Pre Arid Recovery

Arid areas are among the worst effected by the impacts of cats, domestic stock, rabbits and foxes since European settlement. However, few conservation projects have targeted arid areas in the past.

Since European settlement, over 60% of the mammal species have become locally or completely extinct, while many remaining species are threatened. Ground dwelling birds such as the Bush Thick-knee and Plains Wanderer have also become locally extinct or endangered.

The main reasons for the decline of the local native fauna and flora are overgrazing by rabbits and domestic stock, and predation from introduced animals like the feral cat and fox. Medium-sized desert mammals have been most affected with many now globally extinct or have disappeared from mainland Australia and survive only on off-shore islands.

Since the inception of grazing in arid rangelands, there have been extensive vegetation changes. Many parts of arid Australia were severely over-grazed by sheep and cattle during the advent of pastoralism in the 19th Century. Overgrazing by domestic stock and rabbits has a significant effect on arid zone vegetation; long-lived arid zone trees and shrubs are prevented from regenerating, and long-lived plant species are being replaced by short-lived annual and weed species. Whilst current pastoral practices are much more conservative there are still many areas degraded by pastoralism.

The Beginning of Arid Recovery - Timing is Everything

In late 1996, the Rabbit Calicivirus Disease - developed and released by the CSIRO for the purpose of controlling rabbits in Australia - reached the Roxby Downs region. Rabbit numbers, which had been recorded at levels as high as 600 per square kilometre in previous years, plunged to less than ten in a very short time.

It was now possible to completely eradicate rabbits from a large-scale reserve, and the founders of Arid Recovery quickly took up the challenge.

Two members of the Roxby Downs community - Katherine Moseby, a young wildlife ecologist with a passion for the environment, and John Read, Land Manager for WMC Resources and long-time local ecologist - began the process of lobbying relevant organisations for support and assistance with the creation of a rabbit-free reserve for the purpose of ecosystem restoration and research.

By 1997, a steering committee had been formed from representatives of three organisations; WMC Resources (now BHP Billiton), the SA Dept for Environment & Heritage and the University of Adelaide; to plan what was then known as the Roxby Ecosystem Restoration and Research Project. Shortly afterwards, local and wider community members with an interest in the project formed the community group now known as Friends of Arid Recovery, thus completing the four way partnership.

A Memorandum of Understanding was developed, which set out the mission statement, aims and objectives of the program, and work began on stage one of the program; construction of the 14km² fenced reserve and eradication of all rabbits, cats and foxes within this area.

The project has grown considerably over the last ten years and now employs 8 staff. Arid Recovery is now an non-for profit organisation with a board of management and a CEO. Arid Recovery's success can be attributed to the passion and committment of staff, volunteers and project partners who were willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve on-ground change.

This cat shot at Roxby Downs
contained 32 reptiles, a house
mouse and a zebra finch. This catch represented a single meal!

Overgrazed land on the right and conservately grazed land on the left.

Katherine Moseby

John Read with woma python