Pulling it all
together
Conservation management, particularly of an endangered species in an endangered habitat, is far from easy. Often several coordinated actions are necessary over extended time periods; some in fact are perpetual (for example feral animal control). Therefore ways must be found to match resources to the management needs. In the case of feral predator control the Trust has teamed up with Hunting and Conservation Queensland of the Sporting Shooters’ Association Australia (Qld). This group have the time, resources and expertise to control feral animals and the desire to do so as part of a structured conservation program. This partnership saves the Trust and the Environmental Protection Agency approximately $50 000 per year per reserve and is the most important tool to combat one of the major threats to the species.
However, many more management facets are yet to be developed fully. These include such things as:
- Bushfire management plans
- Disease outbreak procedures
- Long-term vegetation management practices (the wallabies have a number of specific habitat requirements that require a great deal of expertise to manage within a small reserve)
- Effective population monitoring practices
- Cooperation between conservation organisations that deal with the species and its habitat