Rare opportunity to connect one million hectares of protected land in WA’s Mid West
An opportunity to protect 107,000 hectares of bushland is being pursued to strengthen a major conservation corridor in Western Australia.
A significant and remote stretch of Country in north-western Queensland – approximately twice the size of Brisbane – has been granted the highest level of legal protection for private land in Australia.
Under legislation unique to Queensland, Bush Heritage Australia’s Pilungah Reserve on Wangkamahdla Country, 470 km south of Mt Isa, has received the same level of statutory protection as a national park. This means the more than 220,000-hectare Reserve is permanently protected from mining, logging and grazing.
It’s only the third time the Queensland Government has applied the legislation, and the first time that Special Wildlife Reserve status has been granted with cultural heritage being the leading reason.
Bush Heritage Australia purchased Pilungah Reserve in 2005 to protect its irreplaceable cultural heritage and critical habitat for native species. The Reserve is home to the only known population of Fat-tailed Pseudantechinus in Queensland, the majority of known populations of five other mammals, and one of the most diverse reptile communities on the planet.
– Rachel Lowry, CEO, Bush Heritage Australia“Pilungah Reserve is a vast and remote beauty, whose irreplaceable cultural heritage and extraordinary ecosystems deserve the highest level of protection possible.”
“We welcome this decision from the Queensland Government at a time when we need to work harder than ever to protect what we have left,” said Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s Chief Executive Officer.
Bush Heritage worked closely with the Wangkamahdla Traditional Custodians to apply for Special Wildlife Reserve status at Pilungah Reserve, which contains irreplaceable artworks, culturally important sites and ancient trade routes that carry international significance.
Traditional Custodian Avelina Tarrago said that Special Wildlife status is the result of years of work advocating for Wangkamahdla Country against the threats posed by activities such as mining.
– Avelina Tarrago, Wangkamahdla Traditional Custodian“There are a number of sites on Wangkamahdla Country, including at Pilungah Reserve, that contain the largest concentration and variety of Aboriginal petroglyphs in Queensland.”
Image Information
Gidgee trees on Pilungah Reserve, Wangkamahdla Country, QLD. Photo Bee Stephens.
Image Information
The Fat-tailed False Antechinus, a tiny carnivorous marsupial, is one of the rare species found on Pilungah Reserve. Photo by Isaac Clarey (CC BY-NC 4.0)
The Queensland Government’s approval of Pilungah’s Special Wildlife Reserve application puts Wangkamahdla cultural heritage squarely in the spotlight and acknowledges the importance of preserving these irreplaceable sites.
"It’s very significant for us that we’re able to achieve this Special Wildlife status to protect the integrity of these sites and stories and ensure they are preserved into the future,” Avelina added. “It shows that these are important issues that require our collective attention, and that it is worth the effort to advocate for these outcomes – because they are possible.”
Only two other Special Wildlife Reserves exist in Queensland, Bush Heritage’s Pullen Pullen Reserve on Maiawali Country and Edgbaston Reserve on Bidjara Country. Alongside Traditional Custodians, Bush Heritage has submitted Special Wildlife Reserve applications for four other nature reserves: Carnarvon Station Reserve in the Brigalow Belt, Yourka Reserve in the Einsleigh Uplands, Reedy Creek in the Gladstone region, and Ethabuka Reserve, near Pilungah Reserve in western Queensland.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said special wildlife reserves protect private land with exceptional natural and cultural resources.
– Andrew Powell, Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism“This declaration ensures it [Pilungah] has the same level of protection as our National Parks, and it joins Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve and Edgbaston Special Wildlife Reserve as protected private properties of exceptional significance.”
“Bush Heritage Australia has prepared a management plan for this beautiful property, which will protect the gibber plains, red sandy dune fields, semi-permanent waterholes, spinifex and Mitchell grasslands and low acacia woodlands,” Minister Powell said.
Rachel Lowry explained that Bush Heritage is working towards creating healthy Country, protected forever.
“That protected forever part is fundamental – Special Wildlife Reserve legislation is a powerful tool enabling us to work hand in hand with Traditional Custodians and the government to achieve this together, on behalf of all Australians,” she concluded.
