South Coast NRM is very proud to support the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in the translocation of six Gilbert’s potoroos back to Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. The original population had been lost following an intense summer bushfire in 2015 that burnt through over 90 per cent of suitable habitat.
Four animals trapped on Bald Island were flown by helicopter to Two Peoples Bay, fitted with radio-transmitters and GPS loggers, then two other animals, from a fenced area in Waychinicup National Park free of foxes and cats, made their journey by 4WD.
Gilbert’s potoroo is the world’s rarest marsupial. The species had been thought to be extinct since the early 1900s until rediscovered at Two Peoples Bay in 1994. The animals were found in dense, long unburnt heathland in the nature reserve on the slopes of Mount Gardner, where they fed almost exclusively on underground-fruiting fungi.
Using radio-tracking, these translocated animals will be monitored to see where they feed and seek refuge from predators. The information gained from this monitoring will help in understanding the success of this translocation and informing future re-introductions of Gilbert’s potoroo in the area.
You can read more about the recovery work.
This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.