Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary
- Area
- 65,000 ha (160,550 acres)
- Bioregion
- Murray Darling Depression
- Wildlife
-
- Mammals: 20
- Birds: 145
- Reptiles: 47
- Amphibians: 2
- Threatened Wildlife
- At least 44 species, including:
- Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby
- Greater Bilby
- Mala (Rufous Hare Wallaby)
- Malleefowl
- Plants
- At least 331 species
- Threatened Plants
- At least 9 species
- Ecosystems
- 11
- 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
- Biodiversity research (mammal reintroduction methodologies, feral predator control techniques and methodologies, semi-arid mammal ecology)
- Feral animal control (cats, foxes, goats, rabbits; construction of 12,000 ha feral free area)
- Fire management
- Threatened species reintroductions
As is the case throughout the arid and semi-arid areas of Australia, most of Scotia ’s original medium-sized mammal fauna is either extinct or regionally extinct. To address this situation AWC has initiated the Scotia Endangered Mammal Recovery Project, which will establish wild, self-sustaining populations of threatened mammal species, in the largest feral-free area on mainland Australia. The restoration of a significant proportion of the original mammal fauna to an area of semi-arid western New South Wales will represent an historic moment for wildlife conservation in Australia.
Scotia Sanctuary also supports a rich and diverse faunal assemblage. Threatened species include:
- the black-eared miner,
- southern ningaui and
- painted burrowing frog.
Scotia sanctuary is also significant for the presence of extensive areas of old-growth mallee, which is now rare and highly fragmented, but upon which many threatened fauna species are reliant.