Mountain pygmy possum population bounces back in NSW alps
The endangered mountain pygmy possum is proving itself nothing short of a fighter as its population continues to bounce back in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
The species' numbers in Kosciuszko National Park began to drop in 2017 during the drought, with as few as 700 left in the wake of the Black Summer bushfires in 2020.
It has been a long journey, but as the environment recovers after the natural disasters, so does the possum population. Linda Broome, a threatened species officer with the NSW Environment Department, estimated numbers were back to about 940-950, which was "close to average".
Dr Broome, who has been studying the creatures since the 1980s, said mountain pygmy possums were unique and cute to boot. "They're the only small mammal that actually hibernates under the snow in Australia, which is quite special," she said. "They're alpine specialists and there's so little alpine country in Australia that they're very unique.
Climate change and feral species, like foxes and cats, are traditional threats to the mountain pygmy possums. Humans have also been known to mistake them for vermin when they enter ski lodges and other buildings in their alpine and sub-alpine habitat.
But the drought from 2017 was a significant threat, mainly because it diminished their main food source, the Bogong moth.
"Bogong biscuits" were created as a supplementary food source, consisting of macadamias, mealworm and various oils, and used between 2020 and 2022 to help feed the animals. Students from local schools in NSW Snowy Mountains, including at Berridale, Jindabyne, Cooma and Adaminaby, eventually pitched in to make them.
"The idea is to create the same saturated fats you'd get from a Bogong moth," said Dan Nicholls, NSW NPWS education officer.
From slim chance to 'shiny and fat', pygmy possums back from the brink
Community science helps reveal population growth among SoCal's endangered giant sea bass
Nicknamed the "king of the kelp forest," giant sea bass are among scuba divers' favorite characters to spot off the California Coast. But very few of these charismatic fish remain.
A team led by researchers at UC Santa Barbara has conducted the first direct population estimate of this critically endangered species in Southern California. Using photos sourced from the diving community, they found slightly more than 1,200 adult giant sea bass within Southern California waters from 2015 to 2022.
The results, published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series, represent an increasing trend in their numbers, suggesting that current conservation efforts are helping the species recover from decades of overfishing. That said, SoCal's giant sea bass population is still far below its historical level, and recovery will take a while for this slow-growing species.
"It's reassuring to see things moving in the right direction in Southern California," said lead author Andrew Pettit, a recently graduated master's student in UCSB's Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory. "This project, with its continually growing dataset, is a huge step forward in understanding and protecting this remarkable species."
The slow-growing species was fished to near extinction from the late 1800s until 1981, when California closed the fishery due to a total collapse. Commercial landings had declined by 95% in Mexico and California between 1932 and 1980. In 1996, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed giant sea bass as critically endangered.
Since then, California has banned set gillnets within three nautical miles of the mainland and one nautical mile of the Channel Islands. The state has also reduced incidental take allowances to one fish in California waters per vessel per trip. Mexico hasn't yet enacted any regulations for the commercial fishery, and scientists know very little about the species' status south of the border.
"A few recent studies have hinted at a population increase in giant sea bass numbers since the nearshore gillnet closure," said Pettit, now a doctoral student at University of Hawaii, Manoa's Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. So he and his co-authors sought to estimate the species' population size and trends in Southern California.
Despite their size and appetite, the kings of the kelp forest are rather gentle and very curious animals. They will often approach and investigate divers like curious puppies. A previous study by UCSB estimated that the fish contribute over $2.3 million to the recreational diving industry each year.
The authors harnessed the community's enthusiasm for giant sea bass, sourcing more than 1,600 photos from divers and fishermen through UCSB's Spotting Giant Sea Bass Project. The initiative grew from a collaboration between the Benioff Ocean Science Lab and Professor Milton Love's lab back in 2016, and now has contributions from over 420 citizen scientists.
Community science helps reveal population growth among SoCal's endangered giant sea bass
Helmeted honeyeaters return to Cardinia in Victoria for first time since 1983’s Ash Wednesday bushfires
For the first time in 42 years, critically endangered helmeted honeyeaters have returned to Cardinia in south-east Victoria, where they were found until the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.
Helmeted honeyeaters are charismatic, energetic and curious, according to Dr Kim Miller, the manager of threatened species at Healesville sanctuary. Even though the birds can be quite territorial, they’re social and will shake their gold and black feathers in “a really beautiful greeting to each other”.
Twenty-one birds captive-bred at the sanctuary were released into forest on Bunurong country where researchers will monitor them to see if they breed and can establish themselves as a new wild population.
Fewer than 250 helmeted honeyeaters remain in the world. Miller said 99% of the species’ habitat had been wiped out across its range and genetic diversity was a problem because the remaining wild birds were incredibly isolated.
One remnant wild population can be found at Yellingbo nature conservation reserve in the Upper Yarra Valley. A second wild population is found at Yarra Ranges national park, where scientists working with the decades-long conservation breeding program began releasing birds in 2021.
The program has been releasing birds every year since 1995, mostly to boost numbers at Yellingbo. A couple of populations introduced at other sites have been unsuccessful.
Zoos Victoria’s helmeted honeyeater field officer, Dr Nick Bradsworth, is at the site to feed and monitor the birds for the first few weeks. “To see them flying around and squabbling with each other where they would have been doing this over 40 years ago, it feels like the right thing,” he said.
“This is just the start. We are just going to keep building from here. Hopefully we can create even more populations throughout eastern Victoria through their former range, so our bird faunal emblem can thrive for years to come.”
Helmeted honeyeaters return to Cardinia in Victoria for first time since 1983’s Ash Wednesday bushfires
Ancient woodland nature reserve to expand
A conservation charity has acquired 100 acres of ancient woodland to expand an existing nature reserve.
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said that the new land would increase the size of its reserve at Foxley Wood, in North Norfolk, by more than a third. Parts of the woodland are known to have been there for 6,000 years, and it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its value for wildlife.
As well as using the expanded area to increase visitor access, the trust said it also hoped to create new habitats for rare plant life. Steve Collin, from the trust, explained that the wildlife they hoped the resulting plants would encourage included "butterflies such as purple emperor and silver washed fritillary and birds including tree creepers and nuthatches".
"We will create new and eco-friendly ways for people to enjoy some of Norfolk's most special wild places," he said.
The ancient Foxley Wood reserve in North Norfolk is to expand
Toad makes 'wonderful' comeback at national park
The natterjack toad, the UK's loudest amphibian, has made a "remarkable comeback" at a national park following a conservation project.
A total of 28 toadlets were recently counted at Blackmoor, Hampshire, in the South Downs, following the reintroduction programme, which started in 2021.
It is the first time natterjack toads have been recorded breeding at the site in 50 years.
The toad, which has a distinctive rasping call that can be heard up to a mile away, had previously only been found on a single site in the national park at Woolmer Forest. In neighbouring Sussex it is considered locally extinct.
The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) charity has led work to provide new suitable territory for the toads. This included creating shallow ponds and restoring heathlands for the introduction of cattle grazing to create "perfect conditions" for them to return.
Jack Harper from ARC said: "We are delighted that everyone's hard work is beginning to pay off and that the future of this fascinating species is looking brighter in the region.
"This is a great first step to recovering the species within the national park and a good blueprint for future reintroduction efforts."
"They are one of the most at-risk species from climate change because of rising sea levels, so this makes the comeback in Hampshire all the more significant."
Natterjack toad makes 'wonderful' comeback at national park
