Aussie Ark

In the Barrington Tops of New South Wales, Aussie Ark is working hard to rewrite the fate of Australia's endangered mammals including the Tasmanian devil, brush-tailed rock wallaby and the long-nosed potoroos.

Aussie Ark is a world-leader in the breeding and rewilding of threatened and endangered species.

Formerly known as Devil Ark, the organisation focused solely on protecting the Tasmanian devil, and expanded in 2017 with the help of partners like Glencore, who invested $1.25 million to support the cause.

At the heart of Aussie Ark’s work stands the Barrington Wildlife sanctuary, an area that spans 400 hectares of wilderness and is primarily made up of open forests and grasslands.

Thanks to the implementation of specialised fencing funded through Glencore’s Community Investment Program, the Sanctuary offers a space where endangered species can thrive without the constant threat of predation.

A simple solution with promising results

Aussie Ark’s predator-proof fencing has proven to be a game-changer in their conservation efforts.

The Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary is surrounded by sturdy fences designed to keep out invasive predators like foxes and feral cats.

These predators, introduced by human activities, have decimated native wildlife populations over the years. Now Aussie Ark is working hard to rebuild the species taken by them.

Rewilding long-nosed potoroos

The long-nosed potoroo is listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and has been a focus species of Aussie Ark for nearly a decade.

It’s one of the smallest and most ancient members of the kangaroo family and is a living fossil, having remained relatively unchanged for around 10 million years.

In 2023, Glencore was proud to be part of the rewilding of 20 threatened long-nosed potoroos into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, an exciting moment that showcased the success of our partnership. 

Aussie Ark Managing Director Tim Faulkner said it was a thrill for Aussie Ark to have dozens of partners, community members, sponsors and donors present at the release to acknowledge the role of the potoroo.

“The twenty potoroos released at the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary demonstrate the success of our breeding program and mark another huge step in securing an insurance population for the future survival of the species.”