Eastern Barred Bandicoots have returned from near-extinction on a Mortlake sheep farm

Last century, Eastern Barred Bandicoots were considered extinct. Today, 1700 live on one sheep farm in Mortlake. 

How it happened: Tiverton Farm is the largest predator-free sanctuary in Victoria, utilising fencing from the adjacent Dundonnell Wind Farm to protect furry locals like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot and the Eastern Quoll. 

• The property is run by the Odonata Conservation project, partnering with landholders across the country to restore “high biodiversity landscapes”.

From nothing to something: Ecologist Damian Jones patrols the property every week. The population of bandicoots sits close to 1700 now, but in the 20th century the small marsupial was thought to be extinct. 

🗣️: “A small colony was found living in Hamilton and were taken into, well, protective custody, if you will”, said Jones.

When the bandicoots were rediscovered, it was a group of 40 animals. Only 19 of them were viable for breeding. It means a lot of the information being learned about their behaviour is new. 

🗣️ “A camera captured an event where 40 or 50 bandicoots were frolicking in a circle. We call it a bandicoot tornado. Nobody knows what they’re doing. Given they were considered extinct, there’s little study on their behaviour. Everything you find out about them is quite surprising.” Jones told the Brolga. 

⚒️ Clocked in: Jones said they call the bandicoots “ecosystem engineers” because of what their habits do to the environment.

🗣️: “They dig lots of little holes in the ground, five centimetres deep and two centimetres wide - the same shape as their nose”, said Jones. “Native flora has evolved alongside this. Native plant seeds end up in these little holes and it's perfect for them to germinate.” 

In a given year, the bandicoots turn over three to four tonnes of soil. The farm grazes its sheep on natural grasses to promote this process. 

🐑 Lay of the land: Tiverton farm stretches across 1,000 hectares and blends regenerative farming with conservation. Producing Merino wool, the added conservation work helps to also promote soil health, reduce emissions and encourage the growth of native plants. 

The deal with conservation: Australia has a remarkably unique animal population, with 87 percent of our mammals found nowhere else on the planet. They have also suffered a rate of extinction considered world-leading. Tiverton’s bandicoots have faced dire obstacles trying to survive. 

• Predation by introduced species like the fox, as well as habitat loss and increased drought, led to their previous presumed extinction. Now, they exist only in three reintroduced populations within contained sanctuaries. 

🌏 The bigger picture: A changing climate has already seen parts of Victoria burned, flooded and plundered. The loss of biodiversity is just as destructive. 

• “Healthier biodiversity leads to a healthier landscape. ” Jones said. “Since European settlement, especially western grasslands, biodiversity has been impacted by human activities - agriculture, introduced species, habitat loss.” 

• “They [the bandicoots] have a boom or bust population, only living two to three years in the wild. It’s remarkably short. So, if they’re living in a landscape with lots of rainfall, the population grows in response. If there is drought, starvation will lead to a population decrease.”

🌱 Power of the natural world:  Approximately one third of emissions reduction required to help stop climate change could be achieved through protecting and improving nature’s ability to absorb emissions within its natural landscapes. 

• Half the emissions produced by humans remain in the atmosphere. 

• The other half is absorbed by the land and ocean. They are “natural carbon sinks” that, when healthy, provide a nature-based answer to climate change.

The preservation of a sub-species like the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, and the digging behaviour that creates ideal growing conditions for native plants, is just one reason why this biodiversity is important. 

It creates a perfect environment for native grasslands to return. 

Beacon of hope: Places like Tiverton farm demonstrate a version of biodiversity protection where nature works hand-in-hand with modern development. 

• “Agriculture can coexist with the natural environment. There are ways to be gentler on the environment that aren’t just scorched-earthing it.” 

Jones told the Brolga the future remains uncertain as the local environment continues to change due to climate impacts. 

• “Predation by cats and foxes means they [the bandicoots] can only have them [exist] in fenced populations. As climate change impacts the environment, animals, where they can, will migrate to follow the climate to suit them,” Jones told the Brolga. “Animals contained within a sanctuary and island won’t be able to do that.”