Faure Island Sanctuary
Faure Island Sanctuary
- Area
- 6,000 ha (14,800 acres)
- Bioregion
- Gascoyne
- Wildlife
-
- Mammals: 5
- Birds: 91
- Reptiles: 23
- Threatened Wildlife
- At least 5 species, including:
- Banded Hare-wallaby
- Boodie (Burrowing Bettong)
- Eastern Curlew
- Shark Bay Mouse
- Western Barred Bandicoot
- Plants
- At least 135 species
- Threatened Plants
- Assessment underway
- Ecosystems
- 7
- Threatened Ecosystems
- Assessment underway
- Ecosystems Not Protected in National Parks
- Assessment underway
- Ecosystems Inadequately Protected in National Parks
-
(<5% OF AREA PROTECTED)
Assessment underway
- Major On-Ground Programs
-
- Biodiversity surveys and monitoring
- Removal of sheep
- Feral animal control (cats, goats)
Faure Island Wildlife sanctuary lies within the Shark Bay World Heritage Property, sharing many of its nominated World Heritage values, and is surrounded by the Shark Bay Marine Park. At almost 6,000 ha the island represents a unique opportunity to contribute to the conservation of several threatened mammal species, by providing an island refuge from introduced predators that are common on mainland Australia. To achieve this, AWC has:
- Removed stock from key habitats of the island
- Successfully eradicated all feral cats from the island with the assistance of the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM)
- Almost certainly eradicated feral goats from the island. However, more monitoring is required to confirm this outcome
With the assistance of CALM, CSIRO, and the Perth Zoo, AWC has released four species of nationally threatened mammals onto Faure Island and is in the process of establishing self-sustaining populations of the:
- Burrowing Bettong (Boodie)
- Shark Bay Mouse
- Banded Hare-wallaby
- Western Barred Bandicoots
Plans are also underway to release threatened Greater Stick-nest Rats to the island in the near future.
The Faure Island sanctuary contributes a range of attributes to the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, which include:
- Habitats such as mangroves that are rare elsewhere in Shark Bay
- Extensive mudflats surrounding the island that support thousands of migratory wading birds during the summer months
- A major regional rookery of the Pied Cormorant
- Home to 23 reptiles, 91 birds, and over 135 native plants