In the Bass Stradger, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland, it is found An island that is about to become a sanctuary for wildlife: Flinders Island. With an area of about 2,080 square kilometers, the largest island of the Furneaux archipelago It is ready to get rid of rats, mice and cats thanks to an ambitious project of eradication of invasive alien species (therefore not native), financed with $ 4.8 million by the Australian federal and state government.
The goal is to report the ecosystem of the island to the original conditions, before the arrival of the Europeanswhen the local fauna thrived in harmony with nature. Flinders Island, with its hilly territory which culminates in peaks Stroclecki (778 meters) and the jagged coast, has always played a crucial role for biodiversity. Its native vegetation, which still covers 75% of the territory today, houses numerous species of marine birds, including the characteristic Cape Barren goose.
From storage to conservation
The history of the island is deeply linked to the presence of Aboriginal populations and European exploration. The English navigator Matthew Flinderswhich in 1798 macpeed the coasts, was impressed by the wealth of Wallaby hare changing down, a kind of marsupial, which populated the island. However, over time, the arrival of the seal hunters and the introduction of invasive specieslike cats and rats, They caused the disappearance of many native species.
A $ 4.8Million Project to Turn Flinders Island Into a Refuge for Nationally Threatenad Mammals Has Just Been Novenced. Find Out More: https://t.co/8nroheuhl#flindersislandsafehaven pic.twitter.com/rwiqdhaoar
– Sa Department for Environment & Water (@envirosanews) Febration 4, 2025
In the twentieth century, the island became a sheep breeding, activities that The Woolford family carried out from 1979 until the early 2000s. But the growing costs and the drop in the value of the wool made unsustainable agriculture. Today, Jonas Woolford, one of the owners of the island, has a new goal: report Flinders Island to its natural statewhen the explorer Flinders admired its wildlife.
A “free” island
The project Flinders Island Safe Haven It represents an epochal turning point for the island. The eradication of the rodents, scheduled for May with the use of helicopters and baits, is only the beginning. A complex operation will follow to eliminate about 200 wild cats, with the help of thermal vision drones and teams of experts from New Zealand and Tasmania.
Wallaby in danger
By the end of 2025, Flinders Island should be free from invasive alien species, opening the way to the reintroduction of native species such as the Wallaby hare changing down and the Shark Bay Bandicoota type of terricolo marsupial, both at risk of extinction. The presence of subfossil remains of these animals on the island bodes well in their return and, above all, in their ability to thrive on you.
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But the benefits will not limit themselves to fauna. The eradication of parasites will also have a positive impact on the floraallowing the recovery of plant species whose seeds were eaten by rodents. The entire ecosystem, including coastal birds, reptiles and invertebrates, will benefit from it.
The Woolford family, who actively collaborated on the project, He met the Elliston community to illustrate the biosyphic measures that will be adopted to avoid new invasions. Because Flinders Island returns to being a paradise, it is necessary to protect it from future threats.
Thanks to its isolated position and natural barriers, Flinders Island offers an ideal refuge for threatened species. The Flinders Island Safe Haven project represents an environmental conservation model and an example of how man should remedy his mistakes.
