The species’ rediscovery in 1996 stimulated further surveys to look for new populations of tangle wattle. Six years later, a total of 11 populations had been found, however many persisted on narrow road verges and consisted of a handful of individuals totalling just 89 plants.  

Threats to the species’ survival included clearing of road verges, weeds, herbicide, fertiliser drift from adjoining agricultural land and changed fire regimes. The small size of the populations was also a concern as small populations are less likely to attract pollinators, may have reduced seed set and seed may be more inbred (due to cross-pollination between related plants).  

Together, these threats meant that tangle wattle was at high risk of extinction and led to it being listed as Critically Endangered. To help protect populations and support recovery, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) began trialling weed control measures, marking populations to help minimise accidental damage, continuing survey efforts to find new populations, collecting and storing seed at the WA Seed Centre located at DBCA in Kensington, and beginning a translocation program.  

The translocation, which commenced in 2004, involved the germination of seed collected and stored earlier at the WA Seed Centre, as well as a small number of cutting-grown plants.  

An area amongst an existing healthy but small population in remnant bushland was chosen as the site for planting the seedlings as it provided appropriate habitat and minimal threats. To boost the chances of survival, the seedlings were fenced to protect them from rabbits and kangaroos and were watered once a week for the first two summers following planting.  

After the initial planting, further plantings were undertaken. However, the number of seedlings available were constrained by the limited number of seed. By 2019, a total of 79 plants had successfully grown to maturity at the translocation site, with seedlings being more successful than cutting-grown plants. During this time, further survey work had also located an additional five populations. These new populations combined with translocation efforts meant that, just over 20 years after the handful of plants were rediscovered, the species was now known from approximately 260 plants across 17 populations.  

Despite these encouraging results from the efforts to conserve tangle wattle, more needed to be done to ensure the continuing survival of the species. Further translocations were required to increase the number of plants in some of the current populations and more populations were needed in secure locations. However, limited seed availability was a barrier.  

It was decided that a seed production area (SPA), where plants are grown in a cultivated environment with optimised water and fertiliser regimes, was needed to increase the amount of seed for future translocations.  

However, prior to establishing an SPA, additional information was required. It had been noted that some plants of tangle wattle appeared to be reproducing clonally via underground runners (known as rhizomes), which meant the number of genetically differentiated plants was unknown.  

This knowledge gap, in addition to the extensive distance between some of the populations (up to 80 kilometres), meant a better understanding of the frequency of clonality, population structure, and remaining levels of genetic diversity was required to inform the establishment of an SPA.  

In 2024, DBCA in collaboration with the Australian Seedbank Partnership, received Australian Government funding to support the recovery of tangle wattle as part of the Saving Native Species Program.  

The first step was to undertake detailed monitoring in conjunction with the collection of samples for genetic analysis. The genetic analysis will help determine how many unique individuals of tangle wattle exist, what level of genetic diversity remains in wild populations, and how effectively genetic diversity was captured in the current translocation.  

Answers to these questions will guide decisions about how to establish the SPA and future translocations, including which populations can be mixed together, and how to spatially arrange plants to boost cross-pollination and maximise genetic diversity.  

Planning for the SPA is now underway and, once the results from the genetic study are known, the SPA can be set up with a science-based framework. It is hoped that diverse and abundant seed will be produced in the SPA that can be used to expand the number and size of translocations and ensure the long-term survival of this unique and beautiful tangle wattle.