Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = protected

| name = Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary

| state = wa

| iucn_category =

| image = Tarsipes rostratus - Gould.jpg

| caption = Noolbengers, or Honey Possums, live in the reserve

| image_alt = Gould lithograph of a group of Noolbengers, or Honey Possums, perched in a tree

| coordinates = {{coord|31.6869|S|116.1353|E|display=inline,title}}

| relief = yes

| map_alt =

| nearest_town_or_city = Midland

| area = 20

| area_footnotes =

| established = 1998

| established_footnotes =

| visitation_num =

| visitation_year =

| visitation_footnotes =

| managing_authorities = Australian Wildlife Conservancy

| url = australianwildlife.org.au/AWC-Sanctuaries/Paruna-Sanctuary.aspx

}}

Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary is a {{Convert|20|km2|mi2|adj=on}} nature reserve in the Avon Valley, {{Convert|50|km|mi}} north-east of Perth in south-west Western Australia. It is in the Avon-Wheatbelt Bioregion and is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).

History

Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary consists of several properties consolidated to form a {{Convert|14|km|mi}} corridor between the Walyunga and Avon Valley National Parks. Negotiations during the 1990s culminated in its formal opening in 1998. Since then areas previously cleared have been subject to a rehabilitation program, and walking tracks constructed for public use.[http://www.australianwildlife.org.au/AWC-Sanctuaries/Paruna-Sanctuary/Paruna-History.aspx Paruna: History]

Landscape and climate

Paruna is in the Darling Range, a landscape of hills along a rocky escarpment, with river valleys. The climate is Mediterranean with winter rainfall and dry summers. Average annual rainfall is {{Convert|700|mm|in}}.[http://www.australianwildlife.org.au/AWC-Sanctuaries/Paruna-Sanctuary/Paruna-Climate.aspx Paruna: Climate]

Ecosystems

Most of the reserve is dominated by wandoo and powderbark woodlands, with extensive areas of heathland and some patches of jarrah and marri forest. Flooded gum and paperbark occur along the Avon River.[http://www.australianwildlife.org.au/AWC-Sanctuaries/Paruna-Sanctuary/Paruna-Ecosystems-Plants.aspx Paruna: Ecosystems]

Fauna

Significant mammal species present are chuditch and honey possum, while an important bird is Carnaby's black-cockatoo. In collaboration with CALM, and with an ongoing program to control exotic predators such as foxes, various native mammals that would have occurred on Paruna in the past are being successfully reintroduced. These include the woylie, quenda, black-flanked rock-wallaby and the tammar wallaby.[http://www.australianwildlife.org.au/AWC-Sanctuaries/Paruna-Sanctuary/Paruna-Wildlife.aspx Paruna: Wildlife]

References

External links

{{official|https://www.australianwildlife.org/where-we-work/paruna/}}

Category:Nature reserves in Western Australia

Category:Australian Wildlife Conservancy reserves

Category:1998 establishments in Australia