Fenced reserves and captive breeding programs can bring treasured species back from the brink, but there are limitations.
I WATCH AS THE rusty strands break apart in my fingers, knowing full well that this fence in the South Australian desert means life or death for the bilbies, bettongs and other rare animals inside it. My companion, biologist Dr Kath Tuft, is frowning at other decaying strands.
We have paused on the boundary of Arid Recovery, the 12,300ha wildlife reserve Kath manages, to inspect its predator-proof fence. The rust we find is confined to some strands buried in shallow sand, which means that no fox or cat can get through, but this section will need replacing sooner rather than later. Should the corrosion worsen, rabbits will claw their way through, foxes and cats will follow and…you can guess the rest.
The alkaline soil out here wreaks havoc with buried fencing, and it plays with my imagination as well. That imposing fence we had been driving beside now seems flimsy as if spun of cotton. The stories Kath tells don’t help. Holes have been made by buck kangaroos, one on each side, kicking each other in tiffs over females. Those holes aren’t the worst kind, she says, because they appear some way above the ground, so predators are slow to find them.
In western Queensland, Currawinya National Park had a fence that failed in a spectacular way. Corrosion following sustained floods in 2011–12 allowed cats to enter a 2500ha enclosure and few, if any, of the bilbies inside survived. Fenced peninsulas in Shark Bay, Western Australia, have foxes creeping around the edges at very low tides and entering through holes caused by corrosion or storms. One fox in the reserve Heirisson Prong killed 33 bettongs before it ate a poison bait.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Loveday Internment Camp, SA A
DURING WORLD WAR II, civilians n Australia deemed \"enemy aliens\" - mostly those of German, Italian and Japanese descent were housed in internment camps.
THE STORYTELLERS OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
More than 100 dedicated Master Reef Guides are sharing the GBR's most important stories with visitors in a bid to inspire its greater protection.
A BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
Does last summer's mass coral bleaching event sound a death knell for Australia's beloved Great Barrier Reef? \"Not on my watch!\" is the message coming from he army of heartbroken, but resolute, marine scientists who've responded to the crisis by doubling down on their research.
AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 44 DAYS
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first aerial circumnavigation of Australia. Aviator Michael Smith retraces the flight in his unique amphibious flying boat, Southern Sun, starting and finishing at RAAF Base Point Cook, on Melbourne's Port Phillip, taking in 15,000km of vast, diverse and stunning coastline in between.
CLEAR-CUTTING KOALA COUNTRY
More than 3000sq.km of forests on NSW's Mid North Coast have been earmarked for the Great Koala National Park. But there's still work to be done before this proposed reserve becomes the safe haven koalas desperately need.
MORE THAN QUOKKAS
Sure, you can't avoid those cute little marsupials that made Rottnest Island world-famous, but there's so much more to life on this ocean-ringed jewel off the Western Australian coast.
A WILD POLO TUSSLE
It's an event reminiscent of a Banjo Paterson poem. For 35 years, in the High Country 200km east of Melbourne, city polo players have gathered annually at Cobungra, Victoria's largest cattle station, to vie with a rural team for the Dinner Plain Polo Cup.
Ancient know-how meets a modern challenge
Contemporary marine park management is infused with traditional knowledge to tackle new threats on the Great Barrier Reef.
LOOKING FOR TJAKURA
The search is on across Australia's deserts for a culturally important vulnerable lizard.
RESCUING THE CHUDITCH
After intensive planning, recovery for this endangered marsupial species is being stepped up to secure its future.