Environmentalists are hailing the capture of a rare possum in the Northern Territory as an early win for their new partnerships with cattle stations.
A scaly-tailed possum has been caught for the first time in the Territory by Australian Wildlife Conservancy scientists working at Bullo River Station.
Julian and Alexandra Burt's iconic station takes in about 165,000 hectares in the north-west of the NT.
It is another Territory station which has place its holdings under conservation land management through a partnership with AWC.
Only last month it was announced one of Australia's biggest cattle producers has also signed on to protect its six million hectares across northern Australia.
The North Australian Pastoral Company has joined with the wildlife group as well.
The historic pastoral company operates 14 cattle properties in Queensland and the Territory with the Queensland government the majority owner.
The deal doubled the amount of land under AWC's conservation reach to 12.5 million hectares.
The possum's discovery has been heralded as a sign of the progress being made under the model of land management which combines pastoralism and conservation.
The scaly-tailed possum (also called the Wyulda) is a unique rock-dwelling marsupial which before 2018 had only been recorded in the Kimberley.
With stout limbs and a strong, gripping tail, it clambers among rugged rocky country, feeding on seeds, fruits and flowers by night and sheltering among the rocks during the day.
A camera trap in 2018 revealed the species was present at Bullo River Station, but it has taken until now for ecologists to lay their hands on one.
Ecologists from AWC carried out animal-trapping surveys in April and May, as part of ongoing efforts to monitor the health of ecosystems on Bullo River.
"There hasn't been a great deal of survey work done in this part of the world, compared to places like the Kimberley and the Top End," AWC senior wildlife ecologist Dr Eridani Mulder said.
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"It's an exciting place to work, because you never know what might turn up.
"When we first detected the possum on camera traps, that was a pretty big deal - it was the first record for the species outside of Western Australia and a range extension of about 150 kilometres."
Catching a live possum allowed the scientists to take a tissue sample for genetic analysis, which will provide more detailed information about the species at the very east of its range.
The possum was released in the same place it was trapped.
The station's co-owner Julian Burt said he was also delighted with the discovery.
"This possum is yet further evidence that this style of land management partnership is not only possible, but can and does deliver great ecological outcomes.
"The entire station team is excited about what more can be achieved in partnership with AWC," Mr Burt said.
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
