In partnership with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, ecologists Dr Bec West and Dr Reece Pedler work on the ground with the Wild Deserts initiative, which aims to restore Sturt National Park鈥檚 desert ecosystem.
Many animals arrived on Australia鈥檚 shores with European colonisation. Most are not compatible with native species. Some are downright destructive.聽聽
Wild Deserts is a 10-year initiative that aims to restore around 400 square kms of Sturt National Park鈥檚 desert ecosystem by reintroducing locally extinct or endangered native mammals.聽
Restoring the ecosystem also involves controlling invasive species, managing kangaroo populations and removing feral species.聽
Large fenced enclosures, a 鈥榃ild Training Zone鈥 and a range of innovative predator control and research techniques are employed to achieve this.聽
The initiative is led by Professor Richard Kingsford, from the 麻豆社madou Sydney School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. The team onsite is led by 麻豆社madou Sydney ecologists Dr Bec West and Dr Reece Pedler.
Wild Deserts聽is a 麻豆社madou Sydney partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Ecological Horizons, and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia. The teams also works alongside local communities and traditional owners.
"We have this really great team both supporting us and working with us. That's been one of the really key factors to the success so far."聽
The initiative began in 2017. By late-2018, all rabbits, cats and foxes were eradicated from within two 4 km x 5 km enclosures surrounded by specialised feral-proof fencing. It is one of the largest feral-animal-free areas in Australia.聽聽
But climate events initially held up the work. There were heatwaves, dust storms鈥攁nd the most severe drought in NSW for 120 years between 2017鈥2020.聽聽
鈥淚t looked a little bit like we built a fenced reserve on Mars,鈥 Dr West said.聽
鈥淭here was just no ground cover. No vegetation.鈥澛
鈥淟ifelong locals said they鈥檇 never seen it quite that bad before.鈥澛
As trees and kangaroos died around them, the team had to put the animal reintroduction parts of the project on hold until 2020 when the drought broke.聽
Seedlings then started sprouting within the enclosure. Grasses and shrubs that weren鈥檛 being nibbled off by rabbits or thousands of kangaroos began to thrive.聽聽
Mammals that haven鈥檛 been seen in more than a hundred years, but were once widespread in NSW, were reintroduced via these enclosures in late-2020. This includes the greater bilby, western barred bandicoot, golden bandicoot, greater stick-nest rat, burrowing bettong, crest-tailed mulgara and the western quoll.聽
Early surveying results show these populations are already growing and starting to thrive.
鈥淧opulations are increasing and lots of pouch young and new animals were detected in our latest round of trapping,鈥 Dr West said.
鈥淭hese results are so important for the long-term goal of restoring this magnificent desert ecosystem back to something like it once was,鈥 Prof Kingsford said.
Aside from restoring native biodiversity to the area, these small mammals will help get the actual land closer to what it was before European colonisation. Their methods of digging turns the soil, helps it catch water and nutrients鈥攁nd contributes to the overall health of the landscape.
鈥淵ou see the sort of destruction that's happening generation by generation, and you think, on a local level, you have an opportunity to actually contribute to something tangible. Hopefully our children will get the opportunity to come and see those animals or be able to understand the importance that they've had in this environment."
聽-聽Dr Bec West
The Wild Training Zone was also established in 2020. This is a 鈥榯raining ground鈥 stretched across more than 100 square kms. Within the grounds, the reintroduced native animals are released amongst predators roaming in monitored numbers. Here, they become 鈥榩redator-savvy鈥欌攍earning essential skills that can help them eventually coexist with feral predators beyond the fences. Their training is informed by innovative and cutting-edge research techniques.聽
鈥淎 big part of this project is trying to find ways to progress this reintroduction and restoration work rather than continuing to rely on these fenced safe havens,鈥 Dr Pedler said.
鈥淗opefully, in the next five years, we can have bilbies and bettongs living with small managed low densities of feral cats in our wild training zone and start to see some changes in their behaviour.鈥
The wellbeing and population numbers are monitored. Each bilby, bandicoot and mulgara in the聽Wild Deserts聽founding population has a tracker. These release unique radio signals, so the team follow the animal鈥檚 movements for the first couple of months following their release.
Holistically, the聽Wild Deserts聽team is building an understanding of desert ecosystems and the effects of their management. This includes monitoring landscape changes between the feral-free areas where bilbies and bandicoots have been released, and the outside, where predators and rabbits remain.
The initiative and the science behind it is showcased for the public at the Talpero Lookout interpretation area, which was opened in 2022 within Sturt National Park.
Display panels highlight the desert ecology鈥攊ts plants, invertebrates, mammals, birds, frogs and reptiles. It also features the significance of Country for First Nations peoples and also looks at early European history within the park.
鈥淲e have deliberately developed a comprehensive set of interpretation panels which highlight our scientific approach to the reintroduction of locally extinct mammals into Sturt National Park,鈥 Dr Pedler said.
鈥淚n particular, we concentrate on the entire ecosystem, not just on the mammals, and how these reintroductions affect the birds, the reptiles and even the soils.鈥
Though the project wrap ups in in 2027, Dr Pedler hopes for continued success. 鈥淗opefully we can really build on the all the hard work that we've put into getting the place set up,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f the seasonal conditions continue, the recovery of the ecosystem that we're hoping to see will be accelerated.鈥
"It鈥檚 wonderful to see these animals back in their original home, prospering and restoring this desert ecosystem to some of its past magnificence.鈥
聽-Professor Richard Kingsford
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