Incredible way tiny cardboard teepees are fighting huge 'crisis' in Aussie national park
An ambitious conservation effort in a beloved Australian national park is showing extraordinary early results, with endangered native animals surviving against the odds and predators being pushed back.
Following devastating summer bushfires that burned nearly 80 per cent of Victoria's Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, a rapid-response strategy involving habitat pods, emergency feeding stations, and intensive predator control has helped protect some of our most vulnerable wildlife, including the brush-tailed rock-wallaby and long-nosed potoroo.
More than 350 artificial habitat pods have been deployed across the park to shield small ground-dwelling animals from invasive predators such as foxes and feral cats. The effort is part of the long-running Grampians Ark project, an integrated Parks Victoria initiative that has been protecting threatened species in the region since 2005.
What helps to make the pods particularly special — and effective — is the fact that they're totally organic, meaning they'll break down naturally into the environment. "The pods are made of cardboard and are biodegradable," a Parks Victoria spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia on Tuesday. "They will gradually compost as native vegetation recovers."
In the wake of the fires, the team stepped up their work, replacing burnt monitoring cameras and rolling out an intensive control program that has already removed nearly 80 foxes from the affected area.
"Our first camera image of a long-nosed potoroo was taken in March, marking a significant moment for celebration," Joseph Terry, Parks Victoria Area Chief Ranger, said. "Given their critical condition in the aftermath of the fire, it has taken months of dedicated effort to achieve this first positive sighting."
More hopeful news has come from the cliffs of the Victoria Range, where the critically endangered brush-tailed rock-wallaby has been confirmed feeding at all 17 specially designed ground stations along a 5km escarpment. "Not only have camera images confirmed the survival of the brush-tailed rock-wallaby colony — we know there are at least three separate joeys," Terry said.
The Grampians Ark program has long been one of Victoria's most successful large-scale conservation efforts. Its focus is the sustained removal of foxes and the protection of habitat across nearly 170,000 hectares of public land, benefiting a suite of native species, including the southern brown bandicoot, long-nosed potoroo, heath mouse and swamp antechinus.
"Foxes and feral cats quickly move into burnt areas to prey on surviving native wildlife," said Sarah Eccles, Parks Victoria Program Coordinator. "By increasing predator control immediately after the fires, we've given species like the long-nosed potoroo and southern brown bandicoot a fighting chance."
The unique escarpments of Gariwerd have proven to be a vital lifeline for the brush-tailed rock-wallaby. Emergency ground feeding began in February and has covered more than 110 kilometres to date.
The road to recovery remains long, but experts are cautiously optimistic. With habitat severely damaged and climate pressures intensifying, programs like Grampians Ark have become even more critical to halting biodiversity loss.
Rare victory in fight to protect iconic and critically endangered species
Photo shows desperate move to slow down invasive predators in national park
Predators forced out with fence covering 2,000 hectares
"We are encouraged by the survival signs we're seeing," Terry said. "It shows how targeted conservation efforts, informed by science and carried out quickly, can make a real difference for wildlife in crisis."
Parks Victoria continues to work alongside Traditional Owners, local community groups and conservation volunteers to monitor species, rebuild habitat and reduce threats. Plans are also in place to expand Grampians Ark through Victoria's biodiversity response planning to further increase protected habitat and buffer zones in the years ahead.
The combined approach — of predator control, temporary shelter, and emergency food supplies — is being closely watched by conservationists nationwide as a possible model for post-bushfire recovery in other ecologically sensitive areas.
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