News: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

2018 was another milestone year at Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). With your generous support, together with the skill and dedication of the AWC team, we have made exceptional progress towards our mission to provide effective conservation for all Australian animal species and their habitats. I hope you enjoy watching our 2018 Year in Review video and, as a valued supporter, you feel a strong sense of ownership for these exceptional outcomes we have achieved over the last 12 months.

Some of our successes in 2018 include:

• Returning the iconic Bilby to NSW National Parks

AWC has returned Bilbies to New South Wales National Parks, more than a century after they went extinct in that state. As part of our groundbreaking partnership with the NSW government, an initial 60 Bilbies were released within a purpose-built feral-free area. The Bilbies got straight down to business in their role as ‘ecosystem engineers,’ turning over soil, foraging and digging burrows - tunnelling up to three meters within the first 48 hours.
The return of Bilbies to the Pilliga is a significant achievement, highlighting AWC’s leadership in threatened species translocations. In 2018, AWC undertook translocations of 11 threatened mammals to five sanctuaries – the most extensive species translocation program in Australia.

• Completing construction of two massive feral-proof fences

AWC completed construction of the world’s longest feral cat-proof fence at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary in Central Australia. This mammoth operation involved the installation of more than 8,500 fence pickets, 400 kilometres of plain wire, 130 kilometres of mesh netting, and more than a million fence clips. The 44 kilometre fence (known as Stage 1) will create a 9,450 hectare feral predator-free area – the largest on mainland Australia.

AWC completed the construction of two massive feral proof fences in the Pilliga (above) and at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary.

AWC’s expert cat trackers, including our dedicated Warlpiri Rangers, carried out months of intensive work trapping and removing feral cats from the Stage 1 area. A total of 45 feral cats have been removed to date. As you read this email, the team is working to confirm the eradication of the final cat from within Stage 1, in anticipation of translocations scheduled for later in 2019.
AWC will restore populations of at least 11 nationally threatened mammal species to Newhaven. Stage 2 of the project will increase the feral predator-free area to more than 100,000 hectares and more than double the populations of at least six nationally threatened mammals.
In the Pilliga, AWC’s ground-breaking partnership with NSW National Parks saw the construction of a 32 kilometre fence completed in a record four months, creating a feral-proof area of 5,800 hectares (including a specially constructed breeding zone for the Bilbies released in December). Further translocations into the Pilliga in 2019 will include the Brush-tailed Bettong, the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby and the Plains Mouse. In total, six locally extinct mammal species are pegged for reintroduction as part of this historic project

• Protecting threatened species from feral cats

Feral cats kill millions of native animals each day across Australia

With one in three native Australian mammals threatened with extinction there is still a great deal of work to be done. Feral cats remain the single greatest threat to wildlife, killing millions of native animals every day. AWC’s strategy to reduce the impact of feral cats includes:

Establishing a national network of massive feral cat-free havens;
Developing effective strategies to reduce the impact of feral predators ‘beyond the fence’; and
Partnering with CSIRO and investing in cutting-edge gene-drive technology to develop a long-term solution for controlling feral cats on a landscape-scale.

• Delivering measurable outcomes for Australia’s wildlife

AWC remains focused on delivering measurable outcomes for Australia’s wildlife. In 2018, AWC ecologists undertook a record 221,937 trap nights – the nation’s most extensive biodiversity monitoring program. The data gathered from this program guides AWC’s land management actions and, importantly, enables us to measure the ‘ecological return’ on your investment. Almost 87% of AWC’s operational expenditure continues to be spent where it can make the greatest difference to Australia’s threatened wildlife - in the field.

2019 promises to be another big year at AWC. I look forward to keeping you informed of our latest developments and success stories from the field. Thank you for your continued support
Yours sincerely