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Rangers in the remote and rugged windswept landscapes of Wilsons Promontory are working on a massive expansion of its feral animal and weed-reduction programs as part of a plan to transform the national park into a climate refuge and predator-free sanctuary for endangered wildlife.
A 10-kilometre predator-proof fence will be built across the narrow, sandy Yanakie Isthmus, which connects the prom to the mainland. This will cordon off the 50,000-hectare biodiversity sanctuary to protect rare and critically endangered species such as the southern brown bandicoot, long-nosed potoroo, ground parrot and New Holland mouse.
A 10-kilometre-long fence will make Wilsons Promontory National Park into a biodiversity “island” and climate change refuge for rare animals. Credit:Parks Victoria
Because Wilsons Prom is the southernmost point of mainland Australia and cooled by Bass Strait, it’s sheltered from the most dramatic effects of climate change, says Mark Norman, the chief conservation scientist at Parks Victoria.
The prom’s importance as a climate refuge and pest-free haven is only becoming more pressing as climate change accelerates, Mr Norman says. “It offers temperature buffering and protection we need for the challenge of biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline,” he said.
Since the $23 million climate refuge was announced last year, extra funding has allowed Parks Victoria to scale up existing weed and pest control by a factor of five, with two teams working to eradicate weeds such as ragwort, blackberry and flaxleaf fleabane. Rangers are also investigating better methods of feral cat control.
About 300 feral hog deer – goat-sized deer with horns that cause considerable damage – have been culled in areas of special significance, including where critically endangered eastern bristlebirds will be released into the wild.
Mr Norman says the new fence will be an important part of a “whole of landscape” approach to better protect biodiversity in challenging times.
There are other examples of predator fences being used to create biodiversity havens, including Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, an “ecological island” near Hamilton in New Zealand, which is surrounded by one of the longest pest-proof fences in the world. This 47-kilometre fence excludes all mammalian pests, pets and livestock.