Amid the heat of early 2025, the South Australian Government announced plans to restore Flinders Island as a haven for native wildlife.
In an update this week, the Department for Environment and Water posted on social media that the project had officially commenced.
To support its success, the island is now closed to visitors until at least the end of 2025.
The latest update confirms that on-ground work to remove rodents and feral cats is now underway on Flinders Island, off South Australia’s west coast.
Aviation and pest control teams arrived in Elliston last week and are now gearing up to head offshore for the first sweep of the program.
The island’s closure to visitors will help protect public safety and give the operation the best chance of success. A 100-metre marine buffer zone is also in place until mid-June, depending on the weather.
The island has long been impacted by predatory pests and invasive species, preventing it from supporting native wildlife. The plan has been put into place to flip the script and turn Flinders Island into an environment where these species can thrive.
Subfossil remains of native mammals including the tammar wallaby and southern brown bandicoot proves that various small mammals once roamed the island before becoming extinct following the mid-20th century when pests were introduced.
“The Flinders Island Safe Haven project is vital because there are few places in Australia which provide such a unique opportunity for us to protect our important native wildlife,” said Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate, Environment and Water Susan Close.
The start of eradication efforts marks a key milestone in the long-term plan to restore Flinders Island’s natural habitat.
The island, privately owned by the Woolford family, is set to transform into a refuge for endangered native species, free from introduced predators in the near future.
Jonas Woolford said, “Sharing the conservation results with a like-minded community is our intention – being mindful that to ensure the legacy and investment of this project, biosecurity by us and all visitors is our ongoing responsibility.”
As South Australia’s fourth largest island, the unique habitat is surrounded by the Investigator Group Marine Park protected area. A diverse coastline and native flora covering around 75 per cent of the island make this space a perfect haven for threatened species.
More than 1,100 plant and animal species are listed as threatened under SA’s National Parks and Wildlife Act, with around 73 species lost since European settlement.
The Flinders Island Safe Haven project marks another important step in reversing this trend and working towards conservation for the state’s native wildlife.
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