Rewilding Australia's Wheatbelt: The Mt Gibson Success Story 🎥

Australia's vast landscapes hide stories of loss, but also remarkable revival. Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Australia's Wheatbelt, situated on the traditional lands of the Badimia People, stands as a beacon of hope. 

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) has reintroduced 10 native mammal species across 132,000 hectares of this land, turning a former sheep grazing lease into a thriving ecosystem. Acquired in 2001, this 1,305-square-kilometer reserve now hosts predator-free zones that demonstrate how targeted conservation can restore biodiversity on a massive scale.​

Credit: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

From Pastoral Lease to Conservation Haven

Once granted a pastoral lease in 1915 for sheep grazing, Mt Gibson suffered from land degradation and invasive species that wiped out native mammals. AWC transformed it by building a 43-kilometer feral-proof fence enclosing 7,800 hectares of prime habitat, eradicating foxes, feral cats, and other threats inside this "safe haven." Outside the fence, ongoing pest management supports species dispersal into surrounding areas, including connected reserves like Charles Darwin Reserve, forming a 30,000-square-kilometer conservation corridor in the Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot.​

This transitional zone blends Wheatbelt woodlands of salmon gum, York gum, and gimlet with arid elements, supporting 664 plant species (including 10 threatened ones), 147 birds, 67 reptiles, 39 mammals, and six amphibians. The sanctuary's location on the mulga-eucalypt line makes it ideal for reintroducing species absent for decades, proving private land conservation can rival government parks in impact.​

Credit: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Milestone Reintroductions

Since 2015, AWC has methodically brought back 10 endangered mammals, starting with the greater bilby in 2016—its first return to southwestern Australia in decades. Translocated from Scotia Sanctuary in New South Wales, 16 bilbies arrived via plane, fitted with radio-trackers, and released into soft-soil shrublands perfect for burrowing. Populations now thrive, with AWC protecting 15% of Australia's wild bilbies across sites like Mt Gibson, aiming for a 70% national increase (7,000 animals) in 5-10 years.​

Other successes include the critically endangered woylie (brush-tailed bettong), numbat, and Western quoll (chuditch), alongside brushtail possums reintroduced in 2021—49 individuals that have spread beyond the fence. The full list encompasses the Western barred bandicoot, Shark Bay mouse, red-tailed phascogale, greater stick-nest rat, banded hare-wallaby, and more, marking the highest number of species restored to one site in Australia. By 2025, ten years in, camera traps confirm breeding and dispersal, with possums detected in neighboring habitats.​​

Credit: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Cutting-Edge Technology in Action

Innovation drives Mt Gibson's model. AI-powered camera traps process massive footage to track elusive species, while drones monitor radio-collared animals for real-time data. Double-gated tunnels with AI recognition allow safe passage across fences, creating wildlife corridors without predator risks. These tools enable precise management, from health checks post-translocation to ecosystem monitoring, ensuring reintroductions succeed amid climate pressures.​

AWC's science team maps plant recovery and predator impacts, revealing how small mammals aerate soil, disperse seeds, and rebuild food webs. This data-driven approach scales beyond Mt Gibson, influencing 6.8 million hectares across 30+ AWC sites and partnerships covering 1.7% of Australia.

Wildflowers in Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary - Credit: Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Scalable Lessons for Global Rewilding

Mt Gibson proves rewilding works at landscape scale: feral eradication creates safe havens, technology tracks progress, and corridors connect habitats. It supports important bird areas for malleefowl and corellas, while kangaroos roam freely, highlighting holistic restoration. Challenges like wildfires and weeds persist, but integrated pest programs and Indigenous partnerships, such as with Badimia people, build resilience.​

This blueprint inspires Pilbara leaders and beyond, showing corporate and community collaboration heals the country. As Dr. Amanda Bourne (the Regional Ecologist at Australian Wildlife Conservancy, leading science programs including wildlife reintroductions at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Australia's Wheatbelt) noted in 2025 updates, ten species in ten years signals a Wheatbelt renaissance.​​

🎥 (1:55) AWC Sanctuary Spotlight: Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary

Hope for Australia's Future

Mt Gibson's revival underscores that bold action reverses extinction debts. Native diggers now reshape soils, birds thrive, and ecosystems rebound—proof positive for enviroblog.net readers seeking uplifting eco-wins.

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Check out the Australian Wildlife Conservancy - they do such great work 👍🏻

https://www.australianwildlife.org/