#Rewilding #Wirruwana, Western #Australia's largest island
by Cat Williams, December 23, 2024
"[Wendy Payne] says the difference between Dirk Hartog Island as a pastoral station and Wirruwana as a national park 'is quite astonishingly different.'
"To date, eight native species have been reestablished, and the team aims to have up to 13 animals reintroduced by 2030. With the return of the animals, the landscape is changing.
"When you remove an animal from the environment, everything that animal does in its habitat, such as digging and distributing seeds, is lost.
"With the return of native animals, these processes and Wirruwana are slowly being restored.
"'The difference in just a few short years is really quite staggering,' says Wendy.
A rewilding blueprint
"Wendy says rewilding Wirruwana is one of the most important ecological restoration projects in Australia, and it's highly regarded globally.
"With impressive outcomes, what does it mean for the future of Australian environmental conservation?
"Return to 1616 has shown what is possible. The project provides evidence—and inspiration—for rewilding other islands and protected environments.
"Wirruwana can lead the way for others to follow in its footsteps, to create a blueprint for the conservation of Australia's precious #ecosystems."
Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-rewilding-wirruwana-western-australia-largest.html
#SolarPunkSunday #ReturnTo1616 #DirkHartogIsland #RestoringBiodiversity #RestoringNature
