Eastern bettongs, a small hopping marsupial related to kangaroos, have been successfully reintroduced to Yiraaldiya National Park in New South Wales after an absence of more than a century.
Once abundant in the coastal woodlands of New South Wales, the eastern bettong population suffered a devastating decline, mainly due to predation by foxes, leading to their extinction on mainland Australia by the 1920s. The last known record of an eastern bettong in New South Wales is 1906.
In a ground-breaking translocation, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service staff have released a group of male eastern bettongs, sourced from Mulligans Flat in the Australian Capital Territory, into a fox and feral cat-free haven within the national park.
This release is the first step in establishing a new population of at least 150 bettongs in the 500-hectare feral-free area at Yiraaldiya. Additional eastern bettongs from Tasmania are set to be translocated over the next 12 months.
The return of bettongs to Yiraaldiya is great news for the species and for the overall health of the national park. Eastern bettongs are known as ecosystem engineers. Through digging, they protect and restore ecosystems by promoting healthy soils and seed germination.
Yiraaldiya National Park is one of seven feral predator-free area projects underway across the state. Once all seven sites are established, almost 65,000 hectares of national park estate will be free of feral predators.
At least a dozen species are expected to be returned to Yiraaldiya National Park with the brown antechinus, long-nosed bandicoot, New Holland mouse and brush-tailed phascogale set to join eastern bettongs in a globally significant urban biodiversity reconstruction project.
Eastern bettongs will also be reintroduced to two other feral predator-free areas in New South Wales as part of a program that will see at least 15 species currently listed as extinct returned to New South Wales.
The return of the eastern bettong involves a range of partners including the Woodlands and Wetlands Conservation Trust, the Australian National University, the Australian Capital Territory Parks and Conservation Service, World Wildlife Fund and the University of Sydney. Local Aboriginal communities, including the Dharawal and Dharug communities, conservation groups and local government agencies in western Sydney have also been fundamental in bringing this project to fruition.
Australia has the worst mammal extinction record in the world, with the primary driver of extinction and decline being predation by feral cats and foxes. Each year across Australia, feral cats alone are estimated to kill more than 1.5 billion native animals.
'For the first time in 100 years, eastern bettongs are back in our NSW national parks.'
'This is great news for the eastern bettong, and great news for Yiraaldiya National Park which is set to be a jewel in the national park crown in western Sydney'
'Australia is the global epicentre for mammal extinctions and the story of the bettong family is particularly tragic – 2 bettong species are extinct, another 2 species were lost from mainland Australia and 2 species are endangered.'
'The return of the eastern bettong to NSW is historic – demonstrating that we can turn back the tide of extinctions and begin restoring populations of even the most endangered species.'
'Like many small native mammals, bettongs are ecosystem engineers. Each bettong shifts tonnes of soil every year, spreading spores and helping keep our ecosystems healthy.'
'This has been a remarkable team effort with NPWS working closely with the Woodlands and Wetlands Conservation Trust, the Australian National University, the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, WWF and the University of Sydney.'
'For Yiraaldiya National Park, the eastern bettong is just the first of around a dozen species that will be reintroduced as part of a globally significant biodiversity reconstruction project.'
