The Parma wallaby, a vulnerable species in Australia, faces increasing threats from predation and habitat loss. Experts from The Australian National University (ANU) emphasize the need for more fox-free safe havens to ensure the survival of this marsupial.
Known as the white-throated wallaby, the Parma wallaby is classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is primarily found along the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales.
Professor George Wilson, a co-author of a recent study published in Australian Zoologist, highlights that predation is a significant concern. He cites the devastating impact of the Black Summer bushfires on their populations and habitats, which has heightened their extinction risk.
Attempts to reintroduce Parma wallabies near Robertson, NSW, failed when foxes killed over 40 individuals within three months. In contrast, in fox-free New Zealand, authorities are working to control the overabundance of Parma wallabies.
Wilson advocates for the establishment of more privately owned safe havens and captive breeding programs, noting that a predator-free enclosure at Mount Wilson has seen success.
The New South Wales government's Saving Our Species program has outlined conservation strategies, but Wilson argues it falls short in providing sufficient safe havens, which are crucial for population security during bushfires and for managing disease and genetics.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is currently constructing an enclosure at Ngambaa Nature Reserve to relocate some Parma wallabies, yet researchers stress that more facilities are needed.