Wadderin Project Targets the endangered
Red-tailed Phascogale
A community of farmers at Narembeen in the central wheat belt of Western Australia are restoring the original fauna of the area – including the nationally endangered Red-tailed Phascogale - to their local reserve.
Narembeen, like much of the wheat belt, has been intensively cleared, but islands of habitat like Wadderin persist. Wadderin Sanctuary is 520 ha in area and is a mixture of granite outcrop, Salmon gum, York gum and rock oak woodland, with areas of mallee and scrubland. The community has just completed construction of the 11.5 km predator-proof fence around the Sanctuary.
The goal of the Wadderin project is to create a fox- and cat-free sanctuary where a suite of threatened mammals can be safely returned.
Initial priorities are the nationally endangered Red-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura) and the Bilby (Macrotis lagotis). Future species might include the Western Barred Bandicoot, Brush-tailed Possum, Burrowing Bettong, Western Brush Wallaby, Mala, and Black-flanked Rock-wallaby.
The group have put in an enormous effort to get the project this far and much of the hardest work (fence construction) is now over. Wildlife Research and Management has been working in partnership with the Narembeen community since early 2007 and will continue to provide expertise for predator control, species reintroduction and monitoring, and liaison with government agencies.
The endangered Red-tailed Phascogale is a FAME priority, and FAME supports the Wadderin Sanctuary project. If you’d like to contribute to this important project, please make a donation via our secure site, or email fame@fame.org.au for more information.
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