Genetic Rescue Program Aims to Revive Extinct-in-the-Wild Australian Bandicoot
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A collaborative conservation project is working to reintroduce the eastern barred bandicoot, declared extinct in the wild in 1991, using a novel genetic rescue approach. The program, supported by a $2.5 million donation from Amazon's climate fund, aims to establish a resilient population of at least 500 animals. The chipmunk-sized marsupials play a key role in improving soil health and landscape resilience.
Facts First
- A genetic rescue program is underway for the eastern barred bandicoot, which was declared extinct in the wild in 1991.
- The project uses a gene-mixing approach, breeding mainland Australian bandicoots with a Tasmanian population isolated for over 10,000 years.
- Amazon.com’s Right Now Climate Fund donated $2.5 million to support the restoration of the bandicoot and other endangered species.
- The reintroduction goal is a population of at least 500 animals across a minimum of five different locations.
- The bandicoots improve soil health and landscape resilience against flood and drought through their burrowing activity.
What Happened
A genetic rescue program is being implemented to save the eastern barred bandicoot, a species declared extinct in the wild in Australia in 1991. The program... uses a gene-mixing approach by breeding mainland Australian bandicoots with those from Tasmania. Amazon.com’s Right Now Climate Fund donated $2.5 million to help restore this and other endangered species in Australia, including the eastern quoll and southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby.
Why this Matters to You
This project represents a tangible application of conservation science that may help restore natural ecosystem functions. The bandicoots' burrowing activity improves soil health and increases landscape resilience against floods and droughts. The involvement of corporate climate funding suggests a growing model where private investment supports biodiversity, a trend that could lead to more species recovery efforts.
What's Next
The three-year project aims to build a self-sustaining population of at least 500 eastern barred bandicoots across a minimum of five different locations. The success of this genetic rescue effort could provide a model for saving other species with critically low genetic diversity.