Privately-owned Aussie island set to undergo $4.8 million change
A stunning 4,000-hectare island will be transformed into a sanctuary for some of Australia's rarest creatures.
Located more than 30km off Australia’s mainland, there’s a privately owned island few people have heard of. Flinders Island, because of its remote location, has been singled out as the ideal place to relocate populations of some of the country’s rare and endangered animals.
This week, the state and federal governments committed $4.8 million to help its owners, the Woolford family, transform the 4,000-hectare island into a wildlife sanctuary. The first step will be ridding its shores of invasive species like feral cats, rats and mice.
South Australia's environment minister Susan Close called the Flinders Island Safe Haven Project "vital". "There are few places in Australia which provide such a unique opportunity for us to protect our important native wildlife," she added.
Island's bright future after grim past
The South Australian island has had a checkered history since Europeans arrived in the 1820s and exploited its shore for seal and whale hunting. Farmers also impacted the vegetation, clearing dozens of hectares for agriculture.
It's believed diverse populations of small marsupials once roamed the island, but they were driven to extinction by feral animals which were introduced in the mid-1900s.
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But remarkably, almost 75 per cent of the island is still covered by native vegetation, and it's a haven for migratory birds. To preserve what remains of the wilderness, its owners signed a conservation agreement with South Australia’s government covering over 3,400 hectares of land.
This week's announcement will see the Albanese Government invest $3.8 million from its $224 million Saving Our Native Species program, and the remaining $1 million will be covered by the Malinauskas Government's Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board.
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Which animals will be transferred to the island?
Among the animals the island is set to provide refuge for is the banded hare-wallaby. Its range once extended from across southern Australia, from Victoria to southwest Australia, but the species is now extinct on the mainland. Populations exist on Bernier and Dorre Islands, but they are increasingly under threat by climate change, which is reducing rainfall.
Internationally, Australia has the worst record when it comes to mammalian extinction. The losses are primarily due to invasive species, habitat destruction and disease, and now rising temperatures — all of which are continuing to drive declines in native animal populations.
Because of these threats, islands and giant fenced sanctuaries are the only safe spaces for many of the country's small marsupials.
Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek called the Flinders Island plan a “fantastic example” of communities and government working together to protect threatened species.
Jonas Woolford, whose family owns the island added, “We, the Woolford family, are very excited about the opportunity to convert Flinders Island into a safe haven. It has been many years in the planning for us, transitioning from farming to tourism and conservation.”
Can I stay on Flinders Island?
There is only one place to stay on the island — the Flinders Island Eco Lodge. It sleeps 12, and guests have access to vehicles and kayaks to explore the island during the day.
The only other home on the island is the manager's cottage located 3km away, so at night, visitors have near-exclusive access to the entire island.
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