SEQ brush-tailed rock wallaby recovery is GO!

25 January 2019

 

A BIG thank you to our members and donors for supporting Wildlife Queensland’s brush-tailed rock wallaby Christmas appeal.

As of 24 January 2019, you’ve helped to raise $14,639 to fund conservation efforts aimed at improving and increasing foraging habitat for a colony of brush-tailed rock wallaby (BTRW) in South East Queensland.

Your generous donations will help ensure the long-term survival of this vulnerable species

This is an important project for the conservation of brush-tailed rock wallaby in the Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate. The species is suffering from the impacts of a multitude of manmade pressures including:

  • invasive weeds that destroy foraging habitat
  • feral herbivores (goats, rabbits) competing for food
  • introduced predators preying upon the species.

Add the all too common and often catastrophic problems with ongoing habitat fragmentation and you can understand why the brush-tailed rock wallaby is listed as threatened here in Queensland and under federal EPBC legislation.

Next steps in our journey to help the BTRW bounce back

As a direct result of your many generous donations, Wildlife Queensland will be able to create a positive impact on the recovery of foraging habitat for an important colony of BTRW species in the Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate.

  • In early February, the Wildlife Queensland projects team will be visiting the Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate and the site of the brush-tailed rock wallaby project with Ipswich City Council environment staff to work through the project particulars.
  • The Council has developed a recovery plan for the BTRW in the conservation estate and we are excited to contribute to its success.

“We are looking forward to working with Ipswich Council on this project as conservation efforts are always better off when done so following a united direction,” said Matt Cecil, Projects Manager for Wildlife Queensland.

The project will largely tackle weed infestations that have displaced native grass species, species that the wallaby relies upon for food.

Along with weed control, the projects team will conduct a series of infra-red camera monitoring surveys to assess:

  • the level of browsing competition faced by BTRW from exotic species
  • the occurrence of introduced predators that may impact the in-situ BTRW population.

Results of these infra-red camera surveys will be passed on to Ipswich Council for inclusion in their ongoing pest management program.

Volunteering opportunities

We are going to need plenty of volunteer help with this project, so please keep your eyes open for volunteering opportunities on our What’s On Calendar page.

We can’t wait to provide you with opportunities to help Wildlife Queensland conserve this amazing wallaby species.

 

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