A conservation success story is quietly taking shape at The Briars, where Southern Brown Bandicoots are not only surviving, but thriving in their new home.
Once widespread across south-eastern Australia, including the Peninsula, the species has suffered significant declines due to habitat loss and predation by foxes and cats. Now listed as threatened, many remaining populations are small and isolated.
In a carefully coordinated effort, 21 bandicoots were translocated to the protected site in late 2023 and early 2024. The project, led by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) in partnership with the University of Melbourne, Deakin University and Mornington Peninsula Shire, aimed to establish a secure and genetically diverse population.
Animals were sourced from Koo Wee Rup and East Gippsland, strengthening the genetic resilience of the new population and improving its chances of long-term success.
While the release marked an important step, the real test was still to come. Would the bandicoots survive and breed?
Recent monitoring has delivered a clear sign of success.
Within the first year, 27 new bandicoots were recorded. The latest surveys have identified a further 69, signalling strong breeding success and rapid population growth.
These results show the animals are doing more than persisting. They are finding food, building nests and raising young in their new environment.
Their return is also helping to restore the ecosystem itself. Known as "ecosystem engineers," Southern Brown Bandicoots play a vital role in soil health, turning over earth as they forage, improving aeration and spreading nutrients and beneficial fungi. A single bandicoot can move several tonnes of soil each year.
From just 21 founders, The Briars is now supporting a growing and increasingly self-sustaining population, demonstrating the impact of long-term planning, strong partnerships and targeted conservation action.
Each new bandicoot recorded is a sign that recovery is not only possible, but already underway.
