Funding for Mid West wildlife conservation

The future of threatened mammals in the Mid West has been boosted with a $500,000 Lotterywest grant which will be used to build a feral predator proof fence.

Presenting the grant last week to Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the community organisation was working hard to ensure native wildlife recovery.

"AWC now has 23 sanctuaries throughout Australia, including seven in WA, dedicated to assisting in the recovery and conservation of native wildlife," Mr Jacob said.

"This grant will be used by AWC to construct a feral predator-free fenced area of more than 7000ha at its Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mid West. The fence will allow the reintroduction of nine threatened fauna species by the end of 2017.

"This attempt to bring back animals once found wild in the area will see the translocation of species including the woylie, bilby, numbat, banded-hare wallaby, Shark Bay mouse, greater stick-nest rat, western barred bandicoot, red-tailed phascogale and chuditch."

Mr Jacob said the project would complement the recovery work being done by the Department of Parks and Wildlife for each of these animals and for two other threatened species that were already in place at Mt Gibson, the malleefowl and the Western spiny-tailed skink.

He said Parks and Wildlife was working with AWC to source animals for many of the reintroductions and to ensure both recovery programs were working together for the benefit of these threatened species.