03 April 2009
Peter Garrett AM
Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Environment Minister Peter Garrett is urging Australians to spare a thought this Easter for the bilby and other threatened species.
“With its large rabbit-like ears the bilby is one of our most loved native species and a popular Australian icon at this time of year.
“Unfortunately this unique marsupial is threatened and I want to ensure that it survives for generations to come.”
Through the Caring for Our Country program, the Australian Government has provided funding for two important programs working towards the recovery of the bilby.
These are:
• a grant of $156,282 for the Central Land Council in the Northern Territory aimed at implementing recovery actions for the bilby and other key threatened species, and
• a grant of $220,909 for the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation which will reintroduce the bilby to a large ex-pastoral lease.
“These grants add to the ongoing efforts by the Australian Government, the states and territories, and importantly the great work of non-government organisations who raise funds and work tirelessly to save the bilby.
“The national bilby recovery plan, the focus of all this work, sets out those actions we need to undertake to secure the bilby’s long term survival.
“It’s hard to believe bilbies were once common across most of Australia, and now they can only be found in fragmented remote populations, so our efforts are critical.
“Easter has become a time when many Australians think of the bilby and we mustn’t lose sight of the on-going threat to its survival,” Minister Garrett said.
Minister Garrett will talk to school children in his electorate about bilbies and other
threatened species including a visit from a live bilby.
For more information about bilbies see:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/bilby.html