First aid for the land

The first step in returning the Peron Peninsula to a more natural state, which will allow it to emerge as a future ark for our native plants and animals, requires removing and mitigating the many factors that have been involved in the long process of ecological destruction. The groundwork for Project Eden began in 1990, when the Peron pastoral station was first purchased by the department, and an end was made to 100 years of pastoralism and the grazing of sheep.

Project Eden then turned its energies to utilising many diverse and inventive techniques to control both the feral herbivores and predators (the principle agents of destruction) that abounded on the property. The success of these measures, which have been put into practice since 1995 has allowed much of the vegetation and surviving wildlife (bird, mammal and reptile) to begin the slow process of recovery and rejuvenation.

Of the 15 or so mammal species, which have been lost from Peron, all but one or two still persist in remnant populations elsewhere in the wild. Most are considered endangered and many teeter on the brink of extinction, persisting only in tiny, isolated remnants on the mainland, or protected offshore islands.

The second stage of Project Eden is aimed at re-establishing, through reintroductions, long-term viable populations of these species back into their old stomping grounds, and creating a safe haven for their future survival. This process began in 1997 with early reintroductions of three species (malleefowl, woylie and greater bilby). However, recovery will be a long, slow process as animal populations increase steadily, but only slowly through natural breeding even under the best conditions, and complex biological interactions and processes take time to re-establish themselves in a natural balance. How many of these missing species it is possible to return to their rightful niche, will depend on how well the habitats can recover and how much balance can be restored to the ecosystem.

As Project Eden fulfills its potential and rejuvenates this damaged ecosystem, it will achieve enormous conservation benefits for the Peron Peninsula, and may help to provide some answers to the problems that challenge arid land conservation throughout Australia. Along with the enhancement of the biodiversity values of Shark Bay, will come associated economic and social benefits as more people are attracted to the region to spend time learning about and appreciating the unique natural heritage values of this special place.