Pair of Numbat siblings at Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary. © Julie Kern

Decades of conservation efforts have improved the outlook for Australia’s unique termite-eating Numbat, which changed today from Endangered to Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. While the IUCN improvement of status is an important milestone in the Numbat’s recovery, ongoing conservation work remains essential to preventing the species from sliding back towards extinction.

During a 10-year review of the species Red List assessment, IUCN determined that conservation efforts, including extensive work by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), have contributed to an overall increase in the Numbat population, to the extent that the species no longer fits the criteria for listing as Endangered.

“It’s great to see that decades of conservation efforts across Australia are paying off, and the Numbat has moved from Endangered to Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List,” said Dr Jennifer Anson, AWC Senior Ecologist and member of The Numbat Recovery Team, a group dedicated to the conservation of the species. Dr Anson was also part of the assessment that led to the downlisting of the species.

“The downlisting is a recognition of how the species is recovering in areas of concerted conservation efforts and that extinction is not inevitable when conservation action is taken and sustained over the long term. But this is not the end of the story. Active and ongoing conservation management is critical to securing the Numbat’s future, without it the trajectory of the species will reverse quickly.”

While once they could be found across much of southern Australia from south-western WA to western NSW and Victoria, the Numbat population significantly declined with the introduction of cats and foxes. By the late 1970s, Numbat numbers plummeted to approximately 300 individuals, leading to the species’ classification as ‘Endangered’ and making them one of the rarest mammals in the world.

AWC has played a key role in the Numbat’s recovery over the past quarter century. In 1999, the species was reintroduced to Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary on Barkandji Country in far western New South Wales, that is now owned by AWC. A population has since established from the 43 founding animals within a 4,000-hectare feral predator-free fenced area. The reserve was later expanded to 8,000 hectares, with a further 33 Numbats released between 2011 and 2012.

In 2002, AWC assumed management of Yookamurra Wildlife Sanctuary on the land of Ngarrindjeri Nation in South Australia, inheriting a second reintroduced population of Numbats. Fourteen years later, in 2016, a third population was established by AWC within the 7,800 hectare feral predator-free fenced area at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary on Badimia Country in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt.

By December 2020, a fourth population was established within the largest feral predator-free fenced area on mainland Australia, in Mallee Cliffs National Park. In partnership with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, 15 Numbats were released in 2020, followed by a further 31 individuals in 2021 and 2022.

“Through reintroductions to feral predator-free fenced areas, we have helped establish four secure populations of the Numbat across the species’ former range,” added Dr Anson. “These populations reduce the risk of extinction and contribute to the species’ overall population growth, as recognised in IUCN’s latest assessment.”

AWC’s recovery efforts over subsequent decades have focused on feral predator control which remains the biggest threat to Australia’s native species. This includes ongoing checks and maintenance of the feral predator-free fenced areas for any potential incursions, as well as feral cat and fox control measures beyond the fence.

AWC is also protecting the Numbat by maintaining its habitat through active land management such as carefully managed fire regimes that reduce the risk of unplanned wildfires. These efforts, along with the feral predator management and safety of the feral predator-free fenced areas, continue to deliver encouraging results, including the discovery of four juvenile Numbats at Mallee Cliffs National Park in October last year.

The status of the Numbat under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) remains unchanged. The species remains listed as Endangered in Australia.

For more information on AWC’s work with the Numbat, click here.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary.

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