The Andrews Labor Government is protecting endangered species like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot and the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby with upgrades to strengthen the predator-proof fence at Mt Rothwell.
Minister for the Environment and Climate Action Lily D'Ambrosio announced the completion of the new fence at Mt Rothwell wildlife sanctuary which provides a safe haven from predators like foxes and cats for native wildlife.
The Labor Government invested $350,000 towards the fence upgrade, as part of the $62.2 million Bushfire Biodiversity Response and Recovery program.
The 12-kilometre fence will protect the sanctuary for the next 40 years and has allowed the sanctuary to expand by more than 50 hectares, providing extra space for important conservation efforts.
The Mt Rothwell sanctuary is managed by the Odonata Foundation and is one of the largest predator-free ecosystems in Victoria. It is home to a wealth of threatened species and holds 80 per cent of Australia's mainland Eastern Barred Bandicoot population.
The sanctuary has played a significant role in conservation efforts which led to the Eastern Barred Bandicoot become the first Australian species to be reclassified from 'Extinct in the Wild' to 'Endangered' last year.
It is also home to the largest Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby population in the state, with more than 150 individuals of the Critically Endangered species part of the sanctuary conservation program.
The Mt Rothwell fence upgrade is part of a significant investment towards wildlife recovery following the 2019-2020 bushfires and will play a key role as part of Odonata's network of sanctuaries on private land across the state that help rebuild populations of threatened species.
The Labor Government is helping to stop the decline of native plants and animals and improve the state's natural environment through its Biodiversity 2037 plan and has invested over $560 million towards protecting biodiversity and the natural environment since coming to government in 2014.
As stated by Minister for the Environment and Climate Action Lily D'Ambrosio
"The newly upgraded fence at Mt Rothwell will play an important role in keeping endangered species like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot safe from predators while they rebuild their population."
As stated by Founder of Odonata Nigel Sharp
"The completion of this new fence marks an important moment for Odonata as we work towards a fully integrated, Australia-wide sanctuary network that will, alongside Mt Rothwell, provide scale, genetic diversity and threatened species population resilience."
