Western Shield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Shield, managed by the Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation, is a nature conservation program, safeguarding Western Australia's native animals and bringing them back from the brink of extinction. Set out in 1996, it was at the time the largest and most successful wildlife conservation program ever undertaken in Australia and as of 2006, it is still the largest wildlife conservation program.
Contents |
[edit] Conservation practices
During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s fox control, with dried meat baits with poison inside, were found to allow native mammals species populations to increase with out the threat of introduced predators, namely foxes, but what if the native species ate the poison baits. That’s where Western Australia had the biggest advantage in controlling predator invasive species, but not harming native species — the perfect formula. During the 1920s-1950s the United States developed a poison intended for warfare - deadly to humans, with as little as 2 grams of pure poison enough to kill a full-grown man, this poison is called sodium fluoroacete (commonly called 1080). The advantage WA had was that 1080 grew naturally in many plants in the southwest of Western Australia. These plants (commonly called "poison pea" plants) have been in the southwest of Western Australia for thousands of years allowing native species to develop a tolerance to this deadly poison as they evolved along side it.
1080 was injected in the dried meats for the fox baits, but 1080 baits can also be used for feral cats but instead like a sausage with 1080 instead of a flat piece of meat. Oats can be coated with 1080, and this will allow for control of herbivorous invasive species, including rabbits and black rats. Another method of poison control of invasive species is having a carrot injected with 1080.
In the southwest forests, scientific research and monitoring has shown that where baiting has reduced fox numbers, there has been a dramatic increase in native animal numbers. Trap success rates for medium-sized mammals (particularly Woylies) in the Jarrah forest of Kingston Block, near Manjimup, reflected a seven-fold increase of the native mammals since baiting began in 1993. this baiting is still carried out as of 2006, and it is now so successful that researchers find it hard to study other small mammals of the forest as most of the traps have been set off by Woylies.
A total of over 77,000 foxes baits are dropped every 4 months, from a Beechcraft Baron, which flies for 55,000km to drop all of the 1080 fox baits; that total flight distance is more than the 40,000km flight around the world. Although there are opportunities for baiting of other invasive species; namely introduced rats, rabbits, and feral cats; research is still being carried out in these control methods and to see if this bait will harm any native species and the effectiveness of the bait on the given species.
[edit] Biological resurgence
After research proved that controlling foxes lead to a dramatic increase in native mammal species numbers, in 1996 Western Shield was introduced and the baiting of foxes all over the southwest of Western Australia commenced. In most national parks, natures reserves, and state forests, the total area that Western Shield baits every 3 months is now up to almost "half the size of Tasmania". From Western Shield’s baiting regimes, all native mammal species increased including numbats, Common Brushtail Possums, Tammar wallabies and quokkas. This meant that if a species had a low population, then it could recover due to fox control, but what if the species became extinct in an area and would never be able to naturally move back into the ecosystem.
That’s where conservationists stepped in. They started in 1996 and continue to this day to translocate or reintroduce native species to ecosystems where they were previously found, but no longer occur. These reintroductions of species are where. The species are directly taken from a wild population and then translocated into the new ecosystem or the species have come from a breeding center. Western Shield has carried out reintroductions into many reserves across Western Australia, Australia and even privately owned conservation reserves such as The Australian Wildlife Conservancy.
[edit] Species reintroduced
From 1996 to about 2000, 60 translocations had taken place in Western Australia, with over 17 species (13 mammals species, 3 bird species, and a few reptile species) involved. The translocations have not only occurred in the southwest forests but also the Monte Bello Islands, the Pilbara, Kalbarri, Shark Bay and all over the entire state, and interstate reserves and also privately owned conservation reserves.
[edit] Mammal species |
[edit] Bird species
[edit] Reptile species
|
[edit] Species taken off the endangered species list
Western Shield has been so successful that three native mammals species have been taken off the list of Western Australia's list of threatened fauna – through the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The species taken off "Schedule 1 – Fauna that is rare or is likely to become extinct" were the Quenda (Isoodon obesulus), the Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) and the Woylie (Bettongia penicillata). The Woylie was also taken off the list of Australia’s threatened fauna – through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, it was taken from the "Endangered" Category and is not even on the list any longer as it is not deemed in "danger of extinction'. The Woylie was also taken off the "IUCN Red List of the World’s Threatened Fauna" as "Endangered" and downgraded to "Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent". Western Shield’s success for having the Woylie de-listed as "Endangered" on the state, national, and international levels is a first for any species in the world to be taken off either the state, national, or international level of ‘Threatened Species’ due to successful wildlife conservation efforts. Code
