Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon's fight for survival
A tiny lizard, only found in the Canberra region, is in a fight for survival.
Listed as critically endangered, the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon is on the brink of extinction.
"This species is in quite bad shape, it's arguably the most endangered reptile species in Australia," said research ecologist with the ACT government Ben Croak.
"Habitat fragmentation and loss is easily the biggest problem this species faces and the fragmentation of the habitat has resulted in fragmented populations that are losing genetics through inbreeding."
Dr Croak said improving the genetic diversity of the dragon is regarded as the key to ensuring the species doesn't become extinct.
"Every species needs genetic diversity to be able to deal with events in the environment, whether they are extremes, droughts, floods, disease," he said.
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When you lose genetic diversity to the point this species has, the ability for the species to deal with those events becomes very limited.
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Government's bid to save species
An investment of $4.5 million from the ACT government is hoping to turn the lizard's fortunes around.
ACT Environment Minister Suzanne Orr said the money would fund an "ambitious four-year recovery", including through expanding captive breeding programs.
"What the breeding program does is make sure we continue to diversify the genetics of the species," Ms Orr said.
"We can reintroduce different DNA back into our wild populations to make sure they stay healthy and continue to grow."
The $4.5 million dollar investment from the territory government is hoped to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.
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Ms Orr said the reptile's survival depended on the work that is done now.
"The great hope is that we get them off the critically endangered list," she said.
"With any species, particularly this one, we are still learning a lot about it, not a lot is known."
Finding the perfect match
After not being sighted for 30 years, the species was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in the ACT in 1991.
Wild populations are now isolated in the grasslands of the Majura and Jerrabomberra Valleys and parts of Queanbeyan.
The earless dragon was rediscovered in 1991.
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Josh Dudley, who is the program manager at the breeding facility at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, said the dragons are not the easiest animals to breed.
"They are quite picky with their mate choices," he said.
"A lot of them aren't compatible, so you will have to switch them around, sometimes they'll just fight.
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It's a bit of a guessing game.
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He said out of 19 breeding pairs last year, only six or seven were successful.
"Sometimes it doesn't work out and sometimes it does," he said.
"You get some that get along really well but they just don't breed as well, so they just want to be friends."
The money will flow to programs being run in the ACT as well as to expand a breeding colony at Melbourne Zoo, aiming for up to 200 breeding individuals.
The species can be very picky with their mates.
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Grassland Earless Dragon specialist Rory Keenan from Melbourne Zoo said the zoo was "incredibly excited" to continue its work with the ACT.
"It's incredibly important to conserve this species because it plays a role within the ecological communities that they occupy," he said.
"Here at Melbourne Zoo we will be able to increase our housing capacity within the conservation breeding program and ultimately provide viable insurance populations for the species into the future."
Environmental fight
The fight for the lizard has recently been drawn into the public's focus as environmentalists express concerns the construction of a new road at Canberra Airport cuts straight through the dragon's habitat.
Earlier this year, the ACT Greens called on the federal environment minister to revoke approval for the road.
At the time, the airport agreed to suspend construction on part of its development until a decision on its impact on the habitat had been made.
The ACT Greens members attended a protest against the roadworks.
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A federal Environment Department spokesperson said "the department is finalising its recommendations on the most appropriate course of action on this matter."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Canberra Airport said initial works that have commenced are not in the area in question.
"We remain committed to working constructively with the Environment Department and leading experts to achieve a nature-positive outcome," the spokesperson said.
Funding gives reptile 'red hot chance'
It's hoped some of the dragons bred in captivity will be released into the wild, depending on the success of the breeding programs.
"We need to be sure that we have got that diversity and that we put animals back out into the wild that have that in-built evolutionary potential," Dr Croak said.
Its expected the dragons bred in captivity will be released into the wild.
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"It will be quite a job to get it off the endangered species list but this funding gives it a red hot chance of that."
Ms Orr said the ACT government would look at restoration of the reptile's habitat in the future.
"As we have more dragons, we will need more space to release them into," she said.
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