Brisbane welcomes wildlife on Threatened Species Day

Queenslanders were encouraged to get close to some of Australia’s rarest animals in the lead up to Threatened Species Day on Monday 7th September.

Marking the day, Queensland Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles joined zoos, conservationists, theme parks and a menagerie of wildlife in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall to raise awareness for Queensland’s native animals.

Dr Miles explained “it’s not every day you have to share the Queen Street Mall with a dingo or a crocodile but these animals are increasingly having to share their habitat with us.

“One way we can ensure native wildlife continues to have habitat, as development continues, is working with trusts and private landholders to protect the areas these creatures call home.”

During the course of 2015, the Queensland Government had entered into seven voluntary partnerships with dedicated conservationists on private land since coming to office.

Dr Miles stated “we’ve worked in partnership with many private landholders to secure or expand nature refuges as part of our long-term goal of ensuring that 17% of Queensland is protected.

“Four million hectares of private land is now dedicated to protecting threatened species.”

The Queensland Government has also partnered with Dreamworld on the Gold Coast to coordinate a captive breeding program, with the hope of reintroducing more bilbies into Currawinya National Park.

Dr Miles added “the greater bilby once ranged over most of mainland Australia, but is now found at only a few locations.

“The Dreamworld breeding program is a collaborative approach to save this rare and endangered species.

“It will also supplement the government’s feral animal control programs in national parks.

“The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has been working with the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee to use English Springer spaniels ‘Sophie’ and ‘Rocky’ to sniff out feral cats at the Currawinya enclosure.

“Protecting Queensland’s biodiversity cannot be left to the government alone, and partnerships like these play a vital role in preserving our unique flora and fauna for future generations.”

The nature refuge partnerships recently approved include:

• Talaroo, in North Queensland, protecting threatened black-necked storks, radjah shelducks, unique thermal mound springs and threatened salt pipeworts, as part of an agreement to add another 21,830.5 hectares to an existing nature refuge. 
• Garanyali, 9 kilometres north-west of Maleny, protecting vulnerable koalas, tusked frogs and Richmond birdwing butterflies on 38 hectares between two sections of Maleny National Park on the Sunshine Coast. 
• Bryn Glas, 24 kilometres north, north-west of Maroochydore, protecting vulnerable koalas over 5 hectares. 
• Hollow Log, 23 kilometres south of Kilcoy in the Somerset region, protecting vulnerable koalas and glossy black cockatoos on 64 hectares. 
• Tuan Environmental Reserve, 5 kilometres south-west of Kenilworth, protecting koalas, powerful owls, giant barred frogs and glossy black cockatoos on 27 hectares. 
• A nature corridor 20 kilometres north-west of Cairns, covering 63 hectares, which will protect double-eyed fig parrots. 
• Craig’s Pocket, 150 kilometres west of Georgetown, in Far North Queensland, an existing nature refuge now secured in perpetuity to protect unique vine thicket habitat associated with some of the youngest volcanic basalt flows in the region. 

Nature refuges are established as voluntary agreements with landholders on suitable properties.

Lower image courtesy of Dreamworld.

17th June 2015 - QUEENSLAND’S FIRST BATCH OF NATIONAL PARK DECLARATIONS SINCE 2012

20th August 2014 - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPOINTS COMMISSIONER FOR THREATENED SPECIES

19th April 2014 - DREAMWORLD CHOOSES BILBIES NOT BUNNIES AT EASTER 

20th December 2012 - NATIONAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS PLAN RELEASED

30th April 2012 - KOALAS TO BE LISTED AS THREATENED AMID RAPID DECLINE