Leading conservation charity Bush Heritage Australia has finalised the purchase of a new nature reserve called Avocet Nature Refuge in central Queensland. It protects one of Australia's most threatened ecosystems, as well as endangered Australian species like the Koala and the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby.
Located 30 kilometres south of Emerald on the lands of the Western Kangoulu people, Avocet Nature Refuge is in the Brigalow Belt bioregion – one of Australia's most heavily cleared national biodiversity hotspots. The 1,207-hectare nature reserve is next to Bush Heritage's existing 594-hectare Goonderoo Reserve.
Bush Heritage CEO Rachel Lowry said the acquisition is a critical step in the right direction to permanently protect precious remaining nature.
"Only five percent of Brigalow woodlands remain in the whole country and only two percent of this is currently protected," she explained. "With the addition of Avocet Nature Refuge, we've tripled the area under our management in this region to over 1,800 hectares and created a rare, connected stronghold of habitat for wildlife."
Avocet Nature Refuge is one of only two sites where Bridled Nailtail Wallabies still exist in the wild.
Dr Stephen Kearney, an ecologist at Bush Heritage, described the soft-footed marsupial and its remarkable history.
"This is a species that has truly come back from the brink of extinction," he said. "Bridled Nailtails are small wallabies weighing about 6 kilos, with this delicate white bridle stripe running up their neck and a tiny nail-like tip on their tails – which is where they get their name."
"By the 1930s Bridled Nailtails had completely disappeared and by the 1970s were thought to be extinct. But just a few years later, in 1973, they were rediscovered in central Queensland."
Through joint efforts by government and private conservationists, the rediscovered population was protected at Taunton National Park and an insurance population was introduced to Avocet Nature Refuge. Now, there are approximately 1,500 Bridled Nailtail Wallabies left in the wild.
"While it still faces a long list of threats, with our knowledge of the landscape and the support of our science program, we have an opportunity to give the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby a chance to thrive again," added Stephen.
Avocet Nature Refuge also provides critical habitat for the Koala, which like the Bridled Nailtail Wallaby, is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Bush Heritage's acquisition of Avocet Nature Refuge underscores the organisation's ongoing commitment and efforts to support national and global targets of conserving 30 percent of the planet's lands and waters by 2030.
"Protecting nature doesn't end with buying the land. Best practice conservation takes thousands of hours of work every year to deliver strategic, science-based and collaborative outcomes," said Rachel. "With the combined scale of Avocet Nature Refuge and Goonderoo Reserve, we also have a chance to apply for Special Wildlife Reserve status – the highest level of protection available for private land in Queensland."
"We're looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck into it," she concluded.
