Arid Recovery is unique in that it is specifically dedicated to arid zone conservation. Few conservation programs target arid areas due to their low population base and inaccessability, even though Australia's arid zone has suffered the countries' worse extinction rate. Arid Recovery's acheivements to date include the following:

Design of a unique, cat, fox and rabbit-proof fence

Arid recovery is now a world leader in ecosystem recovery through the use of exclusion fencing. The AR designed fence was built following a series of comprehensive trials on a small ‘inside-out’ version of the final exclosure into which feral animals were introduced to test if and how they could breach the fence until the final effective model was developed.

Removal of feral animals from 60km²

After thousands of hours of staff, student and volunteer labour, all cats, rabbits and foxes have been eradicated from 60km², making it the largest feral-free fenced reserve in Australia. An additional 26km² is currently being cleared of introduced species.

Feral animal control

One of the long-term goals of Arid Recovery is to work towards feral species management and ecosystem recovery regeneration beyond the fence. Ongoing cat, rabbit and fox control has been undertaken outside the reserve since 1997, with research into more effective methods of large scale feral species control resulting in four peer reviewed papers to date and further research is in progress. Arid Recovery was the first site in South Australia to trial aerial baiting for feral cats, which took place from 2002-2005. We were also the first site in arid Australia to radio-track cats and foxes with GPS collars to gain a greater understanding of cat and fox behaviour in the arid zone. Arid Recovery is still focused on managing cats and foxes on a regional scale and is currently researching the role that dingoes may play in the control of fox and cat populations with the aim of determining if dingoes can be used as a tool to assist in biodiversity conservation.

Endangered species re-introductions

The reserve has created an area of complete protection into which six locally extinct species have been re-introduced:

Greater Stick Nest Rat, Leporillus conditor
Burrowing Bettong, Bettongia lesueur
Greater Bilby, Macrotis lagotis
Western Barred Bandicoot, Perameles bougainville
Numbat, Myrmecobius fasciatus
Woma Python, Aspidites ramsayi

The first four of these reintroductions have been successful and all four species are now thriving within the reserve. Numbat and woma python reintroductions are still in the trial stages.

Restoration of the arid zone ecosystem

Since fencing the reserve and removing cats, foxes and rabbits, the numbers of existing native species within the reserve have now increased and there are now between 5 times as many small mammals inside the reserve compared to outside. These include the Spinifex Hopping-mouse and the nationally threatened Plains Rat.

Arid zone trees are long-lived, yet germinate very infrequently. The impact of rabbits and domestic stock on the survival of tree species such as the mulga is evident by the increased recruitment of seedlings inside the reserve compared to the outside. Our research has also shown that the burrows of re-introduced mammal species provide shelter for active animal species and shallow holes dug by bilbies as they feed have increased germination rates of native seedlings.

Research and monitoring of ecological processes

More than 500 monitoring sites have been established at the reserve to research the regeneration of ecological processes. Monitoring includes mature plants, seedlings, re-introduced fauna species, soil seedbank, small mammals, reptiles, birds, invertebrates and introduced species. Arid recovery is the only site in Australia which has a large 8 square km "control" area within the Reserve where both reintroduced and introduced species are excluded. This allows us to differentiate between then effects of re-introduced native animals and feral species on the environment.

Enclosed population management and restoration beyond the fence

With the absence of dispersel and natural predation, animals inside fenced reserves will eventually become limted by resources. Arid Recovery is now leading the way into creating a self-sustaining ecosystem by re-introducing natural predators back into the environment (i.e. Woma Python). We are also currently designing a one-way gate system that will allow animals to disperse outside the reserve when numbers in the reserve are high, but will prevent any animals, including rabbits and feral predators, from invading. This will contribute to our long-term goal of establishing viable populations of threatened species outside the fenced reserve system. Our wild west program is centred on a 200 square km unfenced area adjacent to the Reserve where cats and foxes are being controlled.

Visits, Tours and Voluntourism Initiatives

Arid Recovery hosts many types of visits and tours of the reserve including public tours, look and learn visits, Indigenous training camps, open days and visits by industry representatives. A viewing platform and above-ground/below-ground viewing hide have been constructed within the reserve, along with interpretive signage at the viewing platform and along a self-guided walking trail. Interactive walking tours of the reserve, run by volunteers, commenced in 2003 and are popular with both locals and tourists.