Wildlife Conservation Projects in Australia

The vast majority of Australia is either semi-arid or desert but it also includes a diverse range of habitats from mountains to tropical rainforests and with this in mind it is an extremely diverse country. Due to Australia's location - quite geographically isolated, its hugely variable weather patterns and the length of time the continent dates back much of Australia's plants and animal species are completely unique.

There are a number of wildlife conservation projects taking place in Australia - the unique yet diverse nature of the species in Australia means that the impact of human activity has caused endangered some of the native species. Wildlife conservation projects try hard to solve this problem, collating and collecting data which can be put to use to protect endangered species.

When asked to name an animal which is native to Australia the most likely response is the kangaroo, and cousins of this marsupial will be a common subject of wildlife conservation areas in Australia namely the quokka, quoll and quenda.

Like the kangaroo the quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal. It is listed as vulnerable and with a very restricted habitat, work conducted on wildlife conservation projects will be crucial in ensuring its future in the Australian deserts. It's a small animal - about the size of a domestic cat and is located only in Western Australia and on some of the smaller islands located off the coast. The species has become threatened following agricultural development which has reduced its habitat and the introduction of cats, dogs and dingoes has added to the problem.

The quoll is even smaller than the quokka and is also nocturnal, but rather than eating plants it is carnivorous and eats small mammals such as rabbits, small birds, lizards and insects. Since Australia was colonised by Europeans the species has been steadily in decline, following urbanisation. One wildlife conservation project run by the University of Sydney is teaching the quoll to avoid eating the toxic cane toads which is another reason they are in decline.

The final marsupial you'll find in wildlife conservation project is the small, omnivorous quenda. There numbers are in steady decline and it is important to determine what the causal factors are before it is too late. Like the other two marsupials decline in habitat and introduced animals are thought to have affected the numbers.

To help conserve the species there's a number of tasks to be completed on the wildlife conservation project. It might include trapping the animals and tagging them so that they can be radio tracked and surveying the available habitats. These activities allow data to be collected which offers suggestions as to what needs to be improved to protect the animal's futures.