CALM program brings native animals back from brink of extinction

8/08/02
About 60 black-flanked rock wallabies, a threatened native species, will be translocated into two national parks and a privately-owned sanctuary as part of the Western Shield wildlife recovery program.
Environment and Heritage Minister Judy Edwards said the program aimed to bring native animals back from the brink of extinction by controlling the threat of foxes and reintroducing native species into their former home ranges.
The Department of Conservation and Land Management reintroduced about 30 black-flanked rock wallabies into Walyunga National Park for the first time yesterday.
Between 10 to 15 animals were also translocated into both Avon Valley National Park and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Paruna Sanctuary on Tuesday.
"The translocations provide the opportunity for this species to colonise the length of the Avon Valley - a former home range before European settlement and the introduction of foxes," Dr Edwards said.
"The reintroduction of the Black-flanked Rock Wallaby to Walyunga National Park will complement previous reintroductions of the species to Avon Valley National Park and the Paruna Sanctuary in 2001.
"Previous reintroductions to these areas have been extremely successful and additional wallabies will be added to these populations later in the year.
Walyunga is an 1,800ha 'A' Class Reserve that adjoins Paruna Sanctuary and Avon Valley National Park, providing a continuous area of land where effective fox control is in place.
The black-flanked rock wallabies were sourced from Mt Caroline Nature Reserve and Querekin Rock, a private property in the State's Wheatbelt region.
"Both these areas have an abundance of the species due to intensive fox-control programs," Dr Edwards said.
"Monitoring of these populations found that removal of up to 30 individuals for translocation to Walyunga National Park would not affect their overall viability.
"The animals have been marked with reflective tags to enable department staff to monitor them through spotlighting and observations.
"It is hoped the translocation will result in an increase of the reintroduced population by 50 per cent within three years."
Since the Western Shield program started in 1996, the Department of Conservation and Land Management has achieved major milestones in native wildlife conservation.
"By fox-baiting about 3.5 million hectares of conservation land throughout the State four times a year, the department has managed to redress the devastation caused by foxes on native wildlife," the Minister said.
"Native species such as woylies, tammar wallabies, quendas and chuditch, are now thriving in areas where they were once in decline or had disappeared."
Dr Edwards said much of Western Shield's success in bringing native wildlife back from the brink of extinction was due to support from the community and private sector.
"Partnerships with landcare groups and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy have had a significant impact on species recovery programs," she said.
"The State Government also acknowledges Alcoa World Alumina Australia and TiWest Joint Venture for their sponsorship of Western Shield."

The Black-flanked Rock Wallaby, Petrogale lateralis lateralis, was once common in the State from Karratha in the north to Salisbury Island in the south, and Calvert Range in the east to Kalbarri National Park on the coast.
It now only exists in Avon Valley NP, Paruna Sanctuary, isolated central Wheatbelt reserves, Barrow and Salisbury islands, Cape and Calvert ranges and Kalbarri National Park
Minister's office: 9220 5050