More than just bilbies this Easter: 
Nearly 30 years of ecosystem change

At Easter the bilby has become a symbol of conservation, but at Arid Recovery, the story doesn’t stop at one species. This Easter, support the research and on-ground work behind and entire ecosystem

In 1997, Arid Recovery set out to answer a question: what happens when you remove cats, foxes and rabbits from an arid ecosystem? Behind a predator-proof fence (that was designed and developed here), we created a place where the system could begin to recover.

Native mammals were reintroduced, including the bilby. And later, predators too. Western quolls were returned to the system, restoring interactions that had been missing for decades.

As these animals returned, so did the processes they drive. Burrowing bettongs and bilbies dig into the soil, creating thousands of small pits that trap seeds and water. Plants establish in these pits, growing where they couldn’t before. Small native rodents that were once missing from the region, have found their way back, establishing populations within the predator-free reserve.

What began as an experiment has become one of the longest-running studies of its kind. As the system changed, so did our understanding of it. Over nearly three decades, this work has grown into more than 100 peer-reviewed publications,  informing land managers and conservation programs across Australia, both inside and beyond fenced reserves. From predator-proof fencing to species reintroductions and long-term ecosystem research, the insights gained here are helping shape how conservation is done.

The bilby is part of this story. But the ecosystem is the story. 
Rebuilt over time by many species, and by the people who support this work.

This Easter, you can be a part of it. 

Your support helps us continue the research, monitoring and on-ground work that keeps this system functioning. Without it, this work doesn’t happen.

Twenty-nine years of ecosystem recovery