Faure Island Sanctuary - Programs

Radio-tracking Faure Island sanctuary

Faure Island was formerly managed as a pastoral lease, running sheep and goats. After acquisition by AWC, and with support from its donors, these pastoral activities were replaced with an active program of on-ground management to restore the natural values of the island that form an important component of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.

A major mammal restoration program has been established at the Faure Island sanctuary, to reintroduce a suite of threatened mammals that were once common in the region.

AWC’s key management priorities at the Faure Island sanctuary include:

• Development of a co-operative arrangement with CALM incorporating biological survey, feral animal eradication and native mammal translocations.
• Staged removal and confinement of sheep
• Eradication of feral goats
• Eradication of feral cats
• Release of five threatened mammal species including the Burrowing Bettong (Boodie), Shark Bay Mouse, Banded Hare-wallaby, Western Barred Bandicoot and Greater Sticknest Rat
• Removal of the noxious weed, African Boxthorn
• Regular, standardised monitoring of threatened species
• Support for a postgraduate study of Burrowing Bettong genetics and ecology