WILDLIFE CONSERVATION 1 ZOOS VICTORIA ZOOS Contents INTRODUCTION Minister’s Forward and Southern Corroboree Frog 40 Bubbles not Balloons a Message from the Chair 2 and Beyond 79 Spotted Tree Frog 41 Fighting Extinction Commitment 3 Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife 80 Stuttering Barred Frog 42 Executive Summary 4 A wildlife-friendly bean 82 Future-proofing Victoria’s About Zoos Victoria 6 Amphibians 43 Harvesting and Homes 83 On Climate Change 7 World Class Chytrid Research 44 They’re Calling on You 84 Projects 9 Reptiles 45 Seal the Loop 85 Partners 10 Alpine She-oak Skink 46 Beads for Wildlife 86 Mammals 13 Grassland Earless Dragon 47 Under the magnifying glass 87 Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 14 Guthega Skink 48 Education for Conservation 89 Eastern Barred Bandicoot 15 Invertebrates 49 Fighting Extinction Schools 90 Lowland Leadbeater’s Possum 16 Golden-rayed Blue 50 Youth at the Zoo and Teacher Members 91 Mountain Pygmy-possum 17 Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper 51 Zoos Victoria’s Volunteers 92 New Holland Mouse 19 Lord Howe Island Stick Insect 53 Conservation Technology 93 Smoky Mouse 20 Watch List Species 56 Cryopreservation 94 Southern Bent-wing Bat 21 Wildlife Health 59 Love Your Locals 97 Tasmanian Devil 22 Building neighbourhoods for Victoria’s Faunal Emblems 60 Building Capacity 98 Fighting Extinction Dog Squad 24 Expanding our threatened Endowment Fund 99 Birds 27 species alliance 62 Our commitment 2019-24 100 Helmeted Honeyeater 28 Engaging with Victorian Five Year Project Timelines 101 Mallee Emu-wren 29 Aboriginal communities 63 Orange-bellied Parrot 30 International Conservation 64 Plains-wanderer 31 Conservation in Oceania 68 Regent Honeyeater 32 Conservation in South-east Asia 70 Swift Parrot 33 Conservation in Amphibians 35 Sub-Saharan Africa 72 Baw Baw Frog 36 International Giant Burrowing Frog 37 Conservation Grants 75 Large Brown Tree Frog 38 Campaigns 76 Northern Corroboree Frog 39 Don’t Palm Us Off 78 From the From the Minister Chair Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Conservation Master Plan I am delighted to present to you Zoos Victoria’s 2019-24 supports the Victorian State Government’s second Wildlife Conservation Master Plan 2019- Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 24. A considerable amount of work and extensive 2037 plan. The Master Plan demonstrates Zoos stakeholder consultation has gone into preparing Victoria’s commitment to threatened species this document. As a result, Zoos Victoria has been recovery programs. Zoos Victoria also plays a able to craft a five year plan that draws on the best critical role in educating the community about the conservation minds from across south-eastern importance of protecting our natural environment Australia. for future generations. It is nearly double the size of its predecessor For the first time, the Master Plan presents Zoos plan, for we are now fighting the extinction of Victoria’s biological and social science projects as 27 threatened native fauna species. There is also an integrated strategy. This approach complements the addition of a species ‘Watch List’, and, inspired the overall vision and shared goals of the State by our Government’s ambition to ensure that Government to achieve a healthy environment all Victorians are connected to nature, we have and to help Victorians value nature. integrated our community conservation programs. The Victorian State Government and Zoos Victoria At Zoos Victoria, we do not work alone. We work share a commitment to protecting the State’s with many partners and are a foundation member ZOOS VICTORIA ZOOS biodiversity using evidence-based approaches and of the Victorian Government-led VicEnvironments cutting edge technology. Zoos Victoria has made Forum. We understand the need for multifaceted great strides towards the recovery of Critically solutions and effective partnerships to solve Endangered species in the wild, such as the complex conservation problems together, locally Helmeted Honeyeater. I would like to congratulate and globally. Zoos Victoria on their unwavering commitment As you will read in these pages, Victoria’s precious to securing a wildlife-friendly future, and on a wildlife is facing many and persistent threatening brave and inspiring Master Plan that tackles the processes. To mitigate these, this is our plan to challenges wildlife face both locally and abroad. undertake a combination of biological and social projects, ensuring that each one is evidenced-based and has targeted and measurable objectives. While we are so proud of the projects articulated in this plan, we know that we can only fight extinction together. Collectively, we can ensure that we don’t lose any more species – not on our watch. We hope you will join us. Lily D’Ambrosio Kate Vinot MINISTER FOR ENERGY, CHAIR, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ZOOS VICTORIA BOARD 2 MASTER PLAN 2019-2024 Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction Commitment INTRODUCTION No Victorian Terrestrial Vertebrate Species will go extinct on our watch. The aim of Zoos Victoria’s Fighting All Victorians value wildlife Extinction strategy is to secure and and take the actions necessary recover species at risk of extinction to fight their extinction. before it is too late. Consequently, Zoos Victoria will connect people Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Conservation to wildlife, helping to shape wildlife- and Science unit has prioritised friendly attitudes and beliefs. We 27 native threatened species that will continue to run targeted and urgently require conservation measurable campaigns that facilitate interventions due to their likelihood behaviours that alleviate specific of extinction over the next 20 years. threatening processes to wildlife. Threatened species conservation These behaviours can be simple, one- priorities are determined based on off or everyday actions that, when the following criteria: undertaken by all of us, could have • Small population size large-scale impact and even change the trajectory of species in decline. • Declining population trend • Restricted distribution • Key threatening process PLEASE NOTE: Zoos Victoria extends conservation capacity to an additional four south-east Australian native threatened species found outside of Victoria due to their urgent situation and current trajectory towards extinction. WILDLIFE CONSERVATION 3 Executive Summary Zoos Victoria is fighting extinction to secure a future rich in wildlife. ZOOS VICTORIA ZOOS In 2014, prior to embarking on our partnerships, practical on ground species, and marks an extension of previous Wildlife Conservation action and a suite of innovative our reach to assist others in need. In Master Plan, we dreamed of securing projects underpinned by science, these pages, you will find our plans Victoria’s elusive and Critically Zoos Victoria has been able to lead to lead the way for in-situ and ex-situ Endangered Baw Baw Frog. Our hope the charge in bringing the mainland interventions that aim to recover was to find and breed the species Eastern Barred Bandicoot back from species in the wild. To achieve this, within our care before the pressures the brink. The years following the we work with more than 100 partners threatening its survival became too initiation of our Master Plan 2014-19 to secure measurable conservation great. Our first rescue mission failed, have certainly taught us that each outcomes. Whilst our Fighting and we had to wait an entire year success brings great responsibility, Extinction commitment focuses before those rare, little brown frogs with the fate of these species now primarily on terrestrial vertebrate could be detected again. firmly within our charge. species, we have recognised the breadth and depth of our specialised Now, as we present this Wildlife While our ultimate successes will expertise and extended our scope Conservation Master Plan 2019-24, always be measured by our ability to to assist more threatened Victorian not only have we found Victoria’s demonstrate gains in the wild, it is invertebrates. only endemic frog species, we have important to reflect on the species had our first season of breeding that would now be either Extinct in This document outlines many success within the insurance the Wild or functionally extinct had individual projects under the species population and there is more genetic Zoos Victoria and other partners not and taxa which they most benefit. diversity secured within Melbourne intervened. The Southern Corroboree As is often the case, ecological Zoo’s Baw Baw Frog bunker than Frog, Orange-bellied Parrot and interventions may benefit multiple remains in the wild. Helmeted Honeyeater are among species. As such, a representative those that have not been lost to this species has been selected to capture Significantly, we also find ourselves world largely thanks to zoo-based project intent. In an attempt to distil at the threshold of recovery conservation. complex programs, each description success for the Eastern Barred aims to provide a summary of its Bandicoot, which not so long ago This Wildlife Conservation Master motivations, an update on what has was listed as Extinct in the Wild Plan 2019-24 is an affirmation of been achieved since our previous across the state. Through extensive our unwavering dedication to those 4 MASTER PLAN 2019-2024 INTRODUCTION Master Plan (where appropriate) and At Zoos Victoria, we know that expanded sister zoo approach to help estimated costs for each project. conservation is as much about support Critically Endangered species More detailed cost breakdowns and people as it is about wildlife. Our in Oceania, South-east Asia and project timelines can be found on the community conservation campaigns Sub-Saharan Africa. This aligns with back pages. and education initiatives seek the respective focuses of our three to reach and influence diverse world class properties; Healesville The 27 species that Zoos Victoria audiences near and far, and this is Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo and have prioritised in our Fighting the first time we have integrated Werribee Open Range Zoo. Extinction efforts are both those in our social projects and biological dire need and those whose current We know that people who work interventions into one plan.