Arid Recovery - Case Study

Arid Recovery at Roxby Downs, initiated in 1997, aims to facilitate restoration of arid zone ecosystems through on-ground works, applied research and industry/community partnerships.

Arid Recovery is a joint conservation initiative between WMC Resources, Department for Environment and Heritage South Australia, the University of Adelaide and the Friends of Arid Recovery. Funding and support is also received from the Natural Heritage Trust and other agencies. In 2004, Arid Recovery was a recommended project in the Rangelands Integrated Natural Resource Management investment strategy.

A rabbit-proof, cat-proof and fox-proof fence encloses a 60-square-kilometre Reserve from which stock and feral animals have been removed. The Reserve is situated partly on the Olympic Dam mine lease and partly on four neighbouring pastoral stations. There is now significant vegetation regeneration within the Reserve, and small native mammals such as hopping mice are thriving. In the absence of feral predators, locally extinct species such as greater bilbies, burrowing bettongs, greater stick-nest rats and western barred bandicoots have been successfully reintroduced.

Research into broad-scale feral animal control is currently being conducted to ensure the environmental gains recorded inside the Reserve can be replicated in the wider region, through sensitively managed pastoral and mining activities. After trialling several designs, a new modified fence design is being used to enclose a further 26 km² to the north of the current Reserve. Significant fencing and rabbit control have been conducted in this expansion during 2004 and it is anticipated that this will be completed in early 2005.

Aerial baiting for foxes was conducted within a 20km radius of the Arid Recovery Reserve covering an 1800 km² area. Results indicate a reduction in fox activity in the baited area, but not a complete removal of foxes. Research is continuing to develop the best baiting strategy for landscape scale control of cats and foxes in the Olympic Dam region.

The first trial release of bilbies outside the Reserve was conducted this year. After baiting for feral predators, 12 bilbies, of mixed age and gender, were released on the other side of the fence. Seven bilbies succumbed to predation by feral cats. These unfortunate results illustrate the need for the development of effective broad-scale feral cat control, if bilbies are to survive in the region without exclusion fencing. Four bilbies were still known to be alive at 100 days post-release (two male, two female) with one female having produced three young. This project is still in progress with the survival of the remaining bilbies being monitored daily.

Another important outcome will be to assess whether these ‘naïve’ bilbies can learn to adapt to the threat of predation, a threat they did not face within the Reserve. Arid Recovery has already established a significant amount of valuable information for the recovery of the Greater Bilby, a nationally threatened species. All reintroduced populations within the Reserve are doing very well. However, maintaining large fenced areas indefinitely is not a long-term solution. Projects such as the trial release provide essential information for the re-establishment of natural populations of bilbies outside fenced reserves.

In 2004, many international visitors volunteered for Arid Recovery as part of two Earthwatch expeditions, two International Student Volunteer groups and two Conservation Volunteers Australia teams. The involvement of these international organisations acknowledges the important restoration work that is being undertaken by Arid Recovery on a global scale. Volunteers were involved in building the expansion, monitoring populations of reintroduced species and recording differences in animal behaviour and food resources inside and outside the Reserve. In addition, Arid Recovery hosted look and learn visits from other industry, community and indigenous groups this year.

• www.aridrecovery.org.au

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