Conservation land 200km north of Perth will be the focus of priority actions following the launch of the Watheroo Region Conservation Program. The Watheroo region supports a range of significant conservation values including threatened flora, fauna and ecological communities.

The program is a three-year partnership between the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and Woodside Energy, who are neighboring land managers.

It builds on previous local collaborations between DBCA and Woodside, including a six-month camera array project in 2025 that identified biodiversity values and invasive animal activity including goats, cats and foxes.

The new program will initially focus on feral predator management to protect mallee fowl, bush stone-curlew, dunnarts and sand goanna in Watheroo National Park and adjoining Pinjarrega and Capamauro nature reserves. These DBCA-managed conservation areas are bordered by around 16,000 hectares of Woodside-managed land on which native vegetation is being established and maintained under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme.

DBCA Executive Director Regional and Fire Management Service Jason Foster said the partnership reflects the importance of taking a shared approach to environmental conservation through practical, on-ground initiatives.

“The national park and adjoining nature reserves together cover around 63,000 hectares and this partnership is part of our reinvigorated approach to regional conservation planning,” Mr Foster said.

“It’s important to work with neighbours on complementary land management practices, including feral animal control, fencing and native fauna and flora surveys.”

The partnership will also support the recovery and resilience of priority threatened ecological communities such as banksia woodlands and bentonite lake herbaceous assemblages.

Woodside Energy Executive Vice President, Technical and Energy Development Julie Fallon said the partnership strengthens long term conservation outcomes in the Midwest while demonstrating the value of collaboration between Government and industry.

“Working alongside DBCA on coordinated, landscape-scale conservation, we can help protect threatened species, strengthen ecological resilience and support long-term environmental outcomes in the Watheroo region,” Ms Fallon said.

“By combining long term monitoring with large scale invasive species control, the program is helping to stabilise ecosystems, protect threatened species and build resilience across one of Western Australia’s ecologically significant landscapes.

“This partnership reflects Woodside’s voluntary commitment to support positive biodiversity outcomes in the regions where we operate.”

An introductory video and other program information can be found at dbca.wa.gov.au/watheroo