174 Conservation Science W. Aust.J.A. 5 Friend (2) : 174–193 & B. Beecham (2004) Return to Dryandra: Western Shield review—February 2003 TONY FRIEND1 AND BRETT BEECHAM2 1 Principal Research Scientist, Department of Conservation and Land Management, 120 Albany Highway, Albany, WA 6330. [email protected] 2 Ecologist, Department of Conservation and Land Management, PO Box 100, Narrogin, WA 6312. [email protected] SUMMARY The breeding enclosure was built during 1997 and founder groups of the five species were introduced in The Return to Dryandra project was established in order 1998. Feeding, monitoring and other routine procedures to reintroduce five threatened marsupials, extinct in the were established. Predation by diurnal raptors and owls south-west of Western Australia, to Dryandra Woodland. caused some early losses, but breeding commenced and The target species are the bilby (Macrotis lagotis), western the populations, with the exception of the banded hare- barred bandicoot (Perameles bougainville), boodie wallabies, which were heavily preyed on by raptors, began (Bettongia lesueur), mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) and to grow. banded hare-wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus). Dryandra Plans for a visitor centre/viewing enclosure were was seen as a suitable site from which to spearhead the developed in 1997 and CALM’s Executive Director reintroduction of these species into the southwest presented a sponsorship proposal to a potential corporate because: sponsor. This proposal was kept alive for over a year but 1. It is a large area where fox control has been shown to eventually failed. A funding application for the centre to cause mammal recovery. the Commonwealth Regional Tourism Program was 2. It is within the former range of the five selected species. prepared and submitted in 1999 and $85 000 was granted on a dollar-for-dollar basis. During this process the 3. Suitable habitat is present, in good condition. management and planning of the visitor centre concept 4. It is close to a District office of the Department of was separated from the Return to Dryandra project. The Conservation and Land Management (CALM), so visitor centre/viewing enclosure, known as Barna Mia, District staff can provide necessary support. was opened by the Minister for the Environment on 14 5. It is relatively close to Perth and has high ecotourism December 2002. potential that would be enhanced by the presence of This review will deal with the Return to Dryandra rare mammals. project, touching on Barna Mia only where issues of supply The concept was to establish populations of these five and exchange of animals arise. It was prepared for the species in a 20-hectare predator-proof enclosure within Western Shield review and information contained within Dryandra, provided with supplementary food and water, was accurate as at February 2003. so that mammal densities could rise well above those found in the wild. Thus high numbers of site-adapted animals could be generated in order to provide Objectives translocation stock for release into Dryandra. The original concept allowed for spotlight walks through the breeding The objectives of the Return to Dryandra project as enclosure as a low-level eco-tourism activity, to provide originally stated, are as follows: educational opportunities and to involve the community. 1. Reintroduction of five species of locally extinct The Return to Dryandra project was to be run jointly by mammals to Dryandra, via a large enclosure to breed CALM’s Narrogin District and Science Division staff. animals on site for release. These species are: Subsequently, the aims of the project were enlarged in two directions: Macrotis lagotis Bilby (dalgyte) 1. to include the construction of a separate viewing Perameles bougainville Western barred bandicoot enclosure and visitor centre, to be built in partnership (marl) with a corporate sponsor Bettongia lesueur Boodie (burrowing bettong) 2. as well as providing animals for reintroduction to Lagorchestes hirsutus Mala (rufous hare-wallaby) Dryandra Woodland, the breeding enclosure would Lagostrophus fasciatus Banded hare-wallaby also supply stock for translocations to other reserves (merrnine) in the south-west under the Western Shield program. Return to Dryandra 175 2. Use of reintroductions to Dryandra to test alternative Difficulties reintroduction methodologies. 3. Involvement of the local community, through a • Predation of enclosure animals, particularly hare- Friends of Dryandra group and volunteers from other wallabies, by diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey. places, through Landscope Expeditions and possibly • Difficulty in planning releases due to uncertainty about Earthwatch. the numbers of animals that could be produced. Later, the public involvement aspect was expanded • Limits to the numbers of animals of each species that by including the development of an interpretive centre can be held in the breeding enclosure. with an animal viewing area within Dryandra. • Occurrence in western barred bandicoots in the enclosure of a wart-like syndrome, also found in other captive and wild populations. Achievements • Significant mortality of released bilbies caused by radio- collars • Design and construction of the breeding enclosure. • Bilbies proved difficult to monitor by alternative means • No entry by cats or foxes into the breeding enclosure (e.g. trapping, searches for burrows and sign) once in five years. tail-mounted transmitters failed or fell off. • Establishment of intensive captive breeding colonies of western barred bandicoots and bilbies at Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre as part of Return to Potential economies Dryandra. • Genetic variation in Kanyana bilby colony maintained This project has been run extremely efficiently and has by exchanges of bilbies with other breeding colonies been heavily subsidised from Narrogin District and Science at Monarto Zoo and Yookamurra Sanctuary, SA; the Division resources (see ‘Return to Dryandra Draft Territory Wildlife Park and the Alice Springs Desert Strategic Plan’) to the extent that it is clear that the base Park/Arid Zone Research Institute, NT; and the funding of the project is far from adequate. Two ways in Peron Captive Breeding Centre. which costs to CALM could be reduced are: • Establishment of breeding populations of all five • Greater use of volunteers in monitoring enclosure species within the Dryandra breeding enclosure. populations and animals released outside. This would need to be carefully managed to retain a sense of • Establishment of suitable feeding regimes within the ownership of the project by CALM staff. On the other breeding enclosure. hand it would generate more public awareness and • Establishment of an effective monitoring regime community support. However this would only reduce within the breeding enclosure. costs marginally as vehicle running has been the • Bilby health monitoring program established through greatest cost associated with the monitoring of animal collaboration with Murdoch University. populations, particularly when animals are released • Production of sufficient surplus animals for releases from the enclosure into Dryandra Woodland proper. of bilbies, western barred bandicoots and the proposed • Reduced frequency of monitoring, recognising that release of boodies. this will reduce the ability to predict numbers available • Reintroduction of bilbies from the breeding enclosure for translocation. into Dryandra Woodland. However, in order to carry out reintroductions into Dryandra and continue the research to develop better • Comparison of success of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ release reintroduction techniques that have already benefited techniques for bilbies completed. other programs such as Project Eden, greater personnel • Elimination of the use of collars for attaching radio- input is required. Similar work is being undertaken as in tags to bilbies, in favour of tail mounts, a practice then Project Eden, but with only 0.5 FTE dedicated to captive followed by Project Eden. breeding and monitoring released animals, compared with • Participation in disease investigations on chlamydiosis at least 2.0 FTE at Denham. The operating (non-salary) and a wart-like syndrome found in western barred budget available for Return to Dryandra can support the bandicoots. operation and monitoring of the breeding enclosure, but • No re-appearance of the wart-like syndrome in the cannot support the implementation and monitoring of western barred bandicoot population within Dryandra translocations. breeding enclosure since 2000. • Provision of animals for the public viewing enclosure at the Barna Mia interpretive centre. Potential improvements • Development of strong partnerships with Kanyana The requirements of the project have not been recognised Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Pingelly Marsupial in its level of funding, and the project has been heavily Retreat. subsidised from District and Science Division resources. 176 J.A. Friend & B. Beecham More resources are required, particularly for monitoring Australian form (mala), which is extinct in the wild, released animals. The many aspects of the project require exist in Alice Springs and, until 2001, in a 1 km2 more than half of one person’s time in the District, as enclosure on the Lander River in the Tanami Desert, well as the input from Science Division. The budget for NT. As the south-western subspecies, Lagorchestes the project should allow the allocation of at least one FTE, hirsutus hirsutus, is extinct, it was considered that the and it