New population of quokkas found in northern jarrah forest

29/5/97

A new population of quokkas has been found in a bauxite mine site in the northern jarrah forest.

Department of Conservation and Land Management researcher Mick Dillon, from CALM's Dwellingup Research Centre, confirmed the presence of the new population recently.

The location is in an area that has been baited for fox control as part of Operation Foxglove, an initiative between CALM and Alcoa of Australia in the forest between Collie and Mundaring.

Announcing the latest find, Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes said it brought to three the number of new quokka colonies found in the forest around Jarrahdale in the past 18 months.

The three new sites were all north of Jarrahdale and between the Albany and South Western Highways and represented a significant northern extension of the quokka's known range on the mainland.

Mrs Edwardes said that as recently as the 1960s, quokkas were known to occur closer to the Perth metropolitan area.

Land clearing and fox predation were thought to be major factors contributing to the animal's decline. Until rediscovery of the Jarrahdale populations, the only known mainland populations were between Dwellingup and the Albany region.

Confirmation of the presence of quokkas at the latest site required a considerable trapping effort from Mick Dillon.

"All the signs were there," he said.

"Runways showed recent activity and fresh scats were present. However, the degree of trapping effort for the low capture rate indicates the population size is quite small at each of the new sites."

The populations appear to be confined to densely vegetated creeklines which act as refuges and provide protection against predation from foxes.

The latest find is within the Alcoa's Jarrahdale mine site. As well as contributing to Operation Foxglove, the company is providing funds for additional 1,080 baiting for fox control within the mine sites at Jarrahdale and Dwellingup. This increased baiting effort will help to further protect the quokkas from predation.

The rediscovery of the quokkas at Jarrahdale coincides with a research program by Antoinette Tomkinson, a Curtin University Masters student. The project is supported by CALM and Alcoa. It involves trapping to estimate the quokka population size at the Jarrahdale sites and at other sites near Collie, within CALM's Mornington District.

Ms Tomkinson will also be developing a model to predict the occurrence of quokkas elsewhere within the northern jarrah forest.

Media contacts: Ministerial Diana Russell Coote 9421 7777

CALM Paul de Tores 9405 5100