Australia’s answer to the Easter Bunny, the Greater Bilby, is being given another chance to bounce around, with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) launching a national recovery plan for the vulnerable species.
Welcoming the plan, the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek said the Greater Bilby once inhabited two-thirds of the country but populations were now reduced to 15 per cent of Australia’s land, largely in Central Australia.
“The new Recovery Plan draws on First Nations knowledge and western science to help bring this precious species further back from the brink,” Ms Plibersek said.
“With its pink ears, soft grey coat, and little bouncy feet, the Greater Bilby is an iconic Australian animal,” she said.
“We want to make sure it can be a beloved Easter icon for generations. That means tackling threats like rabbits, an invasive animal whose eating and digging threatens over 300 native species.”
Ms Plibersek said the National Recovery Plan for the Greater Bilby included activities like research and management by Traditional Owners, removing and managing feral species and repairing Bilby habitats.
She said Environment Ministers from Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales had all signed on to make the recovery plan a reality.
DEECCW’s 60-page recovery plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
