Bandicoot Fence Thank You

Bandicoot Corner
Meghan Lindsay, Project Officer, Cardinia Environment Coalition

The Cardinia Environment Coalition has been operating since 1998. We manage several nature reserves in Cardinia Shire, including Bandicoot Corner in Bayles. Bandicoot Corner is a 3ha reserve of swampy riparian woodland, an endangered vegetation type. The reserve is home to a population of southern brown bandicoots, a federally listed endangered species. Southern brown bandicoots are marsupials with a stocky body, long snout and rounded ears. Adults weigh 1-1.2kgs, which puts them in the ‘critical weight range’. The critical weight range is a class of mammals in Australia that weigh between 35-5500g. Due to their size, this group of mammals are at high risk of decline and extinction, largely from predation by the introduced red fox and cat.

Bandicoot Corner has been surrounded by a predator proof fence since 2012. This fence protects the bandicoots from being predated by foxes and cats. Whilst predator proof fences can be an effective way to protect vulnerable species, they require constant maintenance and upkeep, which can be time consuming and expensive. The Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Foundation kindly provided funds to help us do some much-needed repairs to the fence in July 2021. With their help we were able to clear vegetation from the fence line and repair sections of the fence that had been damaged by fallen trees. This work will help us make sure that Bandicoot Corner remains a safe haven for southern brown bandicoots into the future.

Meghan Lindsay
Project Officer
Cardinia Environment Coalition
Phone: 0408 277 129
Web: www.cecinc.net.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CECCardiniaEnvironmentCoalition