One of the world’s rarest marsupials is facing extinction in Australia, according to a new study.
Urgent action is needed to protect the Parma wallaby if future generations are to see the creature.
The Parma wallaby – also known as the white-throated wallaby – is currently listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species in Australia, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies it as ‘near threatened’.
The marsupial is found along the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales.
Professor George Wilson, co-author of a new paper analysing the history and past relocation efforts of Parma wallaby populations, warned that as well as threats to their survival and habitats, predators are a ‘major concern’ for the marsupial.
He said the bushfires of 2019 and 2020 likely decimated Parma wallaby populations and habitats, further contributing to their extinction risk.
Prof Wilson, of The Australian National University (ANU), said: ‘An attempt to reintroduce a population near Robertson in New South Wales was unsuccessful, with foxes killing more than 40 Parma wallabies within three months.
‘This is in contrast to fox-free New Zealand, where authorities are trying to eradicate Parma wallabies because there is an overabundance of them.
‘We know Parma wallabies are thriving in a predator-free enclosure at Mount Wilson. We need to create more privately owned safe havens and captive breeding programs like that one to secure these animals’ long-term survival.’
The New South Wales government’s Saving Our Species project outlines certain conservation strategies for Parma wallabies.
But Prof Wilson believes the strategy overlooks the need for more safe havens for the species, which would provide benefits including population security in the event of bushfires; enabling disease and genetics management; and, protecting the species from vehicle collisions and introduced predators.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is building an enclosure at Ngambaa Nature Reserve which will relocate some of the Parma wallabies from Mount Wilson, but the researchers argue more facilities are needed.
Prof Wilson said: ‘Predator-proof fencing is costly to build and maintain. Government agencies should be working with private landholders to build them in a cost-effective manner and encourage greater collaboration between zoos, nature reserves and commercial investors.’
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