Activities and outcomes

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To achieve these goals, the government is continuing to deliver on-ground recovery activities with the help of:

• Local communities and conservation groups
• Wildlife carers
• Zoos
• Natural resource management organisations
• Universities
• State, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Sustaining the Tweed's flying-fox forests

Tweed Shire Council collaborated with local landowners to restore over 18 hectares of degraded foraging habitat for Grey-headed Flying-fox across six private properties. This work has contributed to the rehabilitation of Lowland Rainforest and has mitigated local weed impacts on other threatened plant and animal species. Through this project, landholders developed an improved understanding of the role flying-foxes play in the landscape, along with the value of maintaining quality forest habitat on their properties. The Council will continue to assist participating landholders maintain and restore habitat for the Grey-headed Flying-fox.

Map location: Tweed Heads, NSW

ACT investigates fire impacts on large gliders

The ACT Government, in collaboration with the Australian National University, have been investigating the effects of the bushfires and prescribed burns on Greater Gliders, Yellow-bellied Gliders and their habitat within Namadgi National Park. The project undertook post-fire hollow count assessments, habitat suitability modelling, thermal drone surveys and captive feeding studies. Hollow counts reveal that hollow availability for gliders does not decrease post-fire, and in some cases may increase. Preliminary findings suggest that Greater Gliders eat a wide range of Eucalypt species and when epicormic regrowth is available, Greater Gliders are likely to find food even in severely burnt forests. Results also suggest that Greater Gliders may require forest habitat with a mixture of Eucalypt species to support adequate food and nutrient intake. This project will inform ongoing management and targeted recovery efforts for gliders in the ACT.

Map location: ACT

Protecting Brogo Reserve as Refugia in a Burnt Landscape

Bush Heritage Australia and Wallaga Lake First Nations community members have been working together to restore Brogo Reserve to a refugial site within a severely burnt landscape. Under the project, on Country trips were undertaken for members of the local community, including First Nations youth who are undertaking a Diploma of Natural Resource Management. These trips allowed community connection to Country and facilitated collaboration with Traditional Owners. In addition, surveys were undertaken to observe threatened fauna such as bandicoots and potoroos, allowing Bush Heritage Australia to better understand the importance of Brogo Reserve as a refuge. Weed mapping and pest animal surveys informed the development of management strategies to reduce threats. Pest control removed deer from the reserve and volunteers conducted almost 200 hours of weed control. By working with Traditional Owners, Firestick Alliance, Bega Local Aboriginal Lands Council, Biamanga and Gulaga Board of Management, and local community, an integrated and inclusive land management approach is now in place for Brogo Reserve.

Map location: Brogo, NSW (Bega region)

Helping recovery of the Pink Underwing Moth

Watergum Community Inc have supported the recovery of the nationally endangered Pink Underwing Moth following the 2019 bushfires in Lamington National Park. The species is restricted to habitat with Carronia Vine, its main food source and host plant during the larval stage. To determine the recovery and extent of the moth and its habitat, targeted surveys were undertaken during the adult and larval stages, as well as surveys of vine populations. Over 160 vines were recorded, including in burnt areas. However, larvae were only recorded in established rainforest, and not in exposed areas following bushfire. This important knowledge will inform future bushfire management and conservation of the species in the region. In addition, restoration of recovering rainforest habitat was undertaken by the project through weed control. Invasive weeds, which establish quickly following fire, were removed across 30 hectares, assisting regeneration of native rainforest species, including Carronia Vine.

Map location: Lamington National Park, QLD

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

• 486 priority plants
  • 288 (59 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 127 (60 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1).
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2).
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions.
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program.
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities.
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management.

What's happened in the last quarter?

• Over half of projects are now completed, with an additional 150 ha of fire management delivered since the November 2022 quarterly report. 

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 5.7 million ha of pest animal treatment.
• 40,000 ha treated for weeds.
• Over 1,000 ha erosion control, and 226 km of stream or coastline protection and repair.
• Over 1,800 individual flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha of target area.
• Over 2,600 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters.
• More than 1,800 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires.
• 2,400 ha of fire management actions by Natural Resource Management groups and state governments to reduce the impact of future fires.

Conservation

• 17 priority captive breeding species have new or expanded conservation facilities being built, with genetic analysis for many of these species to inform future management actions.
• 27 breeding sites / populations established, supporting the resilience of species into the future.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 18 Natural Resource Management projects, with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation.
• 23 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities.
• 37 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species.
• 17 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Eastern Bristlebird program, and Walkabout Wildlife Park’s wild Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby enclosure.
• Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix and 10-year strategy for the native seed sector, and Conservation Volunteers Australia volunteer mobilisation project.

Phase 2

• 68 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects. Actions delivered include installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
• 8 of the 13 Indigenous Fire and Land Management workshops projects.
• 3 strategic projects with CSIRO, Trust for Nature, and the Australian Seed Bank Partnership.
• Under the $110 million Regional Bushfire Fund, 10 projects co-designed with states and territories and 6 projects co-designed with natural resource management organisations.
• 24 multiregional species projects aimed at supporting the recovery of the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Eastern Bristlebird, Greater Glider, Yellow-bellied Glider, Grey-headed Flying-fox and South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To achieve these goals, the government is continuing to deliver on-ground recovery activities with the help of:

• Local communities and conservation groups
• Wildlife carers
• Zoos
• Natural resource management organisations
• Universities
• State, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Finding land snails after the fires

La Trobe University got down into the leaf litter to assess the impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires on 18 priority species of land snail. Researchers undertook field surveys in burnt and unburnt sites across forests of New South Wales, ACT and Victoria. Land snails naturally occur at a low abundance and have limited capacity for dispersal in the landscape, making them vulnerable to bushfires. Encouragingly, surveys located 17 of the 18 species. Findings suggest that in the right conditions, snails can survive bushfires. However, snail abundance declines with increasing severity of understorey burns. The recovery of land snail populations in burnt habitats likely depends on surviving snails and the availability of fire-proof micro-refuges, including logs and rocky crevasses. The results of this project will inform conservation of endemic snails in south-eastern Australia.

Map location: Snowy Mountains

Indigenous rangers for bushfire recovery

Indigenous rangers are contributing to bushfire recovery efforts in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales through the Taree Indigenous Development and Employment (TIDE) Aboriginal Bushfire Recovery Rangers program. The ranger team are improving recovery outcomes for wildlife and habitats through pest and weed control, tree planting, installation of 500 nest boxes and wildlife monitoring regimes. The program provides essential training to rangers to improve their skills and knowledge in natural resource management, including traditional cultural practices.

Map location: Mid north coast NSW (Taree)

Katanning community and landholders come together after the fires

The Katanning Landcare Centre collaborated with landholders and the community to restore habitat affected by the 2020 Katanning bushfire in Western Australia. A community event involved planting native seedlings along the Great Southern Highway and volunteer tree planting was coordinated on two landholder affected properties. All revegetated sites were planted with species which will provide habitat and foraging for Carnaby’s Cockatoo. These sites were also fenced to avoid impacts by livestock. More than 38,000 seedlings were planted by the project. With the help of Friends of Piesse Park, 10 nest boxes were built and installed for Red-tail Phascogale in fire-affected habitat across 4 properties, right in time for the breeding season. This project is a testament to community collaboration to restore native habitat and support native fauna to recover from bushfires.

Map location: South-west WA (Katanning)

A safe haven for Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies

The ACT Government completed the installation of upgraded predator-proof fencing for a 120 hectare enclosure at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The safe haven will protect an insurance population of critically endangered Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies. The ACT Government has an ongoing breeding program to expand populations of the species with planned wild reintroductions in areas of Victoria and the ACT. The project safe haven will provide future research opportunities aimed at improving reintroduction success for the species.

Map location: ACT

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

• 486 priority plants
  • 288 (59 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 127 (60 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89 %) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 Million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1).
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2).
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions.
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program.
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities.
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management.

What's happened in the last quarter?

• Over half of projects are now completed and the program is on track to conclude by 30 June 2023.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 5.7 million ha of pest animal treatment.
• 40,000 ha treated for weeds.
• Over 1,000 ha erosion control, and 226 km of stream or coastline protection and repair.
• Over 1,800 individual flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha of target area.
• Over 2,600 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters.
• More than 1,800 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires.
• 2,250 ha of fire management actions by Natural Resource Management groups and state governments to reduce the impact of future fires.

Conservation

• 17 priority captive breeding species have new or expanded conservation facilities being built, with genetic analysis underway for many of these to inform future management actions.
• 27 breeding sites / populations established, supporting the resilience of species into the future.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 18 Natural Resource Management projects, with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation.
• 23 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities.
• 37 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species.
• 17 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Eastern Bristlebird program, and Walkabout Wildlife Park’s wild Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby enclosure.
• Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix and 10-year strategy for the native seed sector, and Conservation Volunteers Australia volunteer mobilisation project.

Phase 2

• 63 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects. Actions delivered include installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
• 7 of the 13 Indigenous Fire and Land Management workshops projects.
• 3 strategic projects with CSIRO, Trust for Nature, and the Australian Seed Bank Partnership.
• Under the $110 million Regional Bushfire Fund, 10 projects co-designed with states and territories and 6 projects co-designed with natural resource management organisations.
• 24 multiregional species projects aimed at supporting the recovery of the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Eastern Bristlebird, Greater Glider, Yellow-bellied Glider, Grey-headed Flying Fox and South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To achieve these goals the government is delivery on-ground recovery activities with the help of:

• Local communities and conservation groups
• Wildlife carers
• Zoos
• Natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• Universities
• State, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Monitoring the health of reptile populations

The University of Sydney has been surveying priority reptile populations in sandstone landscapes of the Sydney region after the 2019–20 bushfires. In a massive effort, over 320 individual surveys were carried out to look for species such as the Broad-headed Snake, Southern Water Skink, Mustard-bellied Snake and Broad-tailed Gecko. The survey team recorded 24 sightings of the Mustard-Bellied Snake, a species that is generally hard to observe. This was up from 6 sightings in the previous season – an encouraging result. The survey information has been used to generate modelling so that conservation managers can assess the effects of bushfires and other threatening processes on these species.

Working with landholders to help the recovery of threatened species and habitat

Trust for Nature worked with landholders in East Gippsland to support the ecological recovery of habitat for 53 threatened species and 16 threatened vegetation communities. The project delivered biodiversity benefits across 22,307 hectares through on ground activities such as feral animal control, weed control and revegetation. There was strong landholder interest in the project, and 10 new conservation covenants were placed on private land, permanently protecting biodiversity values across 449 hectares. This included 5 new covenants in the Clifton Creek area, which added to 3 existing covenants and allowed the creation of a Protected Area Network. Eighteen landholders in this area got involved in activities such as fox, deer and weed control - a great example of the significant contribution a small community can make to bushfire recovery outcomes.

Studying rainforest recovery and resilience

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area in southeast Queensland were severely affected by high intensity fires in late 2019. Peak environmental group, Healthy Land and Water has carried out rehabilitation work which gave a rare opportunity to study regeneration strategies used by rainforest flora in Lamington National Park. Of the 100 rainforest species studied after the fires, 93 species resprouted, 5 species regenerated exclusively from seed, 4 species were able to do both and only 2 species were killed outright. The most unlikely and exciting finding was the high number of ‘mature phase’ species, which grow in the shade created by other plants, that resprouted after the fires. This study provides compelling evidence of rainforest recovery and resilience in the face of bushfires, and highlights the importance of protecting rainforest species from weed growth after fires to support natural regeneration.

Sharing cultural burning knowledge with the community

South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation (SETAC) has run workshops so that community members can learn about, and practice, cultural burning. These included a festival with cultural burning activities, community presentations and workshops for Aboriginal youth, women, and men. The workshops were very successful, and have encouraged other organisations to increase their engagement with Aboriginal communities on fire and land management. For example, SETAC are now involved in developing the Huon Valley Natural Resource Management Strategy, and are working to create better Aboriginal employment opportunities in the Tasmanian Fire Service and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. SETAC has also secured funding to undertake cultural burning activities, which will help the community to be more resilient, prepared and connected in the face of a natural emergency. This project was supported under the Indigenous Fire and Land Management Workshops Program.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

• 486 priority plants
  • 278 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1)
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• The majority of Phase 1 programs have finished, with 96 projects completed and 2 captive breeding facility projects ongoing.
• Just under half of all projects are now completed and the program is on track to conclude by 30 June 2023.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 5.6 million ha of pest animal treatment.
• 40,000 ha treated for weeds.
• Over 919 ha erosion control, and 226km of stream or coastline protection and repair.
• Over 1,800 individual flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha of target area.
• Over 2,400 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters
• More than 1,700 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires
• 2,250 ha of fire management action by Natural Resource Management groups and state governments to reduce the impact of future fires.

Conservation

• 17 priority captive breeding species have new or expanded conservation facilities being built, with genetic analysis underway for many of these to inform future management actions.
• 27 breeding sites / populations established, supporting the resilience of species into the future.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 18 Natural Resource Management projects, with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation
• 23 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities
• 37 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species
• 17 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Eastern Bristle-bird program, and Walkabout Wildlife Park’s wild brush-tailed rock wallaby enclosure.
• Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix and 10-year strategy for the native seed sector, and Conservation Volunteers Australia volunteer mobilisation project.

Phase 2

• 39 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects. Actions delivered include installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
• 7 of the 13 Indigenous Fire and Land Management workshops projects.
• 2 strategic projects with CSIRO and Trust for Nature.
• Under the $110 million Regional Bushfire Fund, 10 projects co-designed with states and territories and 6 projects co-designed with natural resource management organisations.
• 4 multiregional species projects aimed at supporting the recovery of Gang-gang Cockatoos, Eastern Bristlebird, Greater Glider and South-eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo.

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Live capture, sensor cameras and detection dogs have been used in searches for two fire-affected endangered species—the Silver-headed Antechinus and the Black-tailed Dusky Antechinus. Research by Queensland University of Technology and partners has greatly increased knowledge of the numbers and locations of both species following the bushfires. Undertaken in difficult terrain and at times inclement weather, the project’s findings will underpin management of these shy and threatened marsupial carnivores into the future.

CSIRO has run a series of weekend-long BioBlitzes—collaborative events where experts and the community discover and record as many living things as possible within a set location and time. Scientists pointed out plants, animals, and fungi, explained how species fit into the ecosystem, and the impact of the bushfires. The events have enabled fire-affected communities to identify hundreds of different species, document how they recover from fire and therefore help protect the ecosystem in the future.

Some of the rarest plants in Australia are having their precious seeds banked for future use, thanks to a bushfire recovery seed banking initiative. As part of Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix, seeds from more than 100 priority native plant species were collected and stored across six bushfire-affected states. Project Phoenix also developed ‘A Strategy for the Australian Native Seed Sector’. The Strategy provides a 10-year road map to guide economic maturity and increased capacity of the sector to enable Australia to better manage the restoration and rehabilitation of landscapes and support biodiversity.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is being protected from feral infestation while helping conserve woodlands, ancient eel traps, and stone house structures impacted by the bushfires. Budj Bim is home to over 250 species of diverse native wildlife, including the Spotted Quoll and Glenelg Spiny Crayfish.  The project, led by Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and partners, is managing feral pigs across 3,000 hectares and weed control across 500 hectares of burnt habitat in the World Heritage area.

Following catastrophic fire damage to its range, the Kangaroo Island Dunnart has now been found at 71 sites on the island, mainly in burnt areas. Motion sensor camera surveys and recovery measures such as feral animal control, fencing of critical areas and habitat restoration have supported recovery. Post fires, the dunnarts have bred quickly, taking advantage of resources and lack of feral competition, and are establishing new territories. In coming months, Kangaroo Island Landscape Board and partners will study the species’ behaviour and monitor density and populations—critical work in securing the future of this very special creature within KIs unique landscape.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

• 486 priority plants
  • 278 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1)
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• The Aboriginal Corporation for Development of Community has completed the Munjoorum Fire Project, which delivered 5 Indigenous-led workshops in Bundaberg, Eidsvold, Woorabinda, Cherbourg and Gladstone. The project brought together an Indigenous fire ecologist, Indigenous businesses, Traditional Owners, the Indigenous community, and non-Indigenous stakeholders.
• Seed-planting drones have been used by World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia to create a Koala corridor in South East Queensland as part of an innovative project involving the use of cutting-edge technology to establish 15,000 Koala trees through drone seeding and AI-powered monitoring. This project will provide a boost for these iconic marsupials as well as other native species in the area.
• Zoos Victoria has completed building a world class bio-secure frog facility at Melbourne Zoo. This purpose built holding and conservation breeding facility will house the Spotted Tree Frog, Large Brown Frog and Giant Burrowing Frog.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 4.4 million ha of pest animal treatment
• Over 40,000 ha treated for weeds
• Over 840 ha erosion control, and 220km of stream or coastline protection and repair
• Over 1,700 individual flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha of target area.
• Over 2,300 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters
• More than 1,700 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires
• 970 ha of fire management action by Natural Resource Management groups and state governments to reduce the impact of future fires.

Conservation

17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities with genetic analysis underway for many of these to inform future management actions.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 13 Natural Resource Management projects, with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation
• 21 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities
• 29 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species
• 5 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Eastern Bristle-bird program, and Walkabout Wildlife Park’s wild brush-tailed rock wallaby enclosure.
• Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix and 10-year strategy for the native seed sector.

Phase 2

• 32 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects with actions including the installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
• Five of the 13 Indigenous Fire and Land Management workshops projects are complete.

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife’s Wildlife Friendly Vets Program has supported wildlife volunteers around the country with training and expertise essential to effective treatment, handling and care. Funding has gone to more than 100 wildlife rehabilitation groups around the country and the foundation is supporting the mental health of wildlife carers through Caring for Carers. The project has helped to create new major wildlife care infrastructure, build capacity and preparedness to respond to future emergencies, and improve community awareness of wildlife rescue and wildlife needs.

East Gippsland Landcare Network and partners, BirdLife Australia and Wildlife Unlimited are revegetating properties in East Gippsland with high priority native vegetation to maximise the chances of long-term recovery of native plant species and provide ongoing habitat for native animals and birds. The Bush for Birds project works with local landowners in an effort to protect and enhance habitat on private land. So far, several kilometres of fencing have been installed and 22,000 native seedlings have been supplied to over 30 landholders from areas heavily impacted by the bushfires.

The Stocky Galaxias had 56% of its habitat severely burnt in the fires. At Lake Eucumbene in the Snowy Mountains, teams from NSW Fisheries, South East Local Land Services, Charles Sturt University and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service have collected Galaxias eggs for hatching off-site in order to boost numbers of the tiny fish. While the hatchlings grow, habitat restoration has been underway—fencing to prevent feral animal access, solar-powered pumps and tanks to manage water flow and rocks and revegetation to re-build instream habitat. The translocated fish will be returned to the project site when the habitat is healthy again.

Approximately 36% of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area in south-east Qld was burnt during Black Summer. Healthy Land and Water have since undertaken over 100 ha of weed control in the critically endangered Lowland Subtropical Rainforest ecological community. Fence lines across 7 km have been erected to exclude cattle across 1,400 ha of bushfire affected and unburnt refuge areas. These actions protect species including Koala, Giant Barred Frog, Dwarf Freshwater and hundreds of plants. Encouraging news includes that of the 100 rainforest and wet sclerophyll species studied post-fires, 93% have resprouted and 5% have regenerated exclusively from seed.

The Kangaroo Island Dunnart lost over 95% of its habitat in the Black Summer bushfires. Motion sensor camera monitoring and surveys by Kangaroo Island Landscape Board have discovered something wonderful—a female dunnart with several jelly-bean sized babies! Since that first spotting, researchers have monitored the babies’ growth. Dunnarts have now been detected at nearly 70 sites in conservation areas and on private properties on the western end of the island since the bushfires. Citizen scientists assisted researchers by analysing thousands of motion capture images which have also benefited other fire-affected native species including KI Whipbird and Southern Emu-wren.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires. On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

• 486 priority plants
  • 278 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1)
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• Training is underway for vets and veterinary nurses across Australia to treat and classify burns and understand the importance of nutrition in the treatment and recovery of bushfire-affected wildlife, including Koalas. The training also provides vet and vet nurses with guidance on how to stay safe while on a fire-ground and how to capture injured animals safely.
• CSIRO began a series of weekend long ‘BioBlitz’ events in bushfire-affected regions across NSW to generate new evidence on the impacts of large-scale fire on biodiversity. A BioBlitz is an event to discover and record as many living things as possible within a set location and period of time and involves both scientists and the general public.
• The OceanWatch Fish Habitat Protection Protocol was launched. The Protocol will act as a blueprint for industry and communities to mitigate the range of issues which arose during and after the fires, including runoff from ash and land-based pollutants after the fires impacted aquatic ecosystems and downstream coastal environments.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 3.8 million ha of pest animal treatment
• Over 28,000 ha treated for weeds
• Over 750 ha erosion control, and 210km of stream or coastline protection and repair
• Targeted flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha. This includes over 850 fauna surveys and over 270 flora surveys.
• Over 2,000 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters
• More than 800 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires
• 960 hectares of fire management action by Natural Resource Management groups and state governments to reduce the impact of future fires.

Conservation

17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities with genetic analysis underway for many of these to inform future management actions.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 13 Natural Resource Management projects, with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation
• 21 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities
• 21 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species
• 4 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife’s Wildlife Heroes, and Walkabout Wildlife Park’s wild brush-tailed rock wallaby enclosure.
• Greening Australia’s Project Phoenix and 10-year strategy for the native seed sector.

Phase 2

• 3 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects with actions including the installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
• The Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation’s Indigenous Fire and Land Management Workshops project, which highlights the importance of bringing stakeholders together to strengthen and share knowledge and to ensure Traditional Owners are at the table for fire and land management planning and on the ground leading implementation.

Overview

November 2021

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Across bushfire affected regions, the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens is seed banking to future-proof native plant species. Of the 670 seedlings raised from 12 priority plant species by project partners, 476 have been reintroduced to the wild, placed in seed production orchards, or provided to community groups for planting in bushfire affected areas. The remainder will be distributed as they become more robust. The National Seed Bank now has multiple collections from recovering populations, providing ample material for research and to secure the plants’ long-term survival.

In East Gippsland, Birdlife Australia and partners have installed 35 ‘cockatubes’, or artificial hollows, to support recovery of the South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo which is estimated to have had more than 35% of its range impacted by the Black Summer fires. This project focusses on unburnt areas, particularly where post fire numbers of the South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo have increased, or in proximity to unburnt sites that have an abundance of the Glossy’s favourite feed trees – Black She-oak.

Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation is undertaking several fire management knowledge exchange workshops in Cairns. The workshops aim to enable Yirrganydji custodians to plan and undertake cultural burns across all land tenures and country types according to their cultural obligations. Workshop components include burning before the wet season, seed germination, traditional tool-making, natural weed control, cultural burning, protecting cultural sites with fire breaks, and healing of country to support native animals, plants and ecological communities.

The Australian Native Bee Association and citizen scientists are installing bee ‘hotels’ in fire-impacted areas around the country. Bee hotels are artificial nests that mimic the pre-made holes and cavities in trees created by wood-boring beetles that cavity-nesting bees use. Monitored monthly during bee activity season to check occupancy, this is the first time that bee hotels are being used to support bees where fires have destroyed their nesting habitat. This habitat is a vital part of the equation for recovering pollinators, for even if they can move into fire-affected landscapes and forage on flowering regrowth, they will be unable to establish without nesting resources.

Targeted feral animal control over 1.4 million hectares has been undertaken in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, where more than 60% of the area was impacted by the bushfires, and in the Hunter region of NSW. Hunter Local Land Services and partners (including landholders) are protecting habitat and enabling recovery in fire affected areas and areas of unburnt refuge. A combination of aerial and ground-based programs is supporting animals including Koala, Manning River Helmeted Turtle and Brush-tailed Rock- wallaby, and Threatened Ecological Communities including Littoral Rainforest and Coastal Swamp Oak Forest.

OceanWatch Australia has collaborated with 120 people from 71 organisations across 5 Australian states to help understand bushfire impacts on our marine and freshwater environments. An online survey and 6 interactive mapping tools were created to collect and record more than 60 observations of fire impacts to aquatic environments or businesses. The information collected from numerous stakeholders, including remote communities and the seafood industry, was critical to the drafting of the Fish Habitat Protection Protocol, which contains 50 recommendations for mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery related to bushfire impacts on aquatic environments.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts has identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires. On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

• 486 priority plants
  • 278 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1) has been fully committed
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)
  • $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
  • $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program
  • $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
  • $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• $10.2 million to support multiregional species and projects
• $2 million for Koala health research and veterinary support
• $8.9 million for koala habitat restoration projects in SEQLD and NSW bushfire impacted regions
• Workshops supporting the exchange of Indigenous fire and land management knowledge between Traditional Owners and conventional fire management partners are underway. Workshops include hands on demonstrations in the use of traditional cultural burning methods.
• Release of Greening Australia’s Strategy for the Australian Native Seed Sector, which provides a 10-year road map to grow and improve management of Australia’s native seed and enable us to better manage the restoration and rehabilitation of landscapes nation-wide.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat*

• Over 3 million ha of pest animal treatment
• Over 21,000 ha treated for weeds
• Over 750 ha erosion control, and 210km of stream or coastline protection and repair
• Targeted flora and fauna surveys across 650,000 ha. This includes over 850 fauna surveys and over 270 flora surveys.
• Over 1,900 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters^
• More than 700 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires

Conservation

17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities with genetic analysis underway for many of these to inform future management actions.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 13 Natural Resource Management immediate response projects with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation
• 19 State and Territory government emergency projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities
• 17 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Grants projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species
• 2 wildlife rescue and captive breeding projects including construction of a Northern Corrobboree Frog conservation centre and expansion of the Regent Honeyeater conservation program at Taronga Zoo

Phase 2

• 3 Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants projects with actions including the installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.

* The figures below reflect the most recent data reported by grant recipients and third parties. Figures can change for individual projects from time-to-time, for example, as they reach completion and final reports are submitted to the department.

^ This figure has reduced since the previous quarterly report to reflect a subsequent adjustment made by a grant recipient and reported to the department.

Overview

August 2021

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

NSW

Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens Threatened Ecological Communities provide critical refuge and habitat for native species. Nearly 2000 hectares of the Ecological Community in Kosciuszko National Park were burnt in the bushfires. Weed invasion and feral herbivores then impacted further. Post fire assessment by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has been completed for 11 bog sites in the park. Rehabilitation and restoration are underway through eco log placement, shading structures and erosion control.

Kangaroo island

The Kangaroo Island Micro Trapdoor Spider is found nowhere else in the world except on Kangaroo Island. Since the fires, using 'Spiderscope', an endoscopic camera to check up on the spiders in their burrows, researcher Jessica Marsh and scientists from Murdoch University have significantly expanded the known range of the species and found several new and important subpopulations, including two found in patches of unburnt ground on private land.

Victoria

A partnership project between Trust for Nature and the North East Catchment Management Authority is supporting the recovery of high-value species, including the Alpine Tree Frog, Greater Glider and Fan Grevillea in Victoria, through activities including fencing to restrict stock access, developing post-fire management plans, and implementing monitoring regimes on privately owned land. The project highlights the importance of supporting private landholders who permanently manage their surrounding environment.

Queensland

Using a combination of standard metal box traps, camera traps, and detection dogs, scientists from the Queensland University of Technology are assessing bushfire impacts on the endangered Silver-headed and Black-tailed Dusky Antechinuses. Fantastic news to date with healthier than expected numbers of the endangered marsupials found in several new sites in Bulburin, Carnarvon, Kroombit Tops and Blackdown Tableland national parks.

TAS

The bushfire impacted Miena Cider Gum is an endangered eucalypt endemic to the Central Highlands of Tasmania. Some trees are estimated to be more than 500 years old and their leaves are particularly tasty to browsing wildlife. The Derwent Catchment Project team is helping to build resilience of the species through prevention of over-browsing. The gums have been caged with fencing materials and a floppy top, and teams have installed polycarbonate bands around the trunks of older trees to deter wildlife from gaining access to the leaves and canopy.

WA

A translocation program for the Western Ground Parrot hopes to establish new populations in the wild. Experts from Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, supported by Friends of the Western Ground Parrot, and Birdlife WA manage the delicate operation of capturing birds in nets, removing and rehoming them across multiple sites. This reduces the risk of loss in a single event and increases genetic diversity of the species. Two females and 5 males were recently captured and fitted with radio transmitter backpacks to track their progress.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts has identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires. On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

• 486 priority plants
  • 278 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  • 124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  • 84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  • 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1) has been fully committed
• $150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)
• $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
• $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala monitoring program
• $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
• $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• Over 100 on-ground recovery projects across seven bushfire impacted regions supported through the $14 million Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants Program
• $10.2 million to support multiregional species and projects
• $2 million for Koala health research and veterinary support
• $6.6 million for koala habitat restoration projects in SEQLD and NSW bushfire impacted regions
• Workshops supporting the exchange of Indigenous fire and land management knowledge between Traditional Owners and conventional fire management partners are underway. Workshops include hands on demonstrations in the use of traditional cultural burning methods.

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• 3 million ha of pest animal treatment
• Over 14,000 ha treated for weeds
• Over 725 ha erosion control, and 210km of stream or coastline protection and repair
• 650,000 ha of flora and fauna surveys across more than 10 million hectares
• Over 3,000 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters
• More than 700 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires

Conservation

17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities with genetic analysis underway for several of these to inform future management actions.

Completed projects

Phase 1

• 13 Natural Resource Management-led projects with actions including pest animal and weed control, erosion control and stream bank revegetation
• 16 State and Territory government projects targeting a range of threatened species and ecological communities
• 15 grant projects with actions including introducing tree hollows as refuges for a variety of threatened bird and reptile species
• 2 rescue and rehabilitation projects including construction of a Northern Corrobboree Frog conservation centre and expansion of the Regent Honeyeater conservation program at Taronga Zoo

Phase 2

• 2 grant projects with actions including the installation of nest boxes to support recovery of species including gliders, possums and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.

Overview

May 2021

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

NSW/ACT

Alpine Ash in Kosciuszko National Park is being recovered through NSW Government fire management planning and protection. Teams are assessing the current condition of Alpine Ash forests and analysing the risk and probability of long-term persistence under predicted fire regimes. So far, 10,000 seeds have been collected to ensure there is a broad range of genetic variability for on-ground restoration.

Kangaroo island

On Kangaroo Island, researcher Jessica Marsh has used on-ground surveys and known distributional records to assess the impact of the bushfires on 13 priority listed invertebrate species. As part of the project, Jessica has uncovered the post-fire survival of two large KI endemic katydids—the carnivorous and singing KI Marauding Katydid and the rare and wary Robust Fan-winged Katydid. The discovery of these elusive creatures brings hope of leapost-fire perseverance for this and other invertebrate species on the island.

Victoria

Promising findings for reptiles following the Black Summer bushfires has researchers from the University of NSW sharing the good news. Across 444 surveys at 162 burnt and unburnt sites across south-eastern Australia, the UNSW team found 512 target skinks. The most abundant and widespread was the Southern Water Skink, found in at least 63 of the search sites. While there are many factors affecting occupancy and detectability of this species, initial findings suggest that this widespread skink may indeed have some resilience to fires.

Northern NSW

Found only in the Manning River catchment on the NSW northern tablelands, the endangered Manning River Helmeted Turtle suffered considerable habitat loss in the Black Summer bushfires. Hunter Local Land Services, MidCoast to Tops Landcare and the Manning River Turtle Group is undertaking stock fencing, habitat restoration, pest animal control and other in-stream habitat enhancement works at priority sites in and near fire-affected landscapes to support the persistence of this beautiful animal.

Queensland

The bushfires significantly impacted threatened species and one critically endangered ecological community in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area. Healthy Land and Water is conducting weed removal and the installation of boundary fencing to assist recovery from the extensive damage, weed intrusion and loss of seed banks. Of 100 rainforest and wet sclerophyll species, surveys show that 95% are resprouting post fire. During works to date, the first ever record of the endangered Southern Pink Underwing Moth was made in Lamington National Park, followed by the discovery of a thriving population.

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts has identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires. On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

Graph:

• 486 priority plants
  200 (41%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates
  124 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals
  84 (91%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities
  17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

$50 million for initial emergency bushfire response (Phase 1) has been fully committed

$150 million Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes fund (Phase 2)

• $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
• $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala population monitoring program
• $10 million in grants through 90 community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
• $2 million in grants through 13 projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

What's happened in the last quarter?

• 14 million to Landcare Australia for recovery projects across seven bushfire impacted regions
• $10 million to support multiregional species and projects allocated.
• $10 million of Community grants projects contracted.
• $6.3 million for captive breeding and related projects allocated
• $2 million of Indigenous Fire and Land Management projects contracted.

What's next?

• Commence projects to support multiregional priority species
• Commence Landcare-led recovery initiatives – projects will be announced July 2021
• All funding contracted by August 2021

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 1.37 million ha of pest animal treatment
• Removal of more than 11,000 pest animals across bushfire impacted areas of NSW alone
• Over 12,600 ha treated for weeds
• Over 700 ha erosion control, and 200km of stream or coastline protection and repair
• Over 9.8 million ha surveyed for a range of flora and fauna
• Over 1,400 structures or installations completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters
• More than 660 post-fire baseline datasets created to monitor species impacted by the fires

Emergency rescue and wildlife care

• More than 9000 animals have been rescued, 3700 treated and almost 1000 rehabilitated for bushfire related injuries by zoos and organisations funded under Wildlife Heroes.
• More than 5300 animals have since been released back into the wild.

Conservation

• 17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities

Community participation

• More than 200 stakeholders participated in co-design workshops across the seven most impacted bushfire regions. Community leaders, scientists, Traditional Owners, industry, government and non-government organisations worked collaboratively to identify priority bushfire recovery actions for each region.
• Investment in Traditional Owner-led reading and healing of country was a key theme of regional co-design workshops and is being complemented by 13 new projects to support Indigenous burning knowledge exchange and uptake.

Overview

February 2021

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource
• management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Case studies

Western Australia

Occurring in a single location on the south coast of Western Australia, the Western Ground Parrot conservation project is using automated acoustic recording devices to listen out for the parrots’ distinctive call, and camera traps to help monitor feral predator numbers. The acoustic data and photos captured over the upcoming months will inform a planned translocation in Autumn to safeguard the future of these rare birds.

Kangaroo Island

The Kangaroo Island Western Whipbird, one of Australia’s rarest birds, lost about 50 per cent of its population in the fires. ‘Call-playback’ is being used to monitor whipbirds because of their distinctive song. Surveyors play a recording of the birds’ call and then listen for a reply. National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia and Birdlife Australia are using call-playback and motion sensor-activated cameras to understand how the species is recovering after the bushfires. The news is promising with dozens of Whipbirds heard or seen so far.

Victoria

Wildlife researchers are using 120 motion-sensor cameras to search for the Long-footed Potoroo of north-east Victoria and discover how they were affected by the bushfires. The researchers from Victoria’s Department of Land, Water and Planning, the Taungurung Land and Waters Corporation and Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research have learnt that the elusive marsupials cannot resist peanut butter, golden syrup, oats and truffle oil. The little native is being tempted by these tasty treats which are placed near the cameras to attract them into view.

New South Wales

Bushfires in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area significantly affected the habitat of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater and the bird’s unburnt refuges are being invaded by competitor species such as Noisy Miners. In an attempt to boost numbers, Hunter Local Land Services, BirdLife Australia and the Australian National University undertook Noisy Miner control over 1800 hectares of the Regent’s breeding habitat. Since then, there have been sightings of Regent Honeyeaters and several healthy chicks.

Queensland

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gold Coast hinterland is undertaking conservation breeding programs for the Eastern Bristlebird and Kroombit Tinkerfrog. They are two among seventeen animal species being supported by Australian Government bushfire recovery funding through captive breeding programs across Australia. This program is giving both species a better chance at recovering from the Black Summer bushfires. Impacts

Impacts

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts has identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

• 486 priority plants - 194 (40%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 92 priority vertebrate animals - 83 (90%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 213 priority invertebrates - 126 (59%) benefiting from Australian Government funding
• 19 priority threatened ecological communities - 17 (89%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

$200 million funding

• $50 million for initial emergency bushfire response. This has been fully committed.
• $110 million for on-ground support for the most impacted native species across seven bushfire-affected regions
• $10 million for community projects to deliver on-ground bushfire recovery activities
• $2 million for projects to support knowledge exchange on Indigenous fire and land management

• $28 million for further scientific assessment, species planning, coordination and monitoring, and program administration including $2 million to support a national koala population monitoring program

What’s happened in the last quarter?

• $65 million of projects approved across 7 bushfire regions
• $10 million of funding through 88 community grants announced
• $2 million of funding announced through 13 projects for Indigenous fire and land management knowledge exchange

What's next

• Identify projects to support multiregional priority species
• Landcare-led recovery initiatives – to be announced May 2021
• All funding contracted by June 2021

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• Over 1.1 million hectares of pest animal treatment
• Over 7,000 hectares of initial weed treatment
• Over 700 hectares of erosion control
• Removal of 8,000 pest animals across bushfire impacted NSW alone

Community participation

• More than 200 stakeholders participated in co-design workshops across the seven most impacted bushfire regions. Community leaders, scientists, Traditional Owners, industry, government and non-government organisations worked collaboratively to identify priority bushfire recovery actions for each region.

• Traditional Owner participation in recovery actions is a focus. Investment in Traditional Owner-led reading and healing of country was a key theme of regional co-design workshops and is being complemented by 13 new projects to support Indigenous burning knowledge exchange and uptake.

Emergency rescue and wildlife care

• More than 9,000 animals have been rescued, 3,700 treated and almost 1,000 rehabilitated for bushfire related injuries by zoos and organisations funded under Wildlife Heroes
• More than 5,300 animals have since been released back into the wild

Conservation away from burnt habitats

17 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities

Overview

The Australian Government is investing more than $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20.

To undertake on-ground recovery activities the government is working with:

• local communities
• wildlife carers
• zoos
• natural resource
• management organisations
• Indigenous organisations
• conservation groups
• universities
• state, territory and local governments.

Western Ground Parrot

Found only in Western Australia, the western ground parrot is one of the world’s rarest birds with fewer than 150 remaining in the wild. The fires burnt through thousands of hectares of the birds’ habitat but Birdlife Australia, with its local partners in Western Australia, are surveying the population to determine the viability of a wild-to-wild translocation. This is part of a long-term strategy to save these beautiful birds.

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is home to several rare species including the endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart. With more than 95% of its habitat burnt, there were grave concerns for the dunnart population. Thankfully, motion-sensing cameras installed by the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board and the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia have captured images of this elusive mammal.

Feral cat controls are being undertaken to protect the surviving population.

Victoria's high country

Victoria’s high country is home to more than 4000 hectares of alpine peatlands. It is an ecological community that is crucial for the health of the region—people, plants and animals. The North East Catchment Management Authority is leading a project to undertake feral animal control to protect the peatlands from trampling and overgrazing. Through the project, weed removal is underway in the Alpine National Park to protect the peatlands from these invasive plants.

South Coast New South Wales

In the south eastern corner of NSW, bushfire recovery teams have been working hard to reduce sediment and ash washing into, and clogging up, local waterways. Using jute mesh and eco-logs made from compacted coconut fibre, South East Local Land Services and the Batemans Bay and Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Councils, are helping to alleviate damage to local creeks and rivers and reducing the impact on native animals, such as the threatened Macquarie Perch.

South-east Queensland and northern New South Wales

Detection dogs are helping scientists protect the future of the antechinus—a small, endangered native marsupial with a mouse-like face. The dogs are trained to detect their scent, as part of surveys for the antechinuses in high altitude areas of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. Led by the Queensland University of Technology, this project will help establish locations of surviving populations and inform future management of the species.

Impacts

The devastating scale of the bushfires:

• Nearly 40% of Kangaroo Island was burnt, with more than 80% severely burnt.
• More than 60% of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area was burnt, with more than half of this at high or very high severity.

Assessment of impacts on wildlife and habitats

Desktop analysis by experts has identified 810 priority matters (native plants, animals and ecological communities) for immediate management following the bushfires.

On-ground surveys are underway to assess the condition of native plants and animals, pest animals and weeds.

486 priority plants - 95 (19%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

92 priority vertebrate animals - 80 (87%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

213 priority invertebrates - 122 (57%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

19 priority threatened ecological communities - 6 (84%) benefiting from Australian Government funding

Funding

An initial $50 million investment has been rolled out since January 2020. $43.4 million has been contracted to date

• $13 million to state and territory governments for on-ground emergency interventions
• $11.9 million to 37 Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program grants
• $7 million to 18 natural resource management organisations in affected areas
• $4 million to zoos and wildlife carers to treat injured wildlife and establish insurance populations for at-risk species
• $5 million to Greening Australia to increase supply of seed and native plants for revegetation
• $2.5 million to Conservation Volunteers Australia to mobilise volunteers through a national coordination point
• approximately $6.6 million yet to be contracted

What's next

• A new program will support captive breeding for identified high-priority species
• Regional workshops have identified priority recovery actions to be funded with $110 million for the 7 most vulnerable bushfire affected regions
• A $10-million grants program to support communities to deliver bushfire recovery activities for their local environment
• A $2-million grants program to fund knowledge exchange workshops on Indigenous fire and land management

Action

Protecting burnt and unburnt areas and restoring habitat

• 1,065,282 ha of pest animal treatment
• 6,898 ha of initial weed treatment
• 707 ha of erosion control

Community participation

• 11,896 volunteers have been registered by Conservation Volunteers Australia to assist with bushfire recovery projects
• 67 groups and/or individuals, including wildlife care organisations, are being supported to deliver recovery and future preparedness activities

Note: The number of organisations registered with Conservation Volunteers Australia and the number of grants provided under the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife Heroes program only.

Emergency rescue and wildlife care

• 6 animal populations were translocated to unburnt habitat
• More than 7000 animals have been treated for bushfire-related injuries

Conservation away from burnt habitats

• 5 priority animal species are being bred in new or expanded conservation facilities