Queensland’s first special wildlife reserve
Bush Heritage’s Pullen Pullen Reserve on Maiawali country in western Queensland is the State’s first special wildlife reserve. This new class of protected area, legislated by the Queensland Government, provides national park level protections to privately owned land.
Queensland is the only state to provide national park level protection to private land, making the declaration of Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve an Australian first as well.
National conservation not-for-profit, Bush Heritage Australia purchased Pullen Pullen in 2016 to protect critical habitat of one of the world’s most elusive and endangered birds—the night parrot. This critically endangered species was thought to be extinct for more than 100 years until it was re-discovered at Pullen Pullen in 2013. Bush Heritage Australia has secured and protected more than 56,000 hectares of the bird’s habitat from threats such as predation by feral cats and foxes.
The added level of protection that comes with the special wildlife reserve status will ensure Pullen Pullen is permanently protected from possible incompatible land uses such as mining, timber harvesting and grazing.
The declaration is immensely important to the Maiawali First Nations People—the Traditional Owners of the land—who have worked closely with Bush Heritage Australia to identify and protect the reserve’s ecologically and culturally important values. Pullen Pullen is the Maiawali word for night parrot.
You can watch a short video about Pullen Pullen.
Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve
Queensland’s first special wildlife reserve, Pullen Pullen, declared in September 2020. Special wildlife reserves are a newly created class of protected area under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.