Western Shield - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Western Shield, managed by Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation, is a nature conservation program, safeguarding Western Australia's native animals and rescuing them from extinction. Set out in 1996, it is the largest and most successful wildlife conservation program ever undertaken in Australia, as of 2009.

Conservation practices

Between the 1920s and 1950s scientists synthetically developed a poison called Sodium Fluoroacetate (commonly called 1080 poison), for use in biological warfare. Subsequently it was found that sodium fluoroacetate grew naturally in many plants of the south-west of Western Australia and many of the native mammalian herbivore fauna of the region had evolved with a natural tolerance to the poison. The plants, in the genus Gastrolobium

Gastrolobium

Gastrolobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. There are over 100 species in this genus, and all but two are native to the south west region of Western Australia....

, are commonly called "poison pea"; farmers often suffer livestock fatalities due to wandering animals that unfortunately wander into and graze the deadly plants.

During the late 1980s a conservation program relating to fox control - Fox Glove - commenced using dried meat baits and sausages laced with 1080 poison. Fox Glove was very effective by allowing native species' populations to increase due to the local eradication of introduced predators, namely fox

Fox

Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

es and feral cat

Feral cat

A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...

s, although the control of feral cats is much more difficult as the cats favour live prey. Poison coated oats and carrots are occasionally used to control herbivorous invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

, including rabbit

European Rabbit

The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...

and rat

Black Rat

The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...

s.

Since 1996, when Western Shield was initiated, a Beechcraft Baron

Beechcraft Baron

|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....

flies 55,000 km every three months, to drop the 770,000 1080 poison baits, into most national parks, nature reserves and state forest of the south-west of Western Australia, covering an area greater than half the size of Tasmania.

Biological resurgence

The baiting, aimed for all introduced predators, but unfortunately primarily targeting only foxes, lead to a huge increase in native species populations in the 1990s. The natural recovery of species, for example, trap success rates for medium-sized mammals (particularly Woylie

Woylie

The Woylie , also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia...

s) in the Jarrah

Jarrah

Eucalyptus marginata is one of the most common species of Eucalyptus tree in the southwest of Western Australia. The tree and the wood are usually referred to by the Aboriginal name Jarrah...

forest of Kingston Block, near Manjimup, revealed a sevenfold increase in native mammals since baiting began in 1993 in the following five years. Complimenting the natural recovery of species has been the conservation induced reintroduction

Reintroduction

Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...

s and translocation

Translocation (Wildlife conservation)

Translocation in wildlife conservation means capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another...

s. Theses involve reintroducing native species into ecosystems where they were previously found but have since become locally extinct, then Western Shield could either reintroduce animals from breeding programs, or directly translocate the animal from high self sustaining populations elsewhere in the south west. Western Shield has carried out many translocations, both to other DEC managed lands, to the privately owned conservation sanctuaries of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, or to other state’s conservation lands, or even islands.

Species reintroduced

Since 1996 over 80 translocations have taken place within Western Australia, with over 20 species (15 mammal species, 3 bird species, and a few reptile species) involved. The translocations have not only occurred in the southwest forests but also the Monte Bello Islands, the Pilbara, Kalbarri, Shark Bay

Shark Bay

Shark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...

, islands off of Adelaide., outback New South Wales, and the central deserts of Australia.

Mammals
Gilbert's Potoroo

Gilbert's Potoroo

Gilbert's Potoroo is an Australian marsupial, sometimes called a rat-kangaroo, that is critically endangered. It is described as pointed in the face and about the size of a rabbit. It lives in a restricted area on the southwest coast of Western Australia. Gilbert's Potoroos now exist on Bald...

, Chuditch, Dibbler

Dibbler

Dibbler is the common name for Parantechinus apicalis, an endangered species of marsupial. It is an inhabitant of the southwest mainland of Western Australia and some offshore islands. It is a member of the Dasyuromorphia order, and the only member of the genus, Parantechinus...

, Numbat

Numbat

The numbat , also known as the banded anteater, or walpurti, is a marsupial found in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. Once widespread across southern Australia, the range is now restricted to several small colonies and it is listed as an endangered species...

, Bilby

Bilby

Bilbies are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. Before European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. One became extinct in the 1950s; the other survives but remains endangered....

, Quenda, Marl

Western Barred Bandicoot

The Western Barred Bandicoot , also known as the Marl, is a small species of bandicoot found in Australia. It was once widespread across southern Australia from Western Australia to central New South Wales, but it is now found on Bernier, Dorre and Faure islands in Shark Bay, Western Australia,...

, Woylie

Woylie

The Woylie , also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia...

, Mala, Tammar Wallaby

Tammar Wallaby

The Tammar Wallaby , also known as the Dama Wallaby or Darma Wallaby, is a small member of the kangaroo family and is the model species for research on kangaroos and marsupials. It is found on offshore islands on the South Australian and Western Australian coast...

, Western Ringtail Possum

Western Ringtail Possum

The Western Ringtail Possum or Ngwayir is a possum found in Western Australia, regarded as a subspecies of Common Ringtail Possum, or as a separate species.-Description:...

, Shark Bay Mouse

Shark Bay Mouse

The Shark Bay Mouse, Djoongari or Alice Springs Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia, restricted to four islands in the Shark Bay area. It was once found throughout the western two thirds of Australia but it suffered greatly after the arrival of...

, Boodie

Boodie

The Boodie , also known as the Burrowing Bettong, is a small marsupial. It is a fascinating example of the effects of introduced animals on Australian fauna and ecosystems. Once the most common macropodiform mammal on the whole continent, the Boodie now only lives on off-lying islands and in a...

, Banded Hare-Wallaby

Banded Hare-wallaby

The Banded Hare-wallaby or Mernine is a marsupial that is currently found on the Islands of Bernier and Dorre off western Australia. A small population has recently been established on Faure Island and it appears to have been successful...

, Common Brushtail Possum

Common Brushtail Possum

The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...

Birds
Noisy Scrub-bird

Noisy Scrub-bird

The Noisy Scrub-bird is a species of bird in the Atrichornithidae family. It is endemic to Australia.-Distribution and habitat:...

, Western Bristlebird

Western Bristlebird

The Western Bristlebird is a species of bird in the Dasyornithidae family.It is endemic to Australia.- Description :...

, Malleefowl

Malleefowl

The Malleefowl is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken...

Reptiles
Lancelin Island Skink

Lancelin Island Skink

The Lancelin Island Skink is a species of skink in the Scincidae family.It is found only in Australia.-Source:* Australasian Reptile & Amphibian Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....

, Western Swamp Tortoise

Western Swamp Tortoise

The western swamp tortoise , also known as the western swamp turtle, is a short-necked freshwater tortoise that monotypically represents the sub-family Pseudemydurinae.-Description:...

Species taken off the endangered species list

Western Shield has been so successful that three native mammal species have been taken off the list of Western Australia's list of threatened fauna – through the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950

Wildlife Conservation Act 1950

The Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna....

. The species taken off "Schedule 1 – Fauna that is rare or is likely to become extinct" were the Quenda (Isoodon obesulus), the Tammar Wallaby

Tammar Wallaby

(Macropus eugenii) and the Woylie

Woylie

The Woylie , also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia...

(Bettongia penicillata). The Woylie was also taken off the list of Australia’s threatened fauna – through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...

, it was demoted from the "Endangered" Category and is not even on the list any longer as it is not deemed in ‘danger of extinction’. The Woylie was also taken off the "IUCN Red List

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...

of the World’s Threatened Fauna" as "Endangered" and downgraded to "Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent". Western Shield’s success for having the Woylie de-listed as "Endangered" on the state, national, and international levels is a first for any species in the world to be taken off either the state, national, or international level of ‘Threatened Species’ due to successful wildlife conservation efforts.

Recent declines in native species

Unfortunately the success story of Western Shield, is no longer, as the Woylie

Woylie

The Woylie , also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia...

has been quickly added back to WA’s list of threatened fauna, due to the sharp declines since 2002, with some places having a 95% decrease in that locality near the Upper Warrer in Manjimup, where the original ‘seven fold increase’ occurred. The Woylies population across all of Australia, have declined, especially the DEC managed lands of the South west forests, and even wild populations (thanks to previous translocations) in South Australia, have also mysteriously declined, with the culprit possibly being disease. In fact quite a few other species of the south west forests have also declined, with no definite answers many studies are being undertaken, including through DEC’s ‘Saving our Species’ new initiative. Although early days yet, hopefully conclusions can be made, but even then so, what will be eventuated from knowing the quandary, we will have to see. Possible explanations include, global warming, ground water loses, introduced predators building up a resistance to the baits, a natural population fluctuation or possibly even by natural means, such as nowadays more native predators such as Carpet Pythons

Morelia spilota imbricata

Morelia spilota imbricata is a large snake found in southern regions of Western Australia and western South Australia. A member of the python family, it is commonly known as the Southern Carpet Python.-Description:...

and Chudicthes are surviving, only to ultimately endanger other native species. Hopefully the cause will be found, and a suitable solution will be resolved.

Gilbert's Potoroo significant recovery

Western Shield has saved many species from extinction, most timely the Gilbert's Potoroo

Gilbert's Potoroo

, after it was ‘lost’ for over 100 years only to be rediscovered in 1994 in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve

Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve

Two Peoples Bay is a protected area east of Albany. The area is accessible by 2WD vehicles. The bay itself, including two small secluded beaches, faces due east and is protected from the Southern Ocean by a headland formed by the granite massif of Mount Gardiner...

, near Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

, with a population probably less than 30. Western Shield’s Gilbert’s Potoroo subdivision, led by Dr. Tony Friend, now has a self sustaining mainland wild population, a breeding centre ‘back up’ stock with a cross fostering program with Long-nosed Potoroo

Long-nosed Potoroo

The Long-nosed Potoroo is a species of Australian potoroo. It is listed as Endangered in Victoria , Vulnerable in Queensland and nationally , although the IUCN lists it as Lower Risk.At first glance the Long-nosed Potoroo with its...

s exemplifying the marsupial birthing sequence and also an island paradise home to breeding animals on Bald Island

Bald Island

Bald Island is an island that is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The island is offshore from Cheynes Beach and is a protected area which was declared a World Conservation Union Category IA nature reserve Bald Island is an island that is located in the Great Southern...

. Although still below 40 animals, the critically endangered Gilbert’s Potoroo is in safe hands and is well on the road to recovery.

Effectiveness

Although Western Shield’s publicised success has diminished, and so too some populations of native species in the latter 2000s, Western Shield is still at the utmost forefront in the conservation of native species, continually studying and refining their methods with the dream of a successful feral cat bait possibly eventuating quite soon. Many exciting frontiers expect to be confronted with the continuation of Western Shield, including the desert regions, further studies and developments, the creation of effective cat bait, biological invasive species control, and the increase in numbers of endangered species, returning WA, to the biodiverse haven it was prior to European settlement.