Five ways we're improving South Australia's biodiversity
Today is World Wildlife Day - a day all about celebrating and raising awareness of the world’s animals, plants and ecosystems!
The theme for World Wildlife Day this year is ‘Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet’, bringing a focus on how innovative finance can contribute to halting biodiversity loss, increasing wildlife conservation, and creating a sustainable future for us all.
Sadly, South Australia’s biodiversity is declining, with many animals, plants and ecosystems under threat. Much of this is due to our own efforts since European colonisation, such as introducing feral predators, habitat loss through land development and the effects of climate change.
But it’s not all bad news. Thanks to philanthropic organisations and government support, many innovative projects are being financed and implemented through the hard work of passionate volunteers, all helping to undo damage to the environment and give biodiversity a chance.
Partnering with innovative organisations plays a big part in the important work we do at the Department for Environment and Water to protect and conserve our natural environment, but also to invest in restoring what we have lost to boost our state’s biodiversity.
Let’s look at five important projects happening right now to protect the natural environment and improve our biodiversity.
1. Successful re-introductions of threatened species
We have been re-introducing the western quoll (Idnya) and brushtail possum (Virlda) to the Flinders Ranges, the red-tailed phascogale (Kenngoor) to the Gawler Ranges National Park, on the northern Eyre Peninsula, as well as supporting the recovery of yellow-footed rock wallaby (Andu) populations, through a partnership with the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME), as part of the Bounceback Program. This partnership will also deliver future projects for the relocation of bilbies and bassian thrushes, and the protection of threatened plants in Flinders, Gawler and Gammon Ranges. The success of these re-introductions is dependent on other achievements in regenerating native vegetation and reducing the numbers of introduced pest species such as goats, foxes, feral cats and rabbits.
Clockwise from top left: western quoll (Idnya), brushtail possum (Virlda), yellow-footed rock wallaby (Andu), and the red-tailed phascogale (Kenngoor).
2. Successful re-introductions of Yarra Pygmy Perch
For the past 15 years, we have been working with The Nature Glenelg Trust, the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and other partners to restore the Yarra Pygmy Perch to the Lower Lakes region. Following the Millenium drought in 2008, the Yarra Pygmy Perch became extinct in this region. However, thanks to a successful breeding program and the restoration of water levels and aquatic vegetation, approximately 16,000 vet-checked Yarra Pygmy Perch have been given new life in the Lower Lakes via staged releases since November 2023.
3. Nuyts Archipelago
We have a biodiversity hotspot south-west from the coast of Ceduna. Nuyts Archipelago is the largest marine park in South Australian state waters, made up of about 30 granite islands and reefs, and home to a myriad of marine life, including 8 breeding grounds for Australian sea lions and numerous seabird species such as muttonbirds, white-faced storm-petrels, pied oystercatchers, ospreys, little penguins, hooded plovers and the white-bellied sea eagle. The marine park is also home to the Nuyts Archipelago Wilderness Protection Area, which is a haven for rare and endangered wildlife. Since 2012, activities in the marine park have been governed by a management plan.
4. More than 20% of land area is protected
More than one fifth of SA’s land area is now protected as national parks, conservation parks, and reserves – making the 30 by 30 target achievable, and a reflection of how seriously we take conservation here. In South Australia, the Department for Environment and Water currently manages over 340 national parks, regional reserves, conservation reserves, conservation parks, game reserves, recreation parks, and wilderness protection areas. The next proposed national park areas include World’s End Gorge (near Burra), and the Aldinga Conservation Park, south of Adelaide.
5. Legal protections for biodiversity
South Australia’s first Biodiversity Act is currently being developed, to strengthen protections for the environment and biodiversity. The new Biodiversity Bill has undergone extensive community consultation and will follow a parliamentary process. If passed into law, it is anticipated that the Act will support voluntary investment in nature through setting clear signals about South Australian biodiversity priorities.
Read more about the partnerships that are helping to protect South Australia's environment and boost biodiversity:
