Further funding for Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Our funding, on top of A$2.94 million provided in 2023, will result in ongoing support for AWC’s Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary conservation project in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt.

It will also now support AWC’s Pungalina-Seven Emu Wildlife Sanctuary in the Northern Territory’s Gulf of Carpentaria.

The Gulf’s nationally significant ecosystems are important refuges for declining wildlife such as the Gulf Snapping Turtle, the Gouldian Finch, the Red Goshawk and the Carpentarian Pseudantechinus.

Our contribution will help AWC manage threats including feral herbivores, undertake conservation activities, and allow monitoring of native species such as the vulnerable Ghost Bat and Mertens’ Water Goanna.

We will also provide funding for the first phase of AWC’s feral cat ecology research project, which will deploy cameras to identify tolerable predator levels before native mammals can be established outside fenced areas.

Our strategic social investment with AWC started in July 2023 and was focused predominantly on the Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary.

The sanctuary, 350 km north-east of Perth, covers over 130,000 hectares (ha) and includes a 7,838 ha fenced exclosure to protect reintroduced species from predators such as feral cats and foxes.

As a result of our support, AWC has achieved significant rewilding results including:

• Reintroducing the Chuditch (Western Quoll) to Mt Gibson for the first time in about 100 years;
• Continuing the re-establishment of eight other mammal species that had become extinct in the region, including the Bilby, Numbat, Red-tailed Phascogale, Shark Bay Bandicoot, Woylie and Brushtail Possum; and
• Strengthening controls on predators, including feral cats and foxes.

As well as protecting threatened species and restoring critical habitats, the continuing social investment will create further opportunities for our people to connect with this important work through volunteering and events.

Picture: AWC