Queensland Government and Save the Bilby Fund extend partnership for another 10 years

The Queensland Government and Save the Bilby Fund have extended their partnership for another 10 years, signing a new collaborative deed to protect the iconic Bilby.

The collaborative deed includes a captive breeding program at Charleville, management of bilbies and their predators in and around the enclosure at Currawinya National Park building on populations at Astrelba Downs National Park, a stronghold for the marsupial.

Kevin Bradley Chief Executive Save the Bilby Fund shares “The Save the Bilby Fund has made some incredible achievements over recent times through our long standing conservation partnership with DES.

“Our intensive bilby breeding program in Charleville has produced over 70 healthy young bilbies in the last few years and our bilby population on Currawinya National Park is booming with the favourable environmental conditions we have had there over the last 2-3 years.

“We look forward to continuing our important work with DES to support recovery of the Greater bilby as an important flagship for Threatened Species in Queensland.

“We are also incredibly thankful to our many financial supporters that have made our work to Save the Bilby over the last 20+ years possible.

“We simply could not do what we do, or achieve what we have achieved without them.”

The population on Astrebla Downs National Park is currently in excess of 5000 bilbies due to a combination of good seasons, habitat protection, and pest control programs.

This included Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers removing 64 feral cats and 28 wild dogs from the national park in 2022.

Bilbies can be found in several locations across western Queensland, but the population on Astrebla Downs National Park is the most significant wild population.

They play an important role in the ongoing health of our outback environments, and an individual bilby can turn over up to 20 tonnes of topsoil annually as they forage for food and build burrows, which creates the perfect conditions for plants to germinate.

QLD Environment Meaghan Scanlon notes “Bilbies are often front of mind around Easter when we see the famous chocolates hit our supermarket shelves, but for our rangers and Save the Bilby Fund – bilbies are the priority every day.

“Bilbies aren’t just incredibly cute – they play a vital role in the local ecosystem, and this partnership is just one example of the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to protect our threatened species.

“The Queensland government and the fund have collaborated for 20-years, and together not only are they protecting and growing bilby populations but also getting a better understanding of their distribution.

“Our rangers do amazing work on Astrebla Downs National Park, which can be so hot at times that they have to sleep during the day and work at night.

“The Save the Bilby Fund have also been conducting broad-scale surveys of wild bilbies in western Queensland to complement the surveys by rangers at Astrebla Downs.

“It was estimated that there were more than 450 bilbies inside the enclosure in Currawinya National Park during the latest population survey last year.

“That number is expected to increase significantly again with the next annual population survey scheduled to occur in the coming months.”