Protecting threatened species in safe havens

Home

Projects

Protecting threatened species in safe havens

Project start date: 01/07/2022
Project end date: 31/03/2026
NESP funding: $51,000 (GST-exclusive)

Safe havens are an important conservation tool for protecting threatened species from invasive predators and other pests. They include fenced areas, islands where predators have been removed, fenced peninsulas, private conservation reserves, sanctuaries and some national parks.

This project assessed how well Australia’s current safe-haven network protects threatened non-mammalian fauna, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. It also identified where future safe havens could provide the greatest conservation benefit under climate change.

The research found that Australia’s current mainland fenced safe-haven network offers limited protection for threatened non-mammal species. Many existing safe havens were originally designed to protect mammals from cats and foxes but threatened non-mammal species face a wider range of threats, including rats, pigs, trout, weeds, pathogens and problematic native species.

The project used species distribution modelling and spatial prioritisation to identify high-value areas for future safe havens. These priority areas can help guide investment in new or adapted safe havens that are designed around the threats faced by different species.

Read the scientific article

Matt Hayward walks along the fence line of a feral animal exclosure. Photo Sydney Morning Herald.

Professor Matt Hayward walks along the fence line of a feral animal enclosure. Photo: Sydney Morning Herald.

The project found that Australia’s current mainland fenced safe-haven network provides limited protection for threatened non-mammal species.

Key findings include:

74 mainland fenced safe havens were identified across Australia.
Of these, 54 were functional, 14 were proposed or under construction, and six were non-functional.
Only two of the 123 target species were known to occur within current fenced safe havens.
A further six species occurred in small, purpose-built fenced havens.
None of the 45 species modelled had suitable future habitat overlapping with current functional fenced safe havens.
Seventeen modelled species had suitable future habitat within 10 km of a current functional fenced safe haven.
Only nine of those species were threatened by large terrestrial pests that could potentially be excluded by current mainland fencing designs.

These findings show that improving protection for threatened non-mammal species will require careful planning of where safe havens are located, which species they target, and what threats they are designed to manage.

The project identified 74 mainland fenced safe havens across Australia, including functional, non-functional, partially fenced and proposed sites. Image: Gould et al. 2026 / Biological Conservation.

Matt Hayward walks along the fence line of a feral animal exclosure. Photo: Sydney Morning Herald.
Places like Kangaroo Island can also function as safe havens. Photo: Greg/Adobe Stock.
Determining the biological attributes (e.g. burrowing, home range, flight capabilities etc) is an important step to determine species best suited for protection in safe havens. Photo: Avril/Adobe Stock.