Ecologists are forecasting a "big year" at a Central Australian wildlife sanctuary following the discovery of a baby bilby in December and the announcement of a federal Recovery Plan on Thursday.
The joey was the first to be discovered at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) near Alice Springs since a specially selected group of 66 greater bilbies was reintroduced in 2022 with the hopes of establishing a strong population.
"In December last year, we checked one of our cameras and found an image of a young bilby following its mum," NWS ecologist Aleisha Dodson said.
"It shows that the bilby population is breeding, which is what we need to establish the population here at Newhaven.
"It's going to be another big year out at Newhaven."
The government's Recovery Plan, announced on Thursday by Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek, hopes to support such work.
It includes $1.6 million to address threats to bilbies in Central Australia, including from feral predators and fire.
Bilby population on the rise
Ecologists said the baby bilby at NWS was emblematic of a growing population across Australia.
The annual Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) bilby census recorded 3,315 marsupials across a network of sanctuaries in 2023 — more than double what was recorded in 2022.
AWC chief science officer Dr John Kanowski said the growth was thanks to favourable weather conditions across the country.
"Under good conditions like we've got at the moment, and with a couple years of good rainfall, these animals can really increase and that's what we're seeing across the AWC's network of sites," Dr Kanowski said.
"It's the perfect Easter animal."
Recovery plan to safeguard population
The success of the greater bilby population at Newhaven and other conservation sites across the country was largely attributed to the safe haven they provided for a range of at-risk species.
Strict fenced-off areas kept predators like feral cats and foxes at bay and allowed ecologists to monitor and manage the populations.
The AWC helped inform the federal government's Recovery Plan and Dr Kanowski said he welcomed the support.
"We're very much behind it," he said.
"It's about protecting these populations out in the deserts, and making sure we've got insurance populations and can reintroduce populations of these animals."
Dr Kanowski also welcomed the plan's emphasis on First Nations-led practices for safeguarding the bilby population.
"This plan is trying to have much greater focus on First Nations people," he said.
"Given that First Nation's people are responsible for a lot of the wild bilby populations, that's really appropriate."
