Scotia Sanctuary

AREA   Scotia Sanctuary 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 ONGROUND 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.