Decade of Conservation in Western Australia Spotlighted on International Film Stage
A new short documentary highlighting a decade-long conservation effort in Western Australia has been showcased at an international film festival. Titled Back to the Bush, the 21-minute film was created by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and focuses on the recovery of 10 threatened native species at the Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, located 360 kilometres north-east of Perth.
Shot by AWC photographer and videographer Brad Leue, the documentary compiles hundreds of hours of footage gathered over ten years of late-night stake-outs and unmanned camera traps. The project details how the construction of a predator-free fence helped bring vulnerable animals back from the brink of extinction. Species such as woylies and quolls acted as "ecosystem engineers," transforming the landscape with burrows and diggings to recreate a thriving environment reminiscent of pre-feral Australia.
AWC senior wildlife ecologist Bryony Palmer noted that eight of the 10 reintroduced species are currently present on the sanctuary with thriving populations. Following this milestone, the organization's next objective is to begin establishing some of these protected species outside the sanctuary's predator-free boundary.