Three WA groups receive grants to help protect Waterbirds, Bush Wallabies, Blue-billed Ducks and other threatened species
Protecting threatened and endangered species is the focus of the 2019/20 AGIG (Australian Gas Infrastructure Group) Landcare Grants. The three groups receiving grants of up to $10,000 each all have a connection to the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBP), part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group in Western Australia.
Possum Finishing School Water Supply Project
FAWNA (Fostering and Assistance for Wildlife Needing Aid) has established the world’s first Possum Finishing School for hand reared orphaned or abandoned critically endangered Western Ringtail Possums found on the SWAN Coastal Plane from Dawesville to Manjimup. The School currently holds 20 sub-adult possums undergoing conditioning and assessments to prepare for a radio collared release to a pre-prepared site.
Water is required for maintaining the foliage feed for possum and volunteer consumption and for cleaning and sterilising pre-release aviaries and equipment, as well as for providing hygiene and a safe working environment. The AGIG Landcare Grant will be used to help restore the bore water supply and to collect rain water from the shed roof with storage in two tanks, one potable and one not.
The group will also undertake revegetation on the site and host a ‘Possum day” where they will invite the local community to come and learn about what they are doing and to discuss all things Possum.
Critically Endangered Western Ringtail Possum, with tracking collar
The Folly Wetland Fauna Habitat Project
The Waterbird Conservation Group Inc. has a mission to provide habitat for Western Australian priority species Quenda (a sub-species of the Southern Brown Bandicoot), Blue-billed Duck and Rakali (commonly known as water rats). To achieve improved habitat, the group, with the support of an AGIG Landcare Grant, plan to plant sedges, rushes and shrubs along the banks of Folly Wetland in Baldivis, near Rockingham. Increasing the vegetation to a dense shrubby condition on the banks will help restore the fauna habitat, which was impacted by intense fires in June 2019.
Planting site ‘before’. Shows significant fire damage at Folly Wetland.
Protection of Critical habitat of threatened and priority species
The Ellen Brockman Integrated Catchment Group will implement their grant project to help protect the critical habitat of the King Spider-orchid (Caladenia heuglii), protect the priority species Quenda, a sub-species of the Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), and the Western Brush Wallaby (Macropus irma), a species whose numbers are declining in Maralla Nature Reserve. They plan to achieve this by removing feral animals – pigs, foxes and cats that kill the animals and destroy habitat of the King Spider-orchid. The group will also document the activity of animals that use a fauna bridge over the Perth Darwin Highway and the behaviour of feral animals in response to the fauna movement for the duration of the project.
