Two endangered species once thought extinct make unlikely comeback in national park: 'Like time-traveling'

Two species have made a remarkable comeback in South Australia, according to The Guardian.

Western quolls and brushtail possums were reintroduced to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park 10 years ago, and populations are now booming. Rangers and volunteers were able to identify 135 western quolls and 30 brushtail possums over the course of five nights in protected habitat.

The quolls were last seen in the area in the 1880s and are only otherwise found in parts of Western Australia. The carnivorous marsupial used to inhabit 80% of the entire Australian continent, but predation by foxes and feral cats has been a major threat, according to the IUCN. Meanwhile, the brushtail possums had been considered extinct in the 1940s. 

Repopulation efforts were led by the government's Bounceback program, which has been protecting key habitat for these and other species. By managing certain areas of national parks, the program has provided habitat for sensitive populations to grow with additional safety measures. 

Biodiversity loss is already tragic in its own right, but it entails material loss for human society as well. 

For example, bat populations in Southeast Asia have been helpful to rice farmers by predating on destructive insects. Elsewhere, sea otters have been feeding on sea urchins, which would otherwise destroy kelp forests. Kelp forests are vital fish habitat, supporting the fishing industry. 

Pollinators play a massive role in propagating crops we rely on in food supply chains. 

Supporting healthy ecosystems and endangered animals of all kinds can provide benefits to humanity in ways that aren't always immediately apparent. 

Non-profit Wild Deserts has been working on a separate campaign in New South Wales. Its principal ecologist, Rebecca West, said the reintroduction of western quolls was "like time-travelling … going back to what it would have been like 200 years ago if you set up camp in the Strzelecki desert," per the The Guardian.

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