Wildlife conservation group to focus on landscape management after taking over sanctuary

A WILDLIFE conservation group has taken the reins of a sanctuary that is home to more than 250 species of birds, frogs, mammals and reptiles.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy has taken over stewardship of the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary near Casino.

The organisation specialises in native landscape management and takes over from Aussie Ark, which purchased the 1260-hectare sanctuary in 2021.

Aussie Ark will continue its work in breeding and rewilding endangered animals. The sanctuary also supports populations of koalas and two threatened species: the brush-tailed rock-wallaby and Kate’s leaf-tailed gecko.

“We’ve worked blood, sweat and tears to create this sanctuary,” Aussie Ark managing director Tim Faulkner said.

“Over time, Aussie Ark has refined its focus to achieve the greatest conservation impact possible, and that has meant finding the right custodian to carry this property forward.”

The Aussie Ark team worked to reverse the damage of cattle farming and logging, planted thousands of trees, and built critical infrastructure.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy chief executive Tim Allard said the sanctuary will continue to grow under the care of its dedicated land managers and scientists.

He hopes they can replicate their successful model of expanding its conservation impact to five per cent of Australia’s landmass by 2035 and increasing the number of threatened species it protects.

Its chief science officer Dr John Kanowski said every species added to its network helps them get closer to achieving that goal.

“With the addition of brush-tailed rock-wallabies at Mongo Valley, AWC is now protecting 12 of Australia’s 17 rock-wallaby species across our sanctuaries and partnership areas, including six of the seven federally listed threatened species,” Dr Kanowski said.

In the coming months, the group will hire staff to oversee science and operations on the sanctuary.

The team will be responsible for starting wildlife inventory surveys, establishing a catalogue of the species found on the sanctuary, and initiating weed control and fire management programs.