{"id":7646,"date":"2022-09-15T02:34:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T02:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/recovery-teams-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-09-16T05:06:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T05:06:30","slug":"northern-quolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/northern-quolls\/","title":{"rendered":"Dens for Endangered Northern Quolls"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/northern-quoll-2-banner.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]DENS FOR ENDANGERED NORTHERN QUOLLS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]NORTHERN QUOLLS BEING ENTICED BACK TO SAVANAAH LAND WITH ARTIFICIAL DENS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text el_class=”sub-head” css=”.vc_custom_1663210739616{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]19 SEPTEMBER 2022[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1663304785587{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Homes are being built for endangered northern quolls in Far North Queensland to entice them back to what was \u2018quoll country\u2019 in the days before cane toads.<\/p>\n

Northern quolls all but disappeared from savannah land after the arrival of cane toads, but researchers say the small populations that survived and live in patches of rocky country above savannah land, have learned to avoid eating them.<\/p>\n

Now dens are being built around the edges of hillsides at Australian Wildlife Conservancy\u2019s Brooklyn Wildlife Reserve, north of the Atherton Tablelands, to help increase quoll numbers and reconnect populations.<\/p>\n

Terrain and Gulf Savannah NRMs and Australian Wildlife Conservancy are working together on the project with the help of Ground Creations, who are building the dens, Transport and Main Roads\u2019 Edmonton to Gordonvale project and Mt Carbine\u2019s EQ Resources Ltd, who are each providing some of the resources.<\/p>\n

Terrain\u2019s Dr Andrew Dennis said 12 trial dens were being built from pipes, rock and rubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial dens have only been used on rehabilitating mine sites\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cWith their work to guide us, as well as quoll and den research elsewhere, and all the background survey work done by Australian Wildlife Conservancy on where quolls are living in this area, we\u2019ve come up with a new design that should suit the habitat here.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike on mining land, these dens will be built within undisturbed areas. Their design is based on natural den characteristics, such as depth and temperature and humidity targets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Transport and Main Roads, in collaboration with principal construction contractor HSA Group (John Holland, Seymour White and AECOM) for the Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor, (Stage 3) Edmonton to Gordonvale project is donating some concrete pipes needed for the project and mining company EQ Resources is providing us with rocks and rubble to make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dens are being built just beyond known quoll habitat. If they are successful in drawing quolls back out into flat savannah land, they may be a useful tool to reconnect isolated populations of quolls and improve the endangered species\u2019 genetic health.<\/p>\n

Australian Wildlife Conservancy\u2019s Wildlife Ecologist Dr Manuela Fischer said the project is critical in ensuring quolls are able to return into cane toad infested areas and thrive in Far North Queensland.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789122720{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 34px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_right”][mk_padding_divider size=”206″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1663284350940{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\"northern<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1663284763000{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\u201cNorthern quolls are at high risk of genetic isolation and its possible consequences, such as inbreeding depression,\u201d Dr Fischer said. \u201cWe are currently collecting genetic samples across different areas on Brooklyn Wildlife Sanctuary to determine if there is any genetic structuring between these areas. We are also collaborating with other researchers to identify genetic structuring at a regional scale within Queensland\u2019s northern quoll populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Dennis said quolls suffered an 80 per cent decline in Queensland as cane toad populations increased. Since then, they seem to have stabilised with populations remaining in pockets where they have learned to avoid toads.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this trial works, the lessons learnt could be applied in the Northern Territory and in Western Australia, where there is an ongoing rapid decline\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cNorthern quolls are listed in the top-100 priority threatened species in Australia. Females use seven to 10 hectares as a home range, while males need 70 hectares and more. We want to get them back on the savannah lands, reconnecting isolated populations and keeping genetics healthy while also performing their ecological role there as an apex predators.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dens are part of a larger quoll project being delivered by Terrain NRM in partnership with the Western Yalanji traditional owners, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Gulf Savannah NRM and James Cook University. It is trialling conservation methods and building on previous genetic sampling and fire management work. This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1663284737130{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]**Photo credits: Wayne Lawler, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Valeria Silva[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section el_class=”grean-btn-sec” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”47″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_button dimension=”outline” url=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/what-we-do\/biodiversity\/” align=”right” el_class=”green-btn” outline_skin=”custom” outline_active_color=”#175137″ outline_active_text_color=”#ffffff” outline_hover_bg_color=”#175137″ outline_hover_color=”#ffffff”]Read More[\/mk_button][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1-blog” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”105″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” align=”right” el_class=”terrain-title”]RELATED NEWS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][vc_row fullwidth=”true” fullwidth_content=”false” id=”post_grid_filter_1″][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”grid_greate_3″ css=”.vc_custom_1598408950187{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

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