Scotia Sanctuary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scotia SanctuaryNew South Wales |
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 Scotia Sanctuary
Location in New South Wales
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| Established | 1994 |
| Area | 650 km2 (251.0 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Australian Wildlife Conservancy |
| Website | Scotia Sanctuary |
| Footnotes | Coordinates |
Scotia Sanctuary is a special nature reserve in New South Wales, Australia. It covers about 650 square kilometers (250 square miles). This area is next to the border with South Australia. It is part of the Murray-Darling area. The sanctuary is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Broken Hill. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) owns and manages this important place.
Contents
History of Scotia Sanctuary
Scotia Sanctuary used to be two different farms. Their names were Tararra and Ennisvale. In 1994, a group called Earth Sanctuaries Limited bought these farms. Later, in 2002, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) took over. They turned the land into the sanctuary we know today.
What Scotia Looks Like
Scotia Sanctuary has a flat landscape. You will see plains with long, parallel sand dunes. There are also open, low areas between the dunes called swales. The soil is sandy, so water does not stay on the surface much. There are no rivers or streams here.
Climate and Weather
The weather at Scotia is very dry. This type of climate is called arid. Winters are cool, and summers are very hot. Rain does not fall often. On average, the area gets about 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain each year.
Plants and Habitats
Scotia Sanctuary is home to different types of plant life. You can find open shrublands with Eucalyptus trees. These are often called mallee communities. There are also woodlands with sheoak trees. These different habitats provide homes for many animals.
Amazing Animals of Scotia
Scotia Sanctuary is famous for its special project. It is called the Scotia Endangered Mammal Recovery Project. This project helps bring back mammals that have disappeared from the area. The goal is to create new, healthy groups of these animals.
Mammals Being Reintroduced
Many animals have been successfully brought back to Scotia. These include the numbat, which is a small, striped marsupial. The greater bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial, also lives here again. Other successful reintroductions are the burrowing bettong and the brush-tailed bettong. The Bridled nail-tail wallaby has also returned. Sadly, an attempt to bring back the greater stick-nest rat did not work out.
Threatened Birds
Scotia is also a safe place for many rare birds. You might see the malleefowl, which builds large nests on the ground. Other special birds include the regent parrot and the scarlet-chested parrot. The striated grasswren and the black-eared miner also live here.
Scotia Sanctuary is part of a much larger area. This area is called the Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area. It is a huge space, about 12,200 square kilometers (4,700 square miles). BirdLife International identified it as important. This is because it helps protect mallee birds and their homes.
