They might not be front of mind when thinking of iconic Australian fauna, but some very special threatened species have gained significant funding and attention to help safe-guard their long-term survival.

The federal government’s Natural Heritage Trust will provide $2million to Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu for vital work to help bring some of the region’s most threatened species ‘Back from the Brink’ of extinction. 

The funding was announced by Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday 11 September.

“The priority landscapes that are receiving funding are incredibly biodiverse, with many native animals and plants calling them home. But they need our help,” says Ms Plibersek.

The southern bell frog, Murray hardyhead (fish), hooded plover and western beautiful firetail (birds) are the four target species of the project. Each species is facing significant challenges, and need help if they are going to have a chance of recovering.

Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu Regional Ecologist Luke Price knows the odds are against the species, without ongoing funding and support.

“These four species, along with many others across the Mount Lofty Ranges and surrounding areas, are on the brink of extinction. We have a special opportunity through this five-years of funding to continue to help reduce their risk of extinction.

“They are a diverse group of species, each relying on unique habitats, facing different threats and requiring different interventions – our approaches will be carefully tailored to their needs. 

“We are working together with other government agencies, local councils, private organisations, volunteers, community groups, schools, First Nations representatives, private landholders and contractors to deliver a series of recovery actions catered to each species.

“Due to many factors including habitat loss and degradation, previous and ongoing climatic events, disease, pest animal species, and interactions with humans, these four species are in serious trouble. 

“They have been prioritised as a focus for this funding, based on their importance to the wider ecosystems in which they occur, their expected ability to have the capacity to respond to our recovery actions, and because of their intrinsic value.” he says.

L-R – Southern bell frog, Murray hardyhead (G Schmida), hooded plover, western beautiful firetail

• Southern bell frog - became locally extinct in the lower-Murray during the Millenium Drought. 

Following on from a previous project, they will be bred in captivity and re-introduced to managed sites, attempting to re- establish wild populations in the region, in partnership with the local community of Clayton Bay, Nature Glenelg Trust and M&R Landscape Board.

• Murray hardyhead - a small native fish, once common throughout the Murray Basin, it is now in serious decline. An existing breeding program will be expanded across a series of waterbodies, such as dams, to supplement wild populations in the long-term via a partnership with Nature Glenelg Trust and M&R Landscape Board.

• Hooded plover - Australia’s most threatened beach-nesting bird. Work will continue to support the fantastic work of volunteers and partner organisations to protect breeding sites, raise public awareness and monitor populations.

• Western beautiful firetail - a highly threatened closed-shrubland bird, with population estimates suggesting as few as 50 adults may remain in the region. 

The species is area-sensitive and each pair requires large areas of habitat to persist. Following on from previous projects, large areas of critical new habitat will continue to be created through revegetation to support the expansion of the population.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.