What the Stock Journal
says about
Extinctions SA
Exhibition to ‘honor’ SA’s
extinct animals
‘Extinction Jigsaw’ traces
the Quoll
Fascinating numbat clawing its way
back into the world
Golden Bandicoot can still be found
WA islands offer refuge for the Mala
Our Bettongs have taken a belting
from man’s intrusion
Rats and bats of SA - where are they
now?
Settlers chased the Bowerbird out
of SA
Dams, weirs make life tough for Murray
fish
Want to protect our wildlife?
April 10, 1997 Pg 51, Country Life
Exhibition to ‘honor’ SA’s
extinct animals
By Jessica Sullivan
When Jan Birrell opened up an old copy of Mammals of Australia some time ago, she was alarmed to see just how many varieties of fauna South Australia had lost.
The South Australian Museum senior technical officer is overseeing a unique exhibition to begin next month, titled Extinction SA.
The exhibition, sponsored by Stock Journal, will run for five months from May 5, focussing on the mammals, birds and fish which have disappeared from this state since the arrival of European settlers in 1836.
For Jan, the exhibition will be the culmination of many hours of hard work which began in June last year. "Initially it was going to be just a focus display but it just grew because so many people had fond memories of a similar exhibition done at the museum many years ago." Jan said.
"It’s alarming to see how many animals we have lost. I’ve been working at the museum since 1986 and even I didn’t realise the numbers of fauna and the types of animals that have disappeared from this state.
"We hope that everyone who visits the museum will actually visit this exhibition."
Featuring 26 animals either in the form of a mounted specimen, skin or a piece of bone, the exhibition aims to both educated and entertain people of all ages.
Children will be especially catered for with educational packages which can be taken back to schools and homes, and three performances by the Ricochet Theatre Company.
Titled The Great Plinge Hunt, the performances are a ‘choose our own adventure’ style where children will learn about SA’s endangered species.
According to Jan, it was hoped the exhibition would in some way brighten the future for some of SA’s endangered species.
"We hope that it will protect the future of endangered animals in SA by educating the community." she said.
"It really is up to individuals these days to take part and do their bit - even if it’s just by joining a conservation organisation.
"The exhibition will appeal to people of all ages - the impression on young people will be the visual impact because of the sheer number of extinct animals that will be there."
SA has lost 26 species or 25% of its mammals since 1836, a high proportion compared with other areas of the world.
The reasons for native animal extinctions are not fully understood but factors such as loss of natural habitats by clearing for agriculture, forestry and mining are involved.
Other reasons for the extinctions include introduced predators such as the fox and cat, hunting, baiting and trapping which began in the early days of European settlement and the introduction of foreign diseases.
Among those species to be high-lighted are the pig footed bandicoot, lesser bilby, toolache wallaby and the Tasmanian pademelon. Animals such as the koala and brush-tailed bettong, which became extinct in SA but were later reintroduced, also feature.
A rug made from 44 platypus skins and a handbag with handmuffs made form Eastern Quolls will be among the more bizarre attractions at Extinctions SA.
Stock Journal will profile all the animals involved in the exhibition over the next eight weeks and on Thursday, June 12 will feature a special colour poster commemorating the exhibition. Also don’t miss our exciting competition starting next week. For more information on Extinctions SA phone the South Australian Museum on (08) 8207 7500.
April 17, 1997 Pg 54, Country Life
‘Extinction Jigsaw’ traces the Quoll
South Australia has lost 26 species or 25% of its mammals since 1836, a very high proportion compared with other areas of the world.
This week, Stock Journal introduces the first of an eight part educational series on animals which have become extinct from South Australia over the years. Sponsored by the Stock Journal, the South Australian Museum is to hold an exhibition titled ‘Extinctions SA’ for five months from May 5. This week, we feature the Quoll family.
One of the first native Australian animals to be described by scientists, Quolls once inhabited most parts of Australia.
There are three types of Quoll extinct in South Australia, they are the Western Quoll, Eastern Quoll and the Spotted-tail Quoll.
The Spotted-tailed Quoll, Dasyurus macalatus, is dark brown in colour with white spots of different sizes over its body including its tail.
It is also commonly known as the Tiger Cat, Tiger Quoll, Spotted-tailed Native Cat, or the Spotted -tailed Dasyure.
The Spotted-tailed Quoll has been described as "very ferocious" with large canine teeth.
Males grow up to 7kg and females up to 4kg, and they are good climbers but spend most of their time on the floor of forests and rainforests. They make nests in rock caves and hollow logs or trees.
The Spotted-tailed Quoll is mainly nocturnal but sometimes forages and lies in the sun during the day. It hunts for a variety of prey, including birds, rats, gliding possums, reptiles, insects, and small wallabies and usually kills them by biting the back of the head or neck. It also feeds from the carcasses of domestic stock.
The Eastern Quoll, Dasyurus viverrinus, are different form the larger Spotted-tailed Quoll because they do not have spots on the tail and have four toes on the hind foot.
It is a small animal, with males weighing up to 1300g and females up to 880g, and has large ears, a moist nose and is more agile than the Spotted-tailed Quoll.
It was once found over most parts of south-eastern Australia but numbers dropped dramatically around the start of the twentieth century. No Eastern Quolls have been caught on the mainland of Australia in the last decade, but recent claims of sightings in Victoria and New South Wales suggest there may be populations in these states. It is still commonly found in Tasmania.
The Eastern Quoll is a carnivore and agricultural pests like the corbie grub make up a large part of its diet. Birds that nest on the ground and small mammals such as bandicoots, rabbits and rats are often eaten as are the carcasses of animals such as wallabies, possums and sheep when available.
The Western Quoll, Dasyurus geoffroii, is also known as the Western native Cat or Chuditch.
It has a brown coat with white spots except on the tail which is plain brown and bushy, and has creamy-white fur underneath. The Western Quoll has five toes on the hindfoot and an adult can grow to more than 825g.
It could be commonly found from Esperance in Western Australia right across to western New South Wales in the early nineteenth century. Today it can only be found in the southwest corner of WA and in Papua New Guinea.
Western Quoll are most active at dawn or dusk and when in its natural environment probably fed on small mammals, birds, insects and dead or decaying flesh. But in captivity they eat any kind of meat, eggs and also fresh fish.
Western Quoll can live in high temperatures and on a diet of fresh meat can live without needing to drink.
The Red-tailed Phascogale, Phascogale lura, was - during the nineteenth century - found patchily throughout areas of southern and central Australia.
It is now only found in parts of south-western Australia in remnant vegetation of wheatbelts that receive annual rainfall of 300 - 600 mm.
The Red-tailed Phascogale lives in dense vegetation and areas where hollow logs and tree limbs provide lots of nest sites.
They are ash-grey in colour with a creamy white fur on the underneath of the body and have a blackish coloured patch in front of the eye. The ears and part of the tail are reddish in colour but the end of the tail has brushy long black hair.
Red-tailed Phascogales eat a wide variety of insects, and also small birds and mammals especially house mice.
April 24, 1997 Pg 49, Country Life
Fascinating numbat clawing its way back into the world
In week two of Stock Journal’s special educational series on extinct South Australian animals, we feature the numbat and the koala.
Sponsored by Stock Journal, the South Australian Museum will hold a unique exhibition, ‘Extinctions SA’, for five months from May 5. A total of 26 animals will feature in the exhibition and all will be profiled in the Stock Journal over coming weeks.
Numbats - scientifically known as Myrmecobius fasciatus - were once found in many areas of southern Australia from the west coast right through to western New South Wales.
They became extinct in NSW in the early 1900’s, but could still be found in the north-west parts of South Australia until the 50’s.
And in Western Australia they were still common in the 50’s but disappeared in the arid areas between 1950 and 1970.
Numbat populations have begun to grow again in WA since then, because of efforts made to increase their numbers again.
There are now three numbat populations there, with another three being developed nearby.
Numbats are a reddish-brown colour and have a horizontal black stripe through their eyes.
They have between four and 11 black and white stripes on their back with off-white hair under their body and a long brown tail about 15 - 18 cm long.
The body of an adult Numbat is between 20 25 cm long and females weigh about 500 g and males about 700 g.
They have a small head, a long nose, pointed ears, a very long tongue and about 50 teeth which are only used when they are very young.
The long tongue is sticky and is used to quickly extract termites, the numbat’s main food source.
Numbats find termites in shallow soil and then dig with their front feet to find the large termite ‘gallery’ or home, then quickly grab them with their tongues.
Numbats - sometimes known as the Banded Anteater or Walpurti - are active during the day and sleep at night.
They sleep in hollow logs or burrows, and also use these to hide from predators during the day.
In cold weather and when rearing their young, they use burrows which are about two metres long with a nest at the end made from bark and leaves. They hide the entrance to the burrow with branches or logs.
Koala’s feed mainly on eucalyptus leaves, especially those from the River Red Gum and Forest Red Gum in the north of Australia, and Grey Gum, Manna Gum, Swamp Gum and Blue Gum in the south east of Australia.
There are also lots of other types of eucalypts and non-eucalypts which help make up the koala’s diet.
Eucalypt leaves have a high water content which means a koala normally does not have to drink.
Though koala’s are still found in South Australia today, they did once become extinct and have since been reintroduced to the state.
Koalas sleep in the forks of trees during most of the day, but it is active and feeds at night and is most active just after sunset.
Living in trees, koalas need to be good climbers and they climb trees by clasping trunks with the sharp claws on their hands then bring their hindfeet upwards.
The koalas found in the southern part of Australia are much larger then those from the northern areas.
Male koalas found in Victorian regions are about 782 mm long and weigh about 11.8 kg, and females in this area are about 716 mm long and weigh about 7.9 kg.
But male koalas in the Queensland region weigh about 6.5 kg and females about 5.1 kg.
The scientific name for a koala is Phascolarctos cincreus, but it is also commonly known as a Koala Bear or a Native Bear.
May 1, 1997 Pg 61, Country Life
Golden Bandicoot can still be found
The Golden Bandicoot - scientifically known as the Isoodon auratus - is extinct in South Australia, but is still found in the wild in other areas of Australia.
It is golden brown and this is how it be distinguished from other bandicoots.
Golden Bandicoots diets in the north-western Kimberley region includes termites, centipedes, insect larvae and plants.
Those found on Barrow Island, Western Australia, feed mainly on ants, moths turtle eggs, small reptiles, the Common Rock-rat, roots and tubers.
The Golden Bandicoot was found widely in central Australia in the 1930’s, but may have been found further east before that time.
It had virtually disappeared form this region by the 1950’s.
It is also commonly called the Northern Golden Bandicoot, Northern Golden-backed Bandicoot, Windaru, Wintaroo or Nyulu.
The Golden Bandicoot grows up to about 248mm, with a tail about 110mm, and can weigh up to about 670 grams.
Eastern Barred Bandicoot
The Eastern Barred Bandicoot, although not found in SA, is found throughout Tasmania, and near Hamilton in Victoria.
Scientifically known as the Perameles gunnii, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot is yellowish-brown and grey along the ‘belly’. Its tail is white except on the base and it has three or four ‘bars’ on its hindquarters.
Its other common names include the Tasmanian Barred Bandicoot, Gunn’s Bandicoot or Striped Bandicoot.
Its front feet have long claws which they use to dig shallow holes to find earthworms, insects an their larvae to eat. It also eats some kinds of berries.
It does not need to drink because its food has enough water in it.
Active at night, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot gallops or bounds quickly using all four feet and can jump more than a metre in the air.
It is up to 310mm long, with a tail up to 94mm long and weigh up to 660g.
Western Barred Bandicoot
The Western Barred Bandicoot was, before white settlement, found across many areas of southern Australia.
In south-western Western Australia it was found in thick scrub areas, and in south-eastern Western Australia and the southern part of SA. It used to live in the saltbush and bluebush plains.
In Victoria and western New South Wales it was found in areas where there were stony ridges, and on Bernier and Dorre Islands, Western Australia, it is still found living in the sandhills behind beaches.
The Western Barred Bandicoot sleeps during the day in a well-hidden nest made from grass and other vegetation built in a hollow log.
Two bandicoots normally live in one nest.
When it is almost dark they come out looking for foods such as insects and other small animals, seeds, herbs and roots.
The Western Barred Bandicoot is light grey or brownish-grey on top and white underneath. It has two or three pale and darker bars across the back and large ears that stand up in the air.
It is different from the Desert Bandicoot because of its colour and it has a shorter tail.
Desert Bandicoot
The Desert Bandicoots live in arid and sandy areas. Although scientifically known as Perameles eremiana, it is also commonly known as Orange-backed Bandicoot, Mugaruquirra, Iwurra and Walilya.
Like other bandicoots, the Desert Bandicoot is nocturnal, making it active at night time, and resting during the day in a nest made in a shallow hole in the ground lined with grass and twigs.
Pig-footed Bandicoot
The Pig-footed Bandicoot is said to be the ‘most graceful and delicate’ of all the varieties of bandicoot.
It is different from other kinds of bandicoot because it has only two toes on the front feet and one on the back feet.
The Pig-footed Bandicoot fed mostly on grass, leaves and roots, but sometimes ate insects and meat, and was active at night when it fed on these.
During the day it rested in nests made from dry grass in 30cm deep holes in the ground. The Bandicoot was able to burrow its way in and out of the hole without leaving an opening at the top.
Orange-brown on top, the Pig-footed Bandicoot is fawn underneath.
Greater Bilby
Once common across many areas of Australia - especially in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s - the Grater Bilby population is now very vulnerable.
Today it is only found in areas of the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory, the Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, Pilbara and Kimberley areas of Western Australia. There is also one population in south-west Queensland.
The Greater Bilby has soft fur that is mainly blue-grey with a creamy-white coloured ‘belly’ with two fawn stripes on each hip. It has a black-grey tail with white hairs near the end.
Bilbies are the biggest member of the bandicoot family and grow up to 55cm long with a tail up to 29cm long. An adult male weighs about 2kg, while females weigh about 1 kg.
The Greater Bilby is active at night, but in the daytime it rests in burrows that spiral downwards for about 2 metres. The opening to the burrow is usually hidden by a small bush, clump of grass or a termite mound.
A bilby can use up to 12 burrows at a time.
May 8, 1997 Pg42, Country Life
WA islands offer refuge for the Mala
Though not found in South Australia anymore, the Mala can still be seen in the wild on two small islands off the coast off Western Australia.
It was last seen in SA in 1933 around the Musgrave Ranges region.
The Mala feeds at night, and during the day it rests in a short burrow - usually under a spinifex plant where it can be shielded from the hot sun.
The Eastern Hare wallaby is sometimes known as the Brown Hare-wallaby but its scientific name is Largorchestes leporides.
This kind of wallaby is now extinct in the wild but it was once found here in South Australia, especially around the River Murray and South-East of the state.
The last report of one in SA was in 1892 at Lucindale.
The Eastern Hare Wallaby has brown hair which is white on the ends, grey hair on its belly and its feet, and the front paws are also a greyish colour. It has a black patch on the elbow and the tail is brown on top and white underneath.
It could reportedly jump up to 1.8 meters.
The Toolache Wallaby lived in flat, swampy environments and was a fast animal that could keep moving at high speed for long periods of time.
Its scientific name was the Macropus greyi, ,but some of the common names given to this animal include Monkeyface, Onetwo, and Grey’s Wallaby.
The Toolache Wallaby is now extinct in the wild. It was a pale grey-fawn above, fawn below, and had an almost white tail.
Wedgetail eagles and foxes sometimes preyed on the young Toolache Wallaby, but it was also hunted by humans for sport - and killed for its valuable and beautiful pelt.
Its habitat was also good for grazing livestock, which meant a decline in the Toolache Wallaby population.
The Toolache Wallaby was last reported in SA in the 1920’s.
The Crescent Nailtail Wallaby, scientifically known as the Onychogalea lunata, was once found in the eucalypt and mulga forests of southern and central Australia.
Sometimes known as the Lunated Nailtail Wallaby, Warrung or Tjawalpa, this animal was mainly ash-grey with a paly grey belly and a crescent-shaped white stripe across the shoulder and hip. It had a pointy nail-like tip at the end of its tail.
It was last spotted in SA in the Musgrave Ranges in the 1930’s.
The Crescent Nailtail Wallaby was a nocturnal animal and ate at night, sleeping under shrubs or low trees or lazing in the sun during the day.
It was between 371 - 508 mm long with a tail 153 - 330 mm.
May 15, 1997 Pg 48, Country Life
Our Bettongs have taken a belting from man’s intrusion
The Burrowing Bettong, scientifically known as the Bettongia lesueur, was once found across many parts of the western, central and southern parts of Australia but is now only found on four little islands off the Western Australian coast.
It was last seen in South Australia in the Musgrave Ranges in the 1950’s.
It lived in dry areas and dug burrows with lots of entrances and connecting tunnels, living in groups.
The Burrowing Bettong is nocturnal and finds food by digging and smelling.
When it lived on the mainland it ate tubers, bulbs, seeds, fungi, nuts and greenery on some plants.
On the islands it ate native figs, seeds, roots, termites and fungi.
The Burrowing Bettong is quite a noisy animal and grunts, hisses and squeals.
It is a yellow-grey with light grey fur on the underside, with small, short ears and a fat tail.
Many Burrowing Bettongs were poisoned by rabbit baits laid to kill rabbits, and foxes were also a predator.
The Brushtailed Bettong belongs to the potoroo family and is scientifically known as Bettongia penicillata.
It was extinct in South Australia, but was later reintroduced and is now found at Venus Bay, Venus Bay Island, Wedge Island, St Peter Island Conservation Park and Yookamurra Sanctuary.
The Brushtailed Bettong is about 30-38cm long with a tail about 29-36cm long which it uses to carry grass for their nests.
It has clawed front feet which it uses to dig for food and make nests and is nocturnal, resting during the day.
Both male and female look similar with a brown-grey fur on top and a lighter-coloured fur on the underside.
The top of its tail is bushy and black/brown and this is where it gets its name.
The Brushtailed Bettong makes a nest in shallow holes in the ground, under bushes or other shelters, and line it with shredded bark and grass which is carried in the tail to the nest.
Before it was reintroduced to SA, the Brushtailed Bettong was last sighted on the Fleurieu Peninsula of SA in 1910.
The Desert Rat-kangaroo is now completely extinct in the wild, but it once lived in the sandridge and gibberplain areas in south-western Queensland and north-eastern South Australia.
The flimsy grass nests which they lived in individually did little to protect them from these elements.
It was first discovered in the 1840’s then was not seen for 90 years, but was officially recorded in 1931. The population declined again and is now extinct in the wild.
It was last recorded in SA in 1935 at Ooroowilanie, east of Lake Eyre and between the Rivers Cooper and Warburton.
Scientifically known as the Caloprymnus campestris, common names for the Desert Rat-kangaroo include the Plains Rat-kangaroo, Bluff-nosed Rat-kangaroo or olacunta.
The Long-nosed Potoroo, or Potorous tridactylus as it is scientifically known, is no longer found in South Australia but it still lives in areas where there is high rainfall such as Tasmania and near the mainland coast of south-eastern Australia.
There have been no official sightings of this animal in SA in this century.
The Long-nosed Potoroo lives in areas that have thick ground cover and where the soil is light and sandy.
It eats mainly roots, tubers, fungi, insects and insect larvae, and other soft-bodied animals found in the soil.
It is a nocturnal animal and does not very often go out where there is no cover.
May 22, 1997 Pg 51, Country Life
Rats and bats of SA - where are they now?
The White-footed Rabbit-rat became extinct in Australia more than 100 years ago but was once found in eucalypt forests and woodlands in south-eastern Australia.
Not much is known about this animal. It was first discovered in the early 19th century.
It was a nocturnal animal that slept during the day in tree hollows where they made warm nests from dried leaves.
Scientifically known as the Conilurus albipes, another common name for the White-footed Rabbit-rat was the White-footed Tree-rat.
The Lesser Stick-nest rat was once found in most areas of South Australia but is now completely extinct in the wild.
It lived in the arid areas of central and southern Australia and was last spotted in SA in 1933 in the Musgrave Ranges.
The Lesser Stick-nest Rat did not dig burrows like many other rats, but it made big and elaborate nests that were up to 1 m high and 2 m wide. One nest found on De Rose Hill Station here in SA was about 3 m by 2 m and was 1 m high.
The nests were quite strong and gave protection from the sun and predators. Groups of Lesser Stick-nest Rats lived in each nest. It was a nocturnal animal and a herbivore that was scientifically known as the Leporillus apicalis.
The Pale Field-rat, or Rattus tunneyi as it is scientifically known, has not been sighted in SA this century, but it once occupied almost all areas of mainland Australia.
The Pale Field-rat was a nocturnal herbivore and ate grass stems, seeds and roots.
During the day it rested in a shallow burrow dug in loose, crumbly soil but with the introduction of cattle which compacted the soil, its habitat was negatively effected.
The Pale Field-rat is yellow-brown and either grey or cream on the underside.
The Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas, was also commonly known as the False Vampire, False Vampire Bat or Australian False Vampire Bat.
Though it can still be found in the wild in some parts of Australia, it is extinct in South Australia.
The Ghost Bat is the only carnivorous bat found in Australia and eats smaller bats, other small mammals, lizards, birds, frogs and large insects which it hunts at night.
To hunt it swoops upon the prey, wraps it in its wings and kills with a strong biting action.
During the day they can be found resting in large caves, mines or deep spaces between rocks.
May 29, 1997 Pg 52, Country Life
Settlers chased the Bowerbird out of SA
South Australia has lost 26 species of its mammals since 1836, two species of birds and one freshwater fish species.
This week’s extinction spotlight is on the dwarfed Kangaroo Island Emu and the Spotted Bowerbird, two birds which are no longer found in our state.
Unlike its larger mainland relative - the emu - the dwarfed Kangaroo Island Emu became adapted to living in areas of scrub and woodland rather than open areas.
The Kangaroo Island Emu, or Dromaius baudinianus as it is scientifically known, is now extinct in the wild.
Kangaroo Island is the only place where remains of the emu have been found, hence its name, and it is believed it became extinct in the early 19th century.
European seal and whale hunters who visited the Island often hunted the Kangaroo Island Emu, and this and bushfires through the island may be some of the reasons it became extinct.
Still found in central and southern Queensland and western New South Wales down to the Murray River, the Spotted Bowerbird is extinct in South Australia but was once found around the Murray River area of Swan Reach.
Male Spotted Bowerbirds build ‘bowers’ of dry stems, sometimes up to a metre high, which they decorate with white and light green objects to attract the female and entice her to mate with him.
They decorate their nests with white and light green objects.
Spotted Bowerbirds mainly eat fruit, seeds, berries, insects and insect larvae, nectar and spiders.
In search of these types of food, they often raided orchards and gardens.
As a result of this they were considered pests and were shot at and scared away by European settlers.
This was one of the reasons the Spotted Bowerbird population decreased in SA, but the main reason was because of woodland, lignum and mallee scrub clearance.
June 5, 1997 Pg 54, Country Life
Dams, weirs make life tough for Murray fish
The Trout Cod, or Maccullochella macquariensis as it is scientifically known, was originally found in the Murray River, but is now only found in upstream parts of a few rivers and creeks in Victoria and New South Wales.
Although a relative of the Murray Cod, the Trout Cod is smaller and used to spawn during floods in the warm shallow water on the flood plains.
But damming of the river means there is less flooding and the release of water from the bottom of reservoirs means the floodwaters are not as warm.
The Murray Crayfish was also once found throughout most of the Murray River, but is now extinct in the majority of the lower Murray areas.
In SA it was last seen in 1935 near Blanchetown and Renmark, but is still found in the wild in other upper reaches.
An attempt was made to reintroduce the species to SA, but although they survived, they did not breed.
The Murray Crayfish generally lives in the main, deeper channel of the Murray River where the water is colder, there is plenty of oxygen and where the water is flowing fastest. However, it has also been found in shallow flowing tributaries. The crayfish has a spiny blue-green coloured shell and large cream-coloured claws and grows up to 30cm long and weighs as much as 3kg.
The introduction of weirs may have also been partly responsible for declining Murray Crayfish populations because these slow down the flow and rather than long deep channels, turned the riverbed into a string of pools.
June 12, 1997 Pg 62, Country Life
In our final article to coincide with the fascinating Extinctions SA exhibition on now at the South Australian Museum, Vicki-Jo Russell of the Threatened Species network explains what we can do to help prevent more of our animals disappearing from this state.
As you have read over the past 10 weeks, South Australia has lost 26 mammal, three bird and at least one invertebrate species. We also know South Australia has lost 29 plant species and that we have much to learn about the number of reptiles, insects, freshwater and marine species that have also disappeared since European settlement.
Unfortunately the tide of extinction is not confined to the past. In fact Professor Hugh Possingham, at the University of Adelaide has stated that the earth is entering the greatest ever period of extinctions - greater even than the extinction of the dinosaurs.
South Australia is no exception where there are 1055 identified threatened species and many ecological communities under pressure. Despite this trend there is still time to act and we can all play a valuable role in the ongoing protection and eventual re-establishment of our threatened species.
Saving threatened species is critical in the protection of Australia’s biodiversity. Biodiversity is simply the variety of life. It is crucially important for the production of foods and medicines; farm productivity; soil, water and air quality; tourism and ecotourism; aesthetics; culture and education; recreation; climate control and above all, future genetic options.
Many factors are leading to the decline of our native species but the greatest threats are the disturbance of habitats (which are places where species breed, feed and shelter, including tree hollows, scrub and creeklines) and the invasion of pest plants and animals. In South Australia, by 1980, around 75% of the state’s original bushland in agricultural areas had been cleared and most of the remaining vegetation had been disturbed in some way. At the same time introduced pest plants and animals, such as bridal creeper, rabbits and foxes, were causing millions of dollars in lost productivity and exerting even more pressure on our native species.
Many types of plant and animal communities are not represented in the national Park’s system and most of the state’s threatened species rely entirely on privately owned land for their survival. The fact that two thirds of Australia is privately managed supports the need for off-reserve measures and highlight the valuable and exciting role that landowners and regional communities can play in the conservation of threatened species.
There are many ways that the community can make a difference. The first step is to find out more about the threatened species and biodiversity values of your property or region and include them in your property management planning. Officers throughout the state can assist this process and will help you maximise both the productivity and biodiversity of your land. This process may consider catchment management, grazing rates, revegetation, heritage agreements, fencing, crop systems and pest plant and animal control. If you are not a landowner there are still a range of actions you can take in your own home to minimise your regional impacts and opportunities to get involved in hands-on activities through local groups such as Landcare and the Threatened Species Network (SA).
Officers in several government departments can assist you with sustainable management practices, while conservation and community groups in both urban and regional areas have expertise and willing volunteers. There are several community grant schemes under the Federal Government’s Natural Heritage Trust through which you can apply for financial assistance.
Several landowners and regional communities who have already undertaken actions with significant results. In general they have minimised regional vegetation clearance, fenced off areas of biodiverse remnant vegetation, reduced stocking rates, sought advice on appropriate burning practices and undertaken coordinated rabbit, cat and fox baiting programs. Threatened species such as the mallee fowl, pygmy blue-tongue lizard, the Mt Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren and several threatened plants are benefiting from protection in this way. In some instances the property’s overall productivity has also increased. These programs have also been supported by non-landholders in the region and have generated a strong sense of community pride.
For more information please contact the SA Museum on (08) 8207 7500 or the Threatened Species Network (SA) on (08) 8223 5155.