2,000 to provide education and training in bush regeneration to WLT and Land for Wildlife members in the Clarence Valley Local Government Area.

Edala — Marie Wynan

WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

Falls Forest Retreat in NSW was granted $37,500 to cancel a Forestry Joint Venture Agreement made by a previous owner of her WLT sanctuary, with 16.96 hectares of affected forest to be added to the existing 55.77 hectares already protected in-perpetuity under a Voluntary Conservation Agreement — achieving Mary’s goal of all native forest on the property being secured; and Lynn Childs of The Roost in Queensland was provided with $81,500 for a project which will result in the revegetation and stabilisation of severely eroded sand dunes and a turtle rookery site located on her WLT sanctuary,

collaborative programARCAS

WLT

as well as the rehabilitation of coastal riparian vegetation currently severely impacted by invasive weeds.

We will be keeping a close eye on developments to help WLT members have the best chance possible of obtaining funding for works on their properties in the future, and we’ll also be exploring how the Wildlife Land Trust itself may be able to benefit from future rounds of the grants program. It is anticipated that the application period for the next round will commence in early December.

Collaborative

The Wildlife Land Trust has many partner organisations around the world with whom we work in the interests of wildlife and habitat protection. Both our Sydney and Washington offices strive to effectively collaborate with on-ground conservation initiatives that produce tangible wildlife protection outcomes.

We are able to provide financial support to many partner groups while we work in broader collaborative efforts where larger habitat protection gains might be made. We hope to bring news of such collaborations in each issue of Wildlife Lands.

Many WLT members have wildlife rehabilitation facilities on their properties, and a brief outline below of one of these WLT partnerships in South America, centered on a very successful rehabilitation program, should be of great interest: ARCAS is a Guatemalan non-profit organisation formed in 1989 to build a rescue center to care for and rehabilitate wild animals that were being confiscated by the Guatemalan Government from the black market. Since its establishment, the ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center has grown into one of the largest and most complex rescue centers in the world, receiving between 300 and 600 animals of more than 40 species per year.

Since the establishment of the Wildlife Rescue Center, ARCAS has branched out into other very necessary activities including environmental education, protected area management, marine turtle conservation, sustainable community development, ecotourism and reforestation. At its Pacific coast site of Hawaii, it manages the most productive of the 21 sea turtle hatcheries in Guatemala, rescuing nearly 40,000 olive ridley and leatherback eggs per year.

Also in Hawaii, ARCAS is working with the Guatemalan Government to establish a 4,000 hectare protected area focused on the local mangrove wetlands. It carries out reforestations of 2 to 40 hectares per year in different sites throughout the country. Its Environmental Education Department reaches out to over 8,000 children per year throughout the country.

© Wayan Wiradnyana

In December 2007, the Wildlife Land Trust and other conservation and animal protection organisations provided financial support to ARCAS to purchase the El Salado Farm, a 25 hectare farm of mangrove and dry tropical forest ecosystems in the Hawaii area on the Pacific coast of Guatemala.

This land is used to create a community-managed wildlife reserve to act as a buffer zone between the mangrove wetlands of the proposed Hawaii Protected Area to the south and the rapidly encroaching sugar cane industry to the north. The majority of the purchased land will be reforested with native trees and a small portion will be set aside for subsistence organic farming for local residents. The reforested portion together with the mangrove forests to the south will create a communitymanaged wildlife reserve that will be used for bird watching, environmental education, research and other activities.

Ecotourism and organic farming will give local residents economic alternatives to unsustainable resource use practices of the past such as sea turtle egg poaching and mangrove wood logging, and will ameliorate the loss of income due to reduced access to farmland as a result of the expansion of sugar cane cultivation.

Visit ARCAS at: www.arcasguatemala.com

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Threatened ecological community profile RIVER MURRAY

River Murray

AND ASSOCIATED WETLANDS, FLOODPLAINS & GROUNDWATER SYSTEMS, FROM THE JUNCTION OF THE DARLING RIVER TO THE SEA Recognising the fragility of the ecosystem in early 2008, Humane Society International (HSI) and the Wildlife Land Trust (WLT) nominated ‘The Coorong and Lower Lakes (Lakes Alexandrina and Albert)’ for listing as a Critically Endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act). The nomination was included on the Finalised Priority Assessment List (FPAL) later that year with the revised name of ‘Lower Murray River and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’ and a deadline for the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) to provide listing advice to the Environment Minister by September 30, 2011.

This change in name represented a welcome broadening in definition for the ecological community, an alteration which was to be eventually furthered through another revision to ‘River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’. However it wasn’t all good news: with the decision deadline fast approaching, we were extremely disappointed to hear that Environment Minister Burke had extended the timeframe for the TSSC’s advice to be provided by an entire year, until September 30, 2012 — a delay due to purely political considerations.

The Coorong and Lower Lakes, as defined in the original HSI/WLT nomination, cover approximately 140,500 hectares, being comprised of Lake Alexandrina (76,000 ha), Lake Albert (16,800 ha), and the Coorong (47,700 ha). Located at the edge of the Padthaway Ridge, it is a unique Australian wetlands system, featuring a mosaic of 23 different wetland types and collectively providing a diverse array of habitats and supporting a range of ecological communities and species.

The ecological community supports an abundance of EPBC Act listed threatened species, including the orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), Mount Lofty Ranges emu wren (Stipiturus malachurus), Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii), Yarrah pygmy perch (Nannoperca obscura), yellow swainson pea (Swainsona pyrophila) and metallic sun orchid (Thelymitra epipactoides).

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Chris Tzaros / Birdlife Australia

Furthermore, the area supports the world’s largest breeding colony of Australian pelicans and is the only annual breeding site in South Australia.

Unfortunately, the structure and ecological function of the ecological community are under great threat. Since European settlement, exploitation of the natural resources of the Murray-Darling Basin has altered most of the catchment. As a result of many years of river regulation and water diversion, we are now seeing an accelerated negative impact on all aspects of the river ecosystems. Regulatory devices such as locks and barrages have created a series of pools along the river, causing the permanent inundation of some wetlands while others are dry for extended periods of time, while the presence of barrages has also caused the narrowing of the Murray mouth, with dredging required as lack of flow through the estuary increases sand accumulation at the opening.

Associated with urban development and agricultural practices within and around the ecological community is the clearing of vegetation and subsequent invasion of exotic flora species.

Clearing of native vegetation has occurred throughout the region and particularly around the edges of Lakes Alexandrina, Lake Albert and the Coorong Lagoons. With decreasing natural vegetation, the area has become more windswept with increased wave action and re-suspension of silts, contributing to increased turbidity.

The listing of Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC) under the EPBC Act could be one of the most effective and best value landscape scale conservation measures in Australia, and we remain confident about hearing of the successful inclusion and protection of ‘River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’ later in the year.

Additionally, we trust that the upcoming Murray-Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) will adequately consider the protection of the threatened habitat, though we suspect the Minister delayed the listing to allow a weaker MDBP. EPBC Act listed (and HSI/WLT nominated) TECs currently cover nearly the entire Murray-Darling Basin area.

WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

Species profile Species BANDICOOTS

EPBC Act listed bandicoot species Classification

Species

Extinct

Pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus); western barred bandicoot (mainland) (Perameles bougainville fasciata); desert bandicoot (Perameles eremiana)

Endangered

Southern brown bandicoot (eastern) (Isoodon obesulus obesulus); western barred bandicoot (Shark Bay) (Perameles bougainville bougainville); eastern barred bandicoot (mainland) (Perameles gunnii unnamed subsp.)

Vulnerable

Golden bandicoot (mainland) (Isoodon auratus auratus); Golden bandicoot (Barrow Island) (Isoodon auratus barrowensis); southern brown bandicoot (Nuyts Archipelago) (Isoodon obesulus nauticus); eastern barred bandicoot (Tasmania) (Perameles gunnii gunnii)

and desert bandicoot) have become extinct since European settlement of Australia. And with another three species classified as endangered and four as vulnerable, it is clear that bandicoots are particularly susceptible to a number of threats present in their habitat range.

Very few native animals prey on bandicoots, with owls, quolls and dingoes being their only significant natural predators.

However introduced animals such as foxes, dogs, and both domestic and feral cats combine to pose a significant threat to several bandicoot species. Furthermore, road construction, housing developments and other pressures attributable to an expanding human population have displaced and severely fragmented bandicoot populations, increasing their vulnerability to the threats of predators and motor vehicles.

Due to the diverse range of habitat types represented by Australian WLT sanctuaries, protection efforts for the large majority of bandicoot species endemic to Australia are enhanced through our members’ dedication to providing a safe place for native wildlife. Additionally, the HSI/WLT Threatened Ecological Communities Nomination Program continues to seek protection for large areas of vegetation under threat, assisting the survival prospects for native species such as bandicoots in a world which, for our wildlife, is ever shrinking.

Eastern barred bandicoot — JJ Harrison

Bandicoots are a group of approximately 20 species of small, solitary, omnivorous marsupials which, aside from three species found in New Guinea, are endemic to Australia. They are primarily nocturnal and live in a wide variety of habitats including rainforests, heathlands, and wet and dry woodlands, building nests in shallow, leaf litter lined holes in the ground — often hidden under debris, with the presence of a dense understory being important to support, disperse and provide predation protection. A variety of food sources are eaten by these species which are perhaps best known for the snout-shaped holes they leave around the place, including insects and insect larvae, worms, spiders, plant tubers, roots and truffle-like fungi.

Bandicoots

Although the majority of bandicoot species are very restricted in their geographic range, some, such as the southern brown bandicoot, have a relatively broad distribution across Australia with several distinct subspecies occupying different ecological niches throughout their range. However even these species which have a proven ability to adapt are under great pressure, with the current area of occurrence of southern brown bandicoots having considerably contracted since European colonisation. The species is now very patchily distributed in isolated populations across their former range.

As outlined in the table above, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act) list of threatened fauna records that three species (the pig-footed bandicoot, mainland subspecies of western barred bandicoot,

Did you know?

The northern beaches of Sydney are one of the last strongholds for long-nosed bandicoots in the region, with a population in Sydney Harbour National Park at Manly being listed as Endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995 (TSC Act) following a joint NGO / Humane Society International nomination in 1996 — one of the first endangered population listings in NSW.

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New

WILDLIFE LAND TRUST SANCTUARIES

NewMembers Sanctuary Name New South Wales Coral’s Refuge Possumwood Marwood Over the Road Rainbow Stay La Source Vineyard Haven Oolandra Edala Belbora Stables Ruhe

Queensland Brushtail Manor Rise and Shine Birdsong Tranquility Two Green Acres Michael and Barbara’s Sanctuary Victoria Narnia The Block Witchwood

Owners

Size (ha) 15.5 16.5 2.71 129.5 2.1 40.1 36.21 40 50 9.3 40 381.92

Dirty Creek Bungendore Crooked Corner Crooked Corner Coffee Camp Tomboye New Italy Currawang Nimmitabel Belbora Michelago

John and Lorraine McCann Deborah Wilson Noni Gibson Ron Smith Danielle Ryan and Mark Gregory Michael and Barbara D’Andilly 6 new sanctuaries

2.4 22.7 2.02 16.96 2.92 16 63

Park Ridge South Yalboroo Imbil Lower Mount Walker Cedar Vale Lower Mount Walker

Glenda Dodd Airlie Morris Jill Redwood

4.05 32.4 9.1 45.55

Bullengarook Amherst Goongerah

Pam and Matt May 1 new sanctuary

Western Australia South Numbanubbing Cappal Tallun Russell and Anne’s Refuge

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Location

Coral Johnson Steve and Rosemary Garlick Kay and Dallas Muddiman Kay and Dallas Muddiman Geoffrey Barnier Anthony Muscio Arnold and Mary Vayo Helen and William Stevens Marie and Raymond Wynan Rob and Sue Wiseman David and Cindy Brassil 11 new sanctuaries

3 new sanctuaries South Australia Stringybark Sanctuary

Google Maps

Nicci and Simon Whitehouse Jenny and Craig O’Hehir Russell and Anne Kopp 3 new sanctuaries

220 220 39 4 35.21 78.21

Keppoch

Southwest WA Mount Helena Upper Warren

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WILDLIFELANDS ISSUE 10 2012

visits sanctuaries

Evan at Falls Forest Retreat

WLT IN THE CANBERRA & NSW MID-NORTH COAST REGIONS During early 2012 we have been fortunate enough to make the first trips out to visit WLT members on their sanctuaries for quite some time, with a couple of two-day trips to the Canberra region and the New South Wales mid-north coast. Sleepy Burrows, Possumwood, Enraeh and Oolandra were the four properties dropped in to around Canberra, while Parawirra, Falls Forest Retreat and The Knoll were visited on the second trip.

It was an absolute pleasure to finally meet some of you face to face, your friendliness and hospitality were very much appreciated and it was inspiring to see the dedication to wildlife and conservation evident in both yourselves and your sanctuaries. Our sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to meet and give a quick tour!

The next trip is planned for mid-late July in the Townsville region of Queensland, timed to coincide with the Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference (of which the WLT is a sponsor). So if you would like to meet, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling Evan on 1800 333 737 or emailing him at evan@hsi.org.au.

Enraeh

Visits

United States sanctuary profile OGDEN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY LEON COUNTY TEXAS

Ogden

Take a look at the revamped US WLT website at www.hswlt.org

Rolling hills with lovely views in all directions, an ephemeral creek, springs and a pond — and the nearest neighbor a mile away — these are among the features Marc Ogden loves about the 25 acre property in Leon County, Texas, which is now protected as a permanent wildlife sanctuary.

Before Ogden purchased this land it was used for grazing, but knowing that nature would restore habitat for wildlife if given a chance, he chose to “just let it sit and grow up for the past thirty years.”

The Ogden Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 2010 with Marc’s donation of the land to the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust. When he first contacted the WLT, he wanted to ensure that his property would be “protected in perpetuity as a wildlife habitat”, a wish fulfilled with the 25 acre property now being a permanent safe haven for wildlife.

The Ogden Wildlife Sanctuary features rolling hills covered with pines, hardwoods, oak and sweetgum trees. There are open grassed areas and a 1.5 acre pond fed by natural springs. This water source is vital to the coyotes, beavers, raccoons, and opossums, as well as the deer, rabbits and armadillos that are known to populate the sanctuary.

Positioned on a migration flyway, the sanctuary serves as a stopover for painted buntings, hummingbirds, and others. In winter wood ducks, killdeer, red-shouldered hawks, woodpeckers, ruby-crowned kinglets, cedar waxwings, eastern towhees, white-crowned sparrows, and many others are present, and the nesting season brings an even larger array of species.

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WILDLIFELANDS Continued from page 11

ISSUE 10 2012

Texas

Luna moths also arrive in surprising numbers each spring, their luxuriously long wings working with the wind as they find their way to sweetgum trees in the bottomland forest. Marc says he could easily spend a day just wandering around the sanctuary, observing wildlife and enjoying the views and sounds. When logging companies approached him about timber, he quickly sought permanent protection for the land.

Finding that some land trusts are only interested in larger properties, he kept searching until he found WLT, a choice that also ensures protection for the wildlife he loves. “It may not be a thousand acres,” says Marc, “but the amount and variety of wildlife here is worthy of protecting.”

Join

Raccoons — HSWLT

Become part of the Wildlife Land Trust!

If you are interested in registering your property with the Wildlife Land Trust, head to our website at www.wildlifelandtrust.org.au and click on the ‘Sign your land up now!’ button to complete the simple online application form. If you don’t have internet access or would like further information, call 1800 333 737 to arrange for an application form and information pack to be mailed out.

We invite you to join Australia’s contribution to an international wildlife sanctuary network.

Our Mission: Wildlife Land Trust Australia protects wildlife by preserving natural habitats and permanent sanctuaries.

Mission

Our Goals:

To see the protection of one million acres of wildlife habitat across Australia in the Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary network.

To seek the expansion of Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary partnerships throughout Africa, India and south-east Asia.

Goals

Wildlife Land Trust PO Box 439 Avalon NSW 2107 Australia Telephone +61 2 9973 1728 Facsimile +61 2 9973 1729 Email wlt@hsi.org.au www.wildlifelandtrust.org.au www.hswlt.org ISBN 978-0-9871112-9-6

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The Wildlife Land Trust is a very inclusive initiative, a feature exemplified by the wide range of sizes, uses and locations of our current members — whether your property is 1 or 1,000 acres, a working farm, family home or dedicated purely to conservation, a positive difference for native wildlife and habitat conservation can be made through the declaration of intent that Wildlife Land Trust membership signifies.

The primary focus of the Wildlife Land Trust is to encourage private land holders with an interest in habitat protection to join with like-minded people in a national and global effort for wildlife conservation. By joining you’ll become a member of an expanding worldwide group of sanctuaries promoting best conservation practices and protecting wildlife and habitats, with other benefits including: the opportunity to tell like-minded people about your sanctuary and its wildlife inhabitants through stories in our regular newsletter and on your dedicated website profile; advice should your property come under any threats of development; partnership in our habitat conservation programs throughout Australia; WLT signage for your property; and an official membership certificate.

The program is completely voluntary and there are no costs or legal obligations involved — the WLT is designed to complement any existing or future agreements you might enter into to protect your land, and the non-binding nature of our agreements means there is no need for concern over potential conflicts. This makes the Wildlife Land Trust a risk and cost free opportunity to get involved in a worldwide conservation initiative.

Our website at www.wildlifelandtrust.org.au provides regularly updated information on the Australian WLT program and our project partners, while further details of the Trust’s international activities can be found on the US based WLT website at www.hswlt.org. If you would like any further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Evan Quartermain on 1800 333 737 or at evan@hsi.org.au.

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