Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary

"Newhaven Station" redirects here. For railway stations with this name, see Newhaven station (disambiguation).
Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary
Lake Mackay, Northern Territory
Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Northern Territory
Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary
Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary
Coordinates22°49′41″S 131°06′58″E / 22.828°S 131.116°E / -22.828; 131.116
Area2,615.01 km2 (1,009.7 sq mi)[2]
Managing authoritiesAustralian Wildlife Conservancy
See alsoProtected areas of the Northern Territory

Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, once a cattle station known as Newhaven Station, is an Australian nature reserve. It lies around 300–400 kilometres (186–249 mi) north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is jointly operated by Birds Australia and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

History

Newhaven is surrounded by Aboriginal lands: Warlpiri,[3] Luritja, and Anmatyerre people have a traditional association with the area.[2] Aboriginal sacred sites have been identified on the property, including Yunkanjini (Lake Bennett).[4]

Newhaven Station was established as a pastoral lease and cattle station in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory.[5] Alex Coppock took over the lease in 1959, with his wife naming it Newhaven.[6] The Coppocks maintained only a subsistence stock of cattle on the property, which ensured the survival of various rare species of flora and fauna.[7] After bringing Waler horses from his father's property Gibeanie on the Stuart Highway,[6] they increased the stock, which retained genetic isolation from others in the country. Water supplied for the horses attracted other wildlife to the station.[5]

Newhaven Station was purchased by Birds Australia for A$750,000 (which included funding of A$330,000 from the federal government via its National Reserve System)[7] in December 2000 from Coppock. The horses were mostly rehomed elsewhere,[5] although the original plan had been to deprive them of water and let them die.[6]

In 2006, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) became a partner with Birds Australia in co-managing the sanctuary.[8]

In 2010, native title was granted to the Ngalia-Warlpiri and Luritja peoples.[6]

The construction of the world's longest cat-proof fence was completed at Newhaven in April 2018, enclosing a 9,390-hectare (23,203-acre) predator-free area.[9]

Location and description

Newhaven is located around 300–400 kilometres (186–249 mi)[7][5] north-west of Alice Springs, and 80 km (50 mi) from the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu.[5] It lies in the bioregion of the Great Sandy Desert.[2]

With an area of 2,615 square kilometres (1,010 sq mi),[2] Newhaven is five times the size of Birds Australia's other reserve, Gluepot, in South Australia.[citation needed]

Newhaven's landforms include parallel dunes, salt lakes, claypans, plains and rocky hills. Vegetation includes grasslands, woodlands and shrublands, which can be subdivided into ten distinct vegetation communities, with over 600 species of plants recorded.[2]

Several threatened species of birds and other animals have been recorded on Newhaven. These include the night parrot,[7] grey falcon, princess parrot, striated grasswren, grey honeyeater, brush-tailed mulgara, black-flanked rock-wallaby, greater bilby, marsupial mole, and great desert skink.[10]

Governance

In December 2005 Birds Australia signed an agreement with AWC that saw AWC assume ownership and day-to-day financial responsibility for Newhaven, while allowing for Birds Australia to have long-term involvement in the management of the reserve, Birds Australia members to have access, and ensuring the conservation of the flora and fauna.[citation needed] From 2006, the two organisations became partners in managing the reserve.[8] For many years, the original station owner, Alex Coppock, continued to act as guide and mentor to scientists working on the property.[6]

Since 2007, it has been included in the locality of Lake Mackay.[11][12][13]

Species conservation

In August 2023, a joint team comprising AWC staff and Indigenous ranger women translocated 40 golden bandicoots[14] from the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in northern WA to Newhaven, after previously carrying out a survey of the animals.[15] These were joined by a further 60 of the vulnerable species from Barrow Island the following week.[14]

In August 2024, 40 brushtail possums, believed to be locally extinct in the Red Centre, were translocated from Kangaroo Island in South Australia (where they are abundant) to Newhaven. The possums were welcomed by the Anmatyerr people in Laramba with a "Possum Dreaming" ceremony.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Terrestrial Protected Areas by Reserve Type in Northern Territory (2016)". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government. Retrieved 9 October 2019. described as a "Private Nature Reserve" by the Australian Government
  2. ^ a b c d e "Newhaven". AWC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Eleven feral cats caught in eight days at Newhaven". Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. ^ Ham, Anthony (15 September 2021). "The indigenous keepers of the Outback's secrets". BBC. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Newhaven Station". Waler Database. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Lane, Janet (9 September 2022). "Newhaven Station". Waler Database. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Adams, Prue. "29/10/00: New wildlife haven in Australia's centre". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b Merkord, Chris (23 August 2011). "Newhaven Station – Birds Australia". Ornithology Exchange (brought to you by the Ornithological Council). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  9. ^ "World's longest cat-proof fence completed at Newhaven". Australian Wildlife Conservancy. April 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  10. ^ Mihailou, H; Henderson, T; Mulvena, S; Dodson, A; Rawnsley, M; Vincent, J; Jacks, A; Schofield, J; Moore, D; Sitters, H; Joseph, L; Kanowski, J. "Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary Ecohealth Report for 2023" (PDF). Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Place Names Register Extract for Lake Mackay (locality)". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Localities within the Tanami sub-region (CP 5083)". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Northern Territory Pastoral Properties" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. ^ a b Stimpson, Lara (18 August 2023). "Golden Bandicoots return to Central Australia after 56-year absence". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  15. ^ Williams, Eddie (4 July 2023). "WA's new Indigenous women's ranger team help threatened golden bandicoot survive". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Possums transported from Kangaroo Island to Central Australia to re-establish brushtail population". ABC News. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  • Birds Australia Annual Report 2005. Birds Australia: Melbourne.

Further reading