Australia's Great Conservation Hand-Over
Aussie Ark has officially handed over stewardship of its Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.
This move ensures the long-term protection of one of Australia’s most ecologically significant regions.
Aussie Ark is officially handing over stewardship of its Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in northern New South Wales to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), in a move that ensures the long-term protection of one of Australia’s most ecologically significant regions.
The 1,260-hectare sanctuary, located near Casino in the Northern Rivers, was purchased for conservation in 2021 by Aussie Ark with the support of WildArk, Re:wild and the Australian Reptile Park. Since then, Aussie Ark has worked tirelessly to transform the property into a thriving refuge for native wildlife, regenerating degraded land, planting more than 26,000 trees, restoring access roads and confirming the presence of species such as Koalas, Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallabies and Kate’s Leaf-Tailed Geckos.
Aussie Ark Managing Director Tim Faulkner said the transition represents the next chapter in the property’s conservation story.
“We’ve worked blood, sweat and tears to create this sanctuary. Over time, Aussie Ark has refined its focus to achieve the greatest conservation impact possible, and that has meant finding the right custodian to carry this property forward,” said Mr Faulkner.
“We’ve found that in Australia’s premier wildlife conservation charity, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and we couldn’t be happier. I’ve never been prouder - to acquire land, develop it, prepare it, and now hand it over to an organisation we deeply respect and trust.”
The sanctuary is home to extraordinary biodiversity, with more than 250 species of native vertebrates predicted to occur across its forested slopes, escarpments and lowland rainforest - 21 frogs, 148 birds, 52 mammals and 30 reptiles among them. It also supports populations of Koalas and two threatened species: the Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby and Kate’s Leaf-Tailed Gecko.
“Every species added to our network brings us closer to our mission,” said AWC’s Chief Science Officer, Dr John Kanowski. “With the addition of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies at Mongo Valley, AWC is now protecting 12 of Australia’s 17 Rock-wallaby species across our sanctuaries and partnership areas, including six of the seven federally listed threatened species.”
“I’m very excited for AWC to expand our work in this beautiful part of the world,” said AWC Chief Executive, Tim Allard. “At Mongo Valley we’ll be replicating our successful model of effective, practical conservation and dealing with threats to wildlife.”
Aussie Ark’s decision to transfer Mongo Valley to Australian Wildlife Conservancy marks a milestone in Australian conservation collaboration, ensuring the sanctuary will continue to grow under the care of dedicated land managers and scientists.
“Our mission has always been about outcomes, real conservation results,” Mr Faulkner said. “We thank our partners, donors and team members who helped make Mongo Valley a reality. And we thank Australian Wildlife Conservancy, the landscape management heroes, for becoming custodians of what has truly been our heart and soul.”
Aussie Ark continues to focus its efforts on its network of sanctuaries across New South Wales, including Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, Yindi Sanctuary, and Curricabark and others, as part of its vision of creating a long-term future for Australia’s threatened wildlife.
