Latest news with #Narungga
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Experts stunned by resurgence of adorable species once headed for extinction: 'They're nature's little gardeners'
An adorable species once thought to be extinct on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia seems to be getting a new lease on life, thanks to concerted conservation efforts. The brush-tailed bettong — also known as the yalgiri or woylie — is a small marsupial that has seen a steep population decline since the early 20th century. According to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, invasive predation, habitat destruction, and hunting related to the fur trade have been major factors in the animal's near elimination from South Australia, where it is endemic. Research has also looked at pathogens as a potential threat to the brush-tailed bettong. Conservation groups have worked to reintroduce the minute species to its native habitat. The Marna Banggara project "aims to restore southern Yorke Peninsula's spectacular landscape by returning locally-extinct species and reinvigorating the ecological processes that ensure the bushland's health." Recovery of the brush-tailed bettong became the project's pilot program. Garry Goldsmith, a member of the Indigenous Narungga nation, explained to CNN: "Marna in our language means good, prosperous, healthy, and Banggara means country." Goldsmith is the business manager at Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation, which is a partner and an integral part of the project. Marna Banggara enclosed more than 350,000 acres to support the reintroduction of around 200 brush-tailed bettongs between 2021 and 2023, according to My Modern Met. The enclosure was designed to protect the vulnerable marsupials from animals such as European foxes and feral cats, with predators introduced to the area having been a part of disrupting the bettongs' original ecosystem. Adult brush-tailed bettongs can grow to 38 centimeters, or just over a foot, according to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. The nocturnal creature is crucial to its environment, not only promoting the biodiversity that is key to strong food chains and disease prevention but also improving soil health. The Conservancy notes that the animal is known for digging and foraging — actions that can turn over topsoil. This can provide nutrients to the soil as well as better aeration and water infiltration. Derek Sandow, project manager of Marna Banggara, highlighted this incredible ability while speaking to CNN: "They're nature's little gardeners. A single yalgiri can turn over two to six tons of soil per year." As for the conservation effort to reintroduce the brush-tailed bettong, Sandow said that the project is "probably even exceeding expectations." Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kangaroo-Like Marsupial Species, Described as 'Nature's Little Gardeners,' Brought Back from Brink of Extinction
A small marsupial species has been saved from near-extinction thanks to the ongoing work of a conservation group. The brush-tailed bettong, which resembles a tiny kangaroo and similarly keeps its young in a pouch, once inhabited more than 60% of mainline Australia, according to CNN. But European colonization of the country in the 18th century brought predatory wild cats and foxes, as well as the widespread decimation of the animal's woodland and grassland habitats. The species' population size dramatically shrank by 90% between 1999 and 2010, possibly caused by the spread of blood parasites and other factors, according to some research, per the outlet. Now, brush-tailed bettongs, also known as woylies, inhabit merely a few islands and isolated areas of Southwestern Australia, amounting to just 1% of its former range. In 2019, the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board launched the Great Southern Ark project — later renamed the Marna Banggara in honor of the native Narungga people who helped spearhead the initiative — to restore the ecological diversity of Australia's Yorke Peninsula. Related: Northern White Rhinos Could Be Saved from Extinction Thanks to Species' First IVF Pregnancy 'We are on a mission, if you like, to bring back some of these native species that have gone missing in our landscape since European colonization,' project manager Derek Sandow told CNN of the group's work. The team began by installing a 25-kilometer perimeter fence across the narrow part of the peninsula to keep predators out and create a 150,000-hectare preserve for the first species to be brought back from extinction, the brush-tailed bettong, which the Narungga people call yalgiri. From 2021 to 2023, the group introduced nearly 200 bettongs into the protected area, after individually sourcing them from various remaining populations in the country to help "increase the genetic pool," Sandow told CNN. 'We've reduced fox and cat impacts to a level that's low enough for these yalgiri to be reintroduced and for them to actually find refuges, find food and to survive themselves,' he said. The species was the first to be reintroduced into the region because it fulfills an important role in the ecosystem. Since their main food source is fungi — along with insects, seeds and bulbs — the brush-tailed bettong must tunnel into the ground to find it. 'They're nature's little gardeners,' Sandow explained. 'A single yalgiri can turn over two to six tons of soil per year.' The animals' digging aerates the soil, promotes water filtration and helps seedlings germinate, which in turn benefits other species. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. So far, the reintroduction program is likely "exceeding expectations," Sandow told CNN. Related: Tiny Wasps Are Saving Rare Island Birds from Extinction: 'A Much-Needed Lifeline' A recent monitoring survey found that 40% of the brush-tailed bettong subjects were descendants of those originally introduced in the protected area, and 22 of the 26 females were carrying offspring in their pouches — a clear indication that "they're breeding and healthy," Sandow said. Garry Goldsmith, a member of the Narungga community who works on Marna Banggara, told CNN that what's particularly important about the program is what can be learned from it. He said the team hopes to return other locally extinct species to the region over the next several years. Sandow noted the ripple effect of the initiative on other industries including tourism. 'It can benefit local businesses, it can benefit local agriculture, it can provide those conservation benefits,' he told CNN, explaining, 'It doesn't have to be mutually exclusive.' Read the original article on People
