Faunal habitat restoration and reintroductions

The intent of all restoration and rehabilitation projects is to reinstate habitats suitable for the expansion or recolonization of all biota including the ecosystem’s native animals. In some cases, animals recolonise the restored habitat, in other cases animals have been severely depleted or made locally extinct by predation by pest animals (e.g. foxes, cats). In such cases, control of these pests is required prior to or at the same time as reintroduction of missing fauna.

The presence of previously absent animals can therefore be a good indicator that a reinstated vegetation community is functioning, particularly if those animals are agents of building soils, nutrient cycling, pollination, seed dispersal and other functions.

Examples:

Recolonisation after habitat restoration

• Murray River Fishways, Sea to Hume Dam, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales
  
  • Top 25 report
  • EMR fishways feature
  • Monitoring summary
• Murray-Darling river demonstration reaches (Fish recovery), South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales
• Murray woodland habitat restoration, Murray Catchment, New South Wales
• Regent Honeyeater project, Lurg, Victoria
• Flying Fox Reserve habitat restoration, Gordon, New South Wales
• Penryn Estuary habitat rehabilitation for migratory waterbirds, Sydney, New South Wales
• Kooragang wetlands, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
• Bat recolonization, Jarrah Forests, Western Australia

Reintroductions where populations that have declined or become locally extinct

• Shark Bay Peninsula, Western Australia
• Peron Peninsula, Western Australia
• Arid Recovery, South Australia
• Bounceback, South Australia – (Also watch excellent video)
• Australian Wildlife Conservancy
• Lord Howe Island Stick Insect reintroduction, New South Wales
• Mulligan's Flat, Australian Capital Territory
• Norfolk Green Parrot, New South Wales.