Other ways to support the Plains-wanderer

• Start a conversation and let others know about the Plains-wanderer by wearing your very own enamel pin. All supporters who donate $200 or more will receive a complimentary ‘Plains-wanderer Warrior’ pin designed by Castlemaine-based artist, Bridget Farmer.
• Seeking to buy a grasslands property? We know of a Plains-wanderer paradise in need of new owners – get in touch!
• Already a landowner? Find out how to covenant your property with Trust For Nature
• Learn about Zoos Victoria’s breeding program
• Read up on Bush Heritage’s amazing Boolcoomatta property
• Get involved with the Friends of Terrick Terrick National Park 

Given the majority of the Plains-wanderers’ remaining habitat is on privately-owned land, protecting it with conservation covenants is the only way to guarantee their future. Conservation covenants prevent land from being ploughed and developed, even when the land changes hands.

Working with voluntary landholders Trust for Nature has so far permanently protected over 2,400 ha in Plains-wanderers’ last remaining stronghold, North Central Victoria. The good news is more farmers and landholders in the area are interested in protecting the habitat on their properties. We have the opportunity to protect a further 4,000 ha on the Northern Grasslands but we can only do it with your support. Please give now to save this unique bird and give them forever homes.

Five hours north-east of Adelaide, you’ll find Bush Heritage’s Boolcoomatta Reserve on Adnyamathanha and Wilyakali Country. Silhouetted by the Olary Ranges, Boolcoomatta boasts 63,000 hectares of sweeping saltbush plains, ephemeral wetlands and critical drought refuge habitat for the Plains-wanderer. It is thought, the reserve provides vital habitat for approximately 10% of the species who still call South Australia home.

At Boolcoomatta, staff, volunteers and PhD students are working hard to return the bush to good health and promote a healthy habitat for the Plains-wanderer. Careful management includes long-term species monitoring, genetic testing of the resident population and the control of invasive species. Targeted research on the Plains-wanderer’s movement and habitat use aims to fill in knowledge gaps and assist with the species’ recovery. Recently, 11 Plains-wanderers were recorded at Boolcoomatta, the largest recording since 2006, a promising and motivating moment for conservation efforts.

Parks Victoria is the largest single manager of native grasslands in the state. These grasslands are carefully managed for a range of flora and fauna species, with the Plains-wanderer acting as an effective flagship for conservation. Key management actions include the control of pest plants and animals and the application of ecological grazing to maintain habitat in ideal condition.

Parks Victoria has been involving citizen scientists in the monitoring of Plains-wanderers, other grassland fauna and their habitat since 2009. We work closely with a broad range of partners to protect native grasslands and bring their unique stories and conservation plight to the attention of Victorians.

The critically endangered Plains-wanderer is one of Zoos Victoria’s 27 priority Australian native ‘Fighting Extinction’ species. Zoos Victoria is part of an Australian National Recovery Team, formed in 2015 to save the species from extinction. We are committed to the recovery of this precious species by building an insurance population in the dedicated breeding aviaries at Werribee Open Range Zoo, helping to preserve the species’ genetic diversity, and breeding birds for release to support self-sustaining wild populations.

Zoos Victoria is also contributing to efforts by local recovery team partners including Parks Victoria, DELWP and Trust for Nature, who are working to preserve important native grassland habitat for the Plains-wanderer.