What is being done to help endangered marsupials?     In Australia, there is a trend toward efforts to halt the practices that have contributed to the endangerment of many species.  Some of the things being done include research, habitat protection, breeding, legislation and resolution of conflict with industry.

Research:

Research into threatening practices has lead to improved management:

  -changed fire regimes

  -introduced species:
      *an introduced species can contribute to endangerment by killing the animal or its food source.
      *the brush-tailed bettong showed a tenfold increase in population following 5 years of fox control.

  -change in logging practices:
      *this would lower the threat to arboreal mammals-research indicated that the mammals rely on trees along water courses
        and drain lines.

Habitat Protection:

  -the size of areas reserved for nature conservation has increased from 3.95% of total land surface in 1884, to 5.3% in 1988.

  -selection of areas to become national parks has improved
      *previously, unwanted land was selected for these parks.
      *now a focus on ecosystems suitable for wildlife growth and prosperity is the deciding factor.

  -an emphasis has been placed on certain endangered species.
      *in Tasmania, the Douglas-Appsley National Park protects substantial populations of marsupials including the Tasmanian
        bettong.
      *in Queensland, the state government bought properties to establish the Taunton Scientific Reserve to protect the habitat of
        the bridled nailtail wallaby.

Breeding:

Captive breeding programs are helping to re-establish numbers of certain populations and then re-introduce them back into their habitat or other sustainable habitats.

  -zoos have assisted by breeding endangered animals such as the numbat, rufous-haired wallaby, and malleefowl for release back
    into the wild.

Legislation:

Legislation is very important regarding endangered species.  Many groups are involved in trying to point out the importance of keeping these species from extinction.

  -special legislation, covering endangered species and communities, have been enacted in Victoria as part of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.  This is proposed in NSW, Tasmania and QLD.

Resolution of conflict with industry:

  -environmental protection legislation enacted the requirement of impact assessment of development proposals.

  -establishment of the Resource Assessment Commission to investigate resource issues taking into account environmental,
    social, and economic factors.
 
  -recent market research indicated that 73% of Australians strongly agree that endangered animals should be protected.

This page was written by Mark Simon

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