Project continues to help protect Pilliga wildlife from extinction

A groundbreaking project helping mammals avoid extinction in NSW national parks is delivering great gains, with 150 animals since August released into a feral predator-free area.

On a recent visit to the Pilliga State Conservation Area site near Narrabri, Environment Minister James Griffin said the NSW government-funded program removes feral cats and foxes from the landscape, creating safe refuges for endangered mammals.

The Pilliga and the Mallee Cliffs National Park in south-western NSW (near the Victorian border) are just two of seven feral-predator free areas already operational or being established, funded by the NSW government.

These locations are managed in a partnership that includes the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Wild Deserts, led by the University of NSW.

“I can’t overstate how important this project is for protecting biodiversity – it’s one of the most ambitious mammal rewilding programs in Australia,” Mr Griffin said.

“Here at the Pilliga, we’ve seen the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby population double since it was reintroduced to this now feral-free area in August 2019, from 42 to about 90 at the latest estimate, including many females with joeys in pouches.

“This number is expected to eventually grow to more than 2000.

“Within a few years, we hope to remove at least 10 mammals from the NSW extinct list – the first time that will have happened anywhere in the world.

Mr Griffin said many of these and other species already reintroduced to these feral-free areas have not been seen in national parks for more than a century, largely because of foxes and feral cats.

Feral cats kill more than 1.5 billion native animals nationally every year.

“With these projects, we’re restoring ecosystems to health, giving locally extinct animals a second chance and, in time, offering the community the chance to see the bush at its best,” he said.

State-wide there will soon be 65,000 hectares of feral predator-free areas on national park estate, including these two project sites.

They’re being established as an essential part of the NSW government’s conservation strategy, aiming to prevent extinction.