PROVIDING SUPPORT TO SAVE SPECIES AND HABITATS On The Brink 01 Issue 2023 Celebrating 30 years of success. Top Story
Follow us on social media The FAME Newsletter is published by the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species Ltd. Unit 2, 47 Tynte Street North Adelaide 5006, SA +61 8 8374 1744 ABN 79 154 823 579 Printed using vegetable inks on paper sourced from sustainable forests. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of content within this newsletter. We apologise for any omissions or errors that may have occurred. FAME acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their spiritual and cultural connections to Australia’s land, water, plants and animals. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future and seek to collaborate with traditional custodians in the conservation of Australian habitat, flora and fauna. From the CEO 65 Projects: 30 Years. It’s a simple, direct headline but what a story you have helped to write. 65 projects, large and small, across Australia; many extinctions slowed, stopped and reversed and a commitment to make the next 30 years even more effective. By any judgment, your support of this wonderful Foundation and its work over three decades has helped it punch way above its apparent weight. This anniversary is an appropriate time for reflection. For us, at the Foundation’s front line, conservation efforts in Australia appear to work best when there is a confluence or a joining up - between a species in need or a depleted habitat and individuals or organisations with an ability to commit to, and deliver the necessary plan or program for success. FAME’s great track record has much of its genesis in partnerships with likeminded, capable organisations. With our partners we fill an important and vital niche in the conservation ecosystem. This reality – that effective partnerships deliver a greater chance of success – is now recognised internationally. Hence, March 3 was World Wildlife Day with a notable theme: ‘Partnerships for wildlife conservation’. Currently, FAME is involved in eight projects with like-minded, capable partners as well as a range of national and international funders – an involvement that delivers momentum and the likelihood of achievement. It’s useful to go back in time a little to gain perspective of FAME’s growth and success. In 1993, the organisation began its journey as Earth Sanctuaries Foundation under the guardianship of widely-known and somewhat controversial conservationist, John Wamsley, OAM. Initially, the focus was on creating sanctuaries by removing invasive species. This idea developed and eventually led to a dedicated notfor-profit partnering in projects around Australia. But the Foundation never lost its clear focus: tangible outcomes of species recovery, habitat restoration and scientific advancement. Over three decades, FAME has enjoyed the support of a thriving community of members, donors, partners and other stakeholders. That support has underpinned the large number and variety of critical conservation programs. Some programs, in partnership, have been ground breaking. In South Australia, FAME works with the Department for Environment and Water and SA Arid Lands to reintroduce native species to areas from which they had disappeared for more than a Century. We were also a founding partner with Aussie Ark, an initiative that in 2020 saw the return of the Tasmanian Devil to the mainland. Scattered among these big, long-term programs are a myriad of smaller partnerships with both individuals and small groups. No matter the size or the nature of our partner, we select projects that offer the best chance of success. It hardly needs to be said that without public support – your support - none of the past 30 years would have been possible. It lends truth to our principal message: Saving species and habitats, together. I am pleased to tell you that the future looks bright. The Foundation, with a strong Board and management team, is in a good, well-established position to build more effective partnerships, to join with financial partners nationally and internationally and to set out on the next three decades. Please continue to come along on this journey with us. Together, we will leave behind a healthier, wilder planet. And, we will heal ourselves. Happy Birthday FAME. Tracy McNamara Chief Executive Officer Effective partnerships deliver a greater chance of success.” 2
Chairman’s Report 2022 Annual General Meeting After the understandable caution of the past two years, donations in 2021/22 have rebounded strongly; the flow of bequests has gained renewed momentum and the list of projects that FAME now supports has lengthened. I believe these welcome outcomes reflect continued confidence among our supporters in FAME’s strategic intent, its diligence in selecting projects and programs and the consistent reporting of significant environmental achievements. Our selection of projects is driven by FAME’s five-year operational strategy – a strategy largely informed by our stakeholders and their responses to our regular surveys. This adopted strategy guides our thinking and, ultimately, our decisions. Given our significant achievements, I suggest the success of the strategy speaks for itself. It is also important to note that the strategy is dynamic and allows flexibility for FAME to respond to the unexpected. Another noteworthy aspect to our financial year – and this is obvious in our results – is FAME’s success in attracting bequests. It is an aspect of fundraising that we will continue to emphasise as it is the main pillar in achieving our objective of creating a significant capital fund. Australians generally are becoming more philanthropic and see bequests as a means of leaving a legacy of real worth. FAME clearly offers such appeal. I am also very pleased to draw your attention to FAME’s continued focus on managing costs. Our staff work hard and often go the extra mile to add value to what is always a limited budget. I thank them sincerely for their hard work and dedication over a year that was never predictable and often uncertain. Their efforts are reflected in a very good financial year for FAME. And finally, I thank my fellow board members for the care, attention and time they devote to the success of the FAME enterprise. Their continual strategic input, particularly over the past couple of years, has been invaluable in achieving our ambitious objectives. I thank you sincerely for your support of our critically important work in difficult times. Christopher Chapman Chairman New Directors The Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species has announced the appointment of two new directors to help guide the Foundation through its next phase of growth. The two new directors are Ms Anita Wassermann, chartered accountant, founder and principal of her own firm specialising in not-for-profit enterprises and Dr Manda Page, the current Director of Threatened Species Operations in the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Foundation Chair, Mr Chris Chapman, said he was delighted that both Ms Wassermann and Dr Page had accepted the invitation to join the Board. “It is the Foundation’s 30th anniversary this year and Board renewal is instrumental as we embark on our next decade of critical environmental work. “Ms Wassermann will join the Investment Committee while Dr Page will join the Board’s Conservation Committee. “I am delighted to welcome both new directors. Ms Wassermann’s skills in business processes, management accounting and marketing will help underpin the critical element of sound governance for our Foundation. Equally, Dr Page’s experience in helping drive Queensland’s Threatened Species Program represents an ideal fit with our Foundation’s work and ethos. “We’re very proud that our Foundation punches well above its weight in the conservation sector and I’m sure our new directors will take great satisfaction from their involvement in a very worthwhile and effective enterprise with a wonderful 30- year track record,” Mr Chapman added. Both new directors will stand for election at the Foundation’s Annual General Meeting in November. Ms Anita Wassermann Dr Manda Page 3
A snapshot of 30 years of FAME These 30 projects are only the beginning. In the next issue of On The Brink, we will explore 35 more projects that have taken us into 2023. All 65 projects are viewable on our website at fame.org.au/30th-anniversary 1993 Numbats 1997 Bush-stone Curlew 1999 Scotia Sanctuary 1994 Endangered Species Research 1998 Bridled Nailtail Wallaby 2000 Habitat Restoration 1995 Established a Colony of Boodies 1999 Malleefowl 2001 Mala 1996 Platypus Disease Research 1999 Numbats 2001 Disease Research in Native Animals 2002 Black-eared Miner 2002 Eastern Quoll 4
2004 Southern Ark 2004 Habitat Restoration 2005 Gilbert’s Potoroo 2004 Native Orchids 2004 Restoring Threatened Flora 2005 Native Species Research 2004 Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 2005 Broad-shelled Tortoise 2006 Southern Emuwren 2004 Habitat Restoration 2005 Environmental Education 2006 Dingo Research 2006 Fleurieu Peninsula Swamp Protection 2006 Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary 2006 Translocation of Numbats 2003 Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 5
Repopulation of the Western Quoll Thanks to reintroduction efforts in 2022, the Western Quoll is once again an important part of the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park (VGRNP) ecosystem after more than 100 years of local extinction. FAME’s successful partnership with the SA Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and SA Arid Lands continued last year, and an initial release in April showed early signs of success. In mid-November, this population of 25 quolls - also known as Chuditch or Idnya - was added to with the arrival of 25 new individuals in two releases. These Idnya came from Western Australia and Taronga Zoo respectively, and most were fitted with VHF radio tracking collars prior to release. A few weeks later the first of what will now be an annual survey was held in VGRNP to monitor the survival and growth of the reintroduced population. In one week, 18 individual Idnya were trapped – four were from the release last April, six were born locally in the wild, and eight were from the most recent releases. This is a great result for a first trapping event. Of the 50 quolls released since April, there were another 10 collared which the team knows to remain alive, meaning at least 28 animals have survived. On top of this, camera monitoring in the area tells us that those released in April - and their young - remain spread across the release areas and beyond. The successful trapping survey, along with ongoing monitoring efforts, provides real hope that the reintroduced Western Quolls in VGRNP have got off to a strong start. It is another exciting chapter in this ground-breaking rewilding effort, and research into its effectiveness will continue alongside management of the program. Eastern Quolls in Booderee National Park Overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the mid-south coast of NSW sits Booderee National Park. The name means ‘bay of plenty’ in the Dhurga language, highlighting its suitability for our newest partnership: teaming up with WWF-Australia, Parks Trust, Shoalhaven City Council and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community, FAME will be supporting the ambitious reintroduction of Eastern Quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus) to the mainland. This captivating native predator was deemed locally extinct more than 50 years ago, surviving only in Tasmania. The project aims to establish a breeding population within the park’s Botanic Gardens, before further releases into the wider National Park. Eastern quolls were driven to extinction on the mainland through human impact, habitat destruction and invasive species - and many of the same threats persist today. The primary risks include foxes and cats, and road fatalities, but natural predators like large raptors may play an increased role due to the small population. The individuals released in the park will be monitored to assess their behaviour, how and if they survive, and the most suitable next steps for the reintroduction efforts. This multi-organisation partnership is an exciting opportunity to continue the rewilding of Australia’s ecosystems, by returning keystone species to areas they should never have been absent from. EPBC: Vulnerable IUCN: Near Threat Project Location: VulkathunhaGammon Ranges, SA Threats: Photo Credit: Lochman Transparencies EPBC: Endangered IUCN: Endangered Project Location: Jervis Bay Territory, New South Wales Threats: Photo Credit: Bruce Thomson New Project 6
Astelia Australiana, Photo Credit: Ecology Conservation Centre Eastern Quoll Species Profile: One of four quoll species native to Australia, the Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) was once the most prevalent of the four, found across most of the south-east of the mainland. Both nationally and internationally, Eastern Quolls are recognised as an endangered species (EPBC Act, 1999 and IUCN). Eastern Quolls are about the size of a domestic cat, males not weighing much more than 1kg. They have a thick coat of fur coloured light-fawn or dark-brown with white spots that cover all but the tail of the animal. An Eastern Quoll has four toes – rather than five – which distinguishes them from the other species of quolls found in Australia. By nature, Eastern Quolls are a predatory, nocturnal and carnivorous mammal - with bright eyes and sharp teeth. At night, they are a solitary predator and will hunt insects, small mammals, birds and reptiles. By day, the species retreats to its den, and a female can give birth to anywhere up to 30 young at one time. It then becomes a race for the first pups to attach themselves to teats in order to survive. The lifespan of an individual is relatively short, between two and five years. Their extinction on the mainland came about through a number of factors, including cats, foxes and human pressures. As a top predator, their presence within the ecosystem is crucial as they help to maintain natural balance. References • https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=333 • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_quoll 7
Understanding Numbat Behaviour In November last year our project partners in Western Australia, Numbat Task Force, assisted Dr Tony Friend with his annual November Numbat Survey. Across six survey circuits spanning some 380km, the team recorded 39 individual sightings of this elusive marsupial. Rewind back to 2014 when our partnership in Dryandra Woodlands began, and the Numbat population was estimated to be as low as 50 individuals - a species on the brink of extinction. After years of invasive species management, Numbat collaring and research, and work to boost the area’s biodiversity, these latest results suggest the population now sits above 500 individuals. A remarkable recovery for one of the last two remnant populations of this iconic species. The sightings from this survey occurred throughout the reserve - a particularly encouraging sign - and a further 20 individuals were spotted off-survey which are not counted in the official figure. For every 100km the team covered on the survey, there were 10 Numbats sighted. This survey has now taken place for many decades. On occasions the count has been as low as 1 or 2, but over the past four there has been a promising increase in sightings, with numbers from 2019 onwards as follows: 10, 35, 24 and now 39. From a bleak beginning, you have helped our partners on the ground oversee an inspiring return of this crucial ecosystem engineer, and increase our understanding of Numbat behaviour along the way. Saving our Iconic Tasmanian Devil FAME’s long-running partnership with the team at Aussie Ark continues high in the Barrington Tops, where Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) live in wild-like enclosures, honing their natural behaviours and building an insurance population for potential releases in the future. The Tasmanian Devil is not only iconic in the Australian faunal landscape – it is of critical importance. As one of our largest native predators, it plays a vital role in the functioning of ecosystems by removing carcasses from the landscape, keeping prey populations in check and more. The deadly Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) has decimated the species in their final stronghold in Tasmania, and despite decades of research and conservation, it appears to be continuing its spread across the State – with few DFTD-free populations remaining. This makes the success of our partnership in NSW all the more important; since Aussie Ark was founded in with 44 individual devils, more than half the breeding seasons have seen new joeys enter the insurance population. This – along with strategic translocations from other homes – ensures the freeliving group in the Barrington Tops maintains sufficient genetic diversity to remain healthy. With an uncertain future for devils in Tasmania, our partnership with Aussie Ark remains critical. EPBC: Endangered IUCN: Endangered EPBC: Endangered IUCN: Endangered Project Location: Dryanda Woodlands, Western Australia Project Location: Barrington Tops, New South Wales Threats: Threats: For further information on any of our current project commitments, visit the project page of the website or telephone the Foundation on 08 8374 1744. Health checking a Numbat 8
Fighting the Invasive Cane Toad Our work with Watergum in Queensland has come to fruition, with the development of a Cane Toad tadpole trap and lure now complete and the item available for public purchase. It is hard to define the potential impact of this project. Cane Toads were introduced to Australia in 1935 to combat sugarcane pests, but rapidly spread across Queensland with no natural predators to keep them in check. Now, having entered the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Western Australia, they are causing havoc across Australian ecosystems with a toxin which kills larger predators like snakes, quolls and goannas. The new trap design can be placed in waterways and, when full of cane toad tadpoles, be readily emptied and reused. Using a pheromone of adult Cane Toads, it attracted only that species’ tadpoles, leaving our native amphibians free of the trap. This project is an ideal illustration of FAME priorities: tangible impact, sustainable practice, long-term return, and community partnership where funding is needed to bring an innovative conservation idea to reality. If you live in a Cane-Toadaffected area, you can now purchase the Watergum/ FAME tadpole trap from the Watergum website. To order, and for more information, visit watergumcommunity. myshopify.com or scan the QR code to the right with your mobile device. IUCN: Least Concern Project Location: Seal Rocks, Victoria Project Location: Queensland Threats: Australian Fur Seal – PhD Research It has been a busy few months for our PhD project, investigating impacts of anthropogenic noise on Australian Fur Seals. Data collection is almost complete for the final summer season despite difficulties presented by frequent heavy swells and strong winds, which prevent access to Seal Rocks along with any boat-based activity. Hydrophones were deployed in late December 2022 to monitor underwater vessel noise during the peak of vessel visitation in the area, which coincides with the breeding season. On New Year’s Eve, the team ventured out onto Seal Rocks to collect samples from pups for health and stress investigations. Prevailing conditions meant the team could only stay out there for two nights, which is half the time usually required for pup sampling. However, they put in a huge effort and managed to capture and sample 80 pups (out of the original target of 100). At the time of writing, visual monitoring of vessels around Seal Rocks is ongoing, and the final tasks left to complete are noise playback experiments (to test seal responses to motor vessel noise) and hydrophone retrieval in early February. Pup sampling, vessel monitoring, and playbacks will then be repeated for a second and final off-peak/nonbreeding season in May 2023. Australian Fur Seals Photo Credit: Jessalyn Taylor Australian Fur Seal pup 9
Project funding doubles wild population From the CEO: The following article is the final instalment ongoing from On the Brink #2, 2022. Our thanks to FAME Board Director, Diana Beal, for her contribution. The third species to be considered in this series is the Queensland tree, Macadamia jansenii, the Bulberin Nut. The four known macadamia species are mostly found on the coastal slopes of the Great Dividing Range west of Gympie to Bundaberg. Historically, the range of the macadamias was larger, but clearing the slopes for agriculture and grazing has reduced the current wild distributions. Interestingly, this species also has a connection to Ferdie von Mueller as did the previous two plant species discussed in this series. The Macadamia genus is part of the Proteaceae, a large family of plants with about 1500 species and 75 genera globally, and 900 species and 45 genera in Australia. The Proteaceous genera include Grevillea, Hakea, Banksia and Dryandra. Von Mueller identified the first collected specimen in the genus, named the genus Macadamia, and the specimen, Macadamia ternifolia, in 1858. The specimen was recorded as having been collected ‘in the forests of the Pine River of Moreton Bay’. (Interestingly, the species is known to favour areas where hoop pine grows naturally, and that of course was the origin of the Pine River name.) Macadamia jansenii was brought to the attention of botanists in 1983 by an amateur botanist and local farmer, Ray Jansen. It was officially recognised as a separate species in 1991, but botanists were immediately concerned for its future as the known distribution was extremely small. Fewer than 60 trees had been found in the single population. FAME was approached by the Macadamia Conservation Trust in 2018 to fund a four-pronged project to protect the species – take a census and film the existing wild trees, institute regular inspections for potential threats, propagate clones and plant in suitable habitats distant from the known population and undertake surveys to try to find other remnant patches or individuals. Funding was granted and the project work done. The surveys of forested areas yielded more than 50 new trees, thus almost doubling the known population. In November 2019, unprecedented wildfire raged through the macadamia rainforest, and destroyed some trees; others were badly burnt but were able to reshoot when conditions improved. In all, 83% of the known trees survived. Twelve months later, expeditions found some more trees in a new wild population. Notwithstanding the downs and ups of life in the wild, the Bulberin Nut is now in a much better position following this project. The FAME funding helped to spark and advance botanical interest in this species. In addition to the on-ground works of exploratory trips through likely habitat looking for more wild trees, propagation, etc, scientists at the University of Queensland under the leadership of Prof. Robert Henry have developed a sophisticated model of the genome of the species. Prof Henry says M. jansenii is probably the best studied plant species on the planet in terms of its genetics and, because there are so few trees in the wild, science has the advantage of being able to study the genetic diversity of a whole species. This aids the study of how rare plant species survive the problem of small population size and the associated genetic limitations, amid changing habitat conditions. Researchers were able to assemble all 14 chromosomes for M. jansenii in collaboration with investigators in the USA. This work has great potential in advancing plant research. Diana Beal FAME Director Relevant published papers include: Shapcott, A. (2019), Case study: Threatened plant translocation: Macadamia jansenii (Bulberin Nut), Australasian Plant Conservation, 28(1): 21-23. Hayward, G. and Shapcott, A. (2021), The ability to resprout basally enables the endangered Macadamia jansenii to survive fire, Australasian Plant Conservation, 29(4): 9-11. Hayward, G., Nock, C., Shimizu, Y. and Shapcott, A. (2021), A comprehensive approach to assessing the future persistence of the endangered rainforest tree, Macadamia jansenii (Proteaceae), and the impact of fire, Australian Journal of Botany, 69(5): 285-290. 10
05 A new phase for the Raising Rarity project Having successfully funded the first phase of our Raising Rarity project, in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, attention turns to Phase Two. In this next stage of the florafocussed program, cultivation beds for endangered plants will be constructed inside specially-designed fences. These fences will protect the plants from rabbits, possums and wallabies which are known to raid the area for food. Raising Rarity aims to identify threatened plant species in Victoria and engage the community in their protection and cultivation. It is based on a citizen-science philosophy with an innovative edge - gardeners as deliberate conservationists. In Phase Two, there are four milestones to be met from December 2022 to December 2023: excavation and site preparation; construction of raised garden beds and accompanying paths for public education; construction of the custom fence; and planting of threatened species and installation of interpretive signing. Initially, the construction of garden beds and fences may not seem a major undertaking, but this is the front-facing element of a deeper effort. Each of the identified plant species will be undergoing constant research and monitoring in order to understand those that are more suitable to cultivation, and under what conditions they respond best. This database of species suitability and cultivation methods is the foundation of the community engagement branch of Raising Rarity. In a time when native habitat is facing numerous threats, from suburban encroachment to a warming climate, this is critical work to save endangered plants. You can learn more about what will be undertaken on the project page on the FAME website. In a time when native habitat is facing numerous threats, from suburban encroachment to a warming climate, this is critical work to save endangered plants.” Grevillea dimorpha. Photo Credit: Kaishan Qu, RBGV Project Location: Cranbourne, Victoria Threats: 11
OTB1, 2023 *All donations over $2 are tax-deductible and we will send you a tax receipt. Donation Form Payment Method Cheque/money order enclosed and made payable to ‘FAME Ltd’. Credit Card Please debit my Mastercard Visa Card Number Expiry Date Name Signature CCV $50 $100 $250 or $ / I prefer that this donation remains anonymous. Please send me a FAME bookmark. Please send me information about how to help FAME’s endangered species work through my Will. To make a donation, or give to an individual project, visit fame.org.au, or complete this form and return back to us in the supplied envelope. T 08 8374 1744 E [email protected] PO Box 14 North Adelaide 5006, SA ABN 79 154 823 579 fame.org.au Title Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Dr / Other First Name Street Address Suburb State Postcode Last Name $500 Online at www.fame.org.au/donate to choose your particular project of choice. or Direct deposit: Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species Ltd BSB: 065-144 Account Number: 10254247 Please email details of your deposit with the date, amount and reference to: [email protected] Preferred Telephone Number Email Birthday / D D M M or
Thank you for your support! OTB1, 2023 Monthly Giving FAME’s work is never done and never will be. Indeed, despite our successes to date, the list of endangered native species in Australia continues to lengthen. FAME’s projects are carefully chosen so that your donations are put to work in the most effective way possible. We do not gamble with the financial support of our members and donors because we know when we choose wisely we can have the greatest impact on endangered native Australian flora and fauna. When you give monthly, you become an important part of FAME’s ongoing commitment to stop any further extinction and allow the Foundation to allocate income to support worthwhile projects that will save endangered wildlife from extinction. Most of all, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your support will help increase FAME’s ability to seek out and support projects that will save endangered flora and fauna from extinction. To become a monthly donor to FAME, complete the below form and return in the reply-paid envelope provided or complete, scan and email to FAME at [email protected] or visit our website. *Please note that we will contact you prior to the expiry date on your card in order to update this information. *All donations over $2 are tax deductible. *A summary of your donations will be sent at the end of each financial year for your records. Automatic Monthly Donation Request Form Credit Card Authority Please debit monthly my Mastercard Visa Card Number Expiry Date Name Signature CCV $30p/m $50p/m $75p/m or $ / Please complete and return to FAME in the envelope provided. Title Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Dr / Other First Name Street Address Suburb State Postcode Last Name Preferred Telephone Number Email Birthday / D D M M T 08 8374 1744 E [email protected] PO Box 14 North Adelaide 5006, SA ABN 79 154 823 579 fame.org.au
Front Cover: Australian Fur Seal Welbourn O’Brien is proudly associated with FAME, as we work together toward sustainable biological diversity. Professional Fundraising MEMBE R ORGANISATIONAL About FAME FAME is a national charitable organisation, a company limited by guarantee, and an independent not-for-profit deductible gift recipient (DGR). The Company remains operationally agile to ensure our precious resources are directly channelled into key projects. Completely donor funded, our work is only possible because of the generosity of our community who support us. For this we are grateful. T 08 8374 1744 E [email protected] PO Box 14 North Adelaide 5006, SA ABN 79 154 823 579 fame.org.au 65 Projects. 30 Years. Over 30 years, together, we have funded so many deserving projects that would otherwise not have been supported. The first 30 are overviewed on pages 4 and 5. Here is a snapshot of where those projects were based. An overview of all our past projects on our 30 year timeline can be viewed on our website at fame.org.au/30th-anniversary 1 14 1 12 21 4 8 National Projects 4