A wildlife sanctuary near Casino is transitioning to new management, ‘paving the way for strengthened conservation efforts in the region’.
In a media release, Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary managers say, ‘The move is part of a broader push to scale up protection for threatened species and restore critical habitat across Australia’.
They say they are being acquired by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), ‘in an agreement with conservation charity Aussie Ark’.
‘The acquisition will be the latest step toward AWC’s goal of expanding its conservation impact to 5% of Australia’s landmass by 2035 and increasing the number of threatened species it protects.
‘Covering 1,260 hectares in the Northern Rivers, Mongo Valley is located within one of the most biologically diverse regions in Australia, protecting eucalypt forest and sandstone escarpments, as well as an important patch of critically endangered lowland rainforest. Based on a previous survey and nearby records, the sanctuary is predicted to be home to more than 250 species of native vertebrates including 21 frogs, 148 birds, 52 mammals and 30 reptiles.
‘The acquisition will also bring two additional threatened species under AWC’s protection, the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby and the Kate’s Leaf-tailed Gecko. It also supports a population of Koalas’.
AWC’s Chief Science Officer, Dr John Kanowski, said, ‘Every species added to our network brings us closer to our mission’.
‘With the addition of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies at Mongo Valley, AWC will now be protecting 12 of Australia’s 17 Rock-wallaby species across our sanctuaries and partnership areas, including six of the seven federally listed threatened species.’
The media release continues, ‘The property was purchased for conservation in 2021 by Aussie Ark with funding from WildArk, Re:wild and the Australian Reptile Park. The opportunity for AWC to expand its portfolio in NSW came about when Aussie Ark decided to hand the site over to a science-led organisation with a strong track record of conservation land management.
‘The AWC purchase is made possible through a generous philanthropic investment from Clive Magowan and Ian Kavanagh, donations, and support from the local community. Wildlife Recovery Australia kindly facilitated the relationship between AWC and Aussie Ark and the project’.
‘I’m very excited for AWC to expand our work in this beautiful part of the world,’ said AWC Chief Executive, Tim Allard. ‘At Mongo Valley we’ll be replicating our successful model of effective, practical conservation and dealing with threats to wildlife.’
Managing Director of Aussie Ark, Tim Faulkner, welcomed the sale to AWC. ‘We recognised several years ago that this property is a treasure trove of biodiversity,’ he said. ‘I can think of no organisation that’s better equipped to write the next chapter for Mongo Valley than Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and I’m thrilled that the sanctuary will be in good hands.’
The media release continues, ‘In the last four years, Aussie Ark with its partners, has regenerated five hectares of land through the planting of 26,000 rainforest and eucalyptus trees, conducted wildlife surveys to confirm the presence of Koalas, Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies and the Kate’s Leaf-tailed Geckos, and installed a gravel road for access to the property’.
‘In the coming months, AWC will hire staff to oversee science and operations on the sanctuary. The team will be responsible for commencing wildlife inventory surveys, to establish a catalogue of the species found on sanctuary, and initiate weed control programs as well as a fire management program. Over time, AWC will establish an ecohealth monitoring plan for wildlife across the sanctuary’.
For more information on Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, visit https://wildark.org/project/mongo-valley-wildlife-sanctuary/
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