New bandicoot homes built in bushlands after Mariginiup bushfires

Quendas displaced by the Mariginiup bushfire have new places to call home, with the City of Wanneroo installing bungalows in bushland.

The bushfire destroyed 18 homes in Mariginiup in November and burnt through 1900ha over four days before firefighters were able to bring it under control.

Quendas, or south-western brown bandicoots, are small marsupials found in urban bushland areas throughout the city and their habitats were affected by the 60km-wide blaze.

The city’s trees and conservation maintenance team last week helped protect the marsupials by creating bungalows, also known as “quenda-lows”, from wooden pallets to provide refuge and help protect them from predators such as cats, dogs and foxes.

City of Wanneroo conservation technical officer Jasmine Miller said the team would monitor the success of the quenda-lows using wildlife cameras.

“We consider quendas ‘ecosystem engineers’; they’re digging mammals that play an important role in maintaining healthy bushland areas by turning over large amounts of soil, reducing leaf litter that adds to fire loads and helping spread seeds that promote new plant growth,” she said.

“With assistance from our dedicated conservation volunteers, the team will install more quenda-lows, focusing on areas impacted by the recent Mariginiup fire.”

Quendas are a Priority 4 species in WA and are protected under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.