Holding the Line for Australia’s Most Endangered Mammals

When Garth Bowen and his wife moved from South Africa to Australia in 2020, they weren’t planning to settle in one of the most remote corners of New South Wales. But in 2024 when the opportunity arose to manage Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, they jumped at it. 

“When else do you get the chance to live in the middle of Australia, surrounded by some of the rarest animals on Earth, doing the most challenging conservation work there is?” says Garth. 

Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary is a vast, 65,000-hectare property managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting Australia’s most threatened wildlife.  

Nestled among red sand dunes and old-growth mallee woodland 150 km south of Broken Hill, Scotia contains one of mainland Australia’s largest feral predator-free areas.

The sanctuary’s 8,000-hectare fenced safe haven is designed to exclude invasive predators like foxes and feral cats, which have devastated native mammal populations across Australia. 

Inside the fence, endangered species like the Numbat, Bilby, and Bridled Nailtail Wallaby are thriving. In the wild, these species are either extinct or close to extinction. 

“The urgency here is unlike anything I’ve seen,” says Garth. “We’re holding the line for species that simply don’t exist outside these fences anymore.” 

A fence that protects the future 

At the centre of Scotia’s conservation model is a 47-kilometre predator-proof fence that surrounds this core conservation zone. It was built in the 1990s and continues to provide the security needed for native species to recover and be reintroduced.

“If we couldn’t do anything else, the one thing we must do is keep that fence standing,” says Garth.
“A powered fence is the most critical part of our entire mission.”

AWC has already reintroduced four threatened mammals: the Greater Bilby, Numbat, Bridled Nailtail Wallaby and Burrowing Bettong. It is also preparing for the return of other marsupials, including the Red-tailed Phascogale.

Smart infrastructure for a remote mission 

 
Maintaining the fence in such a remote and rugged environment brings daily challenges for Garth and his team. Over time, aging components like ceramic insulators and galvanised mesh can degrade. Unexpected faults, from bouncing kangaroos to old wires detaching and shorting out the line, make reliability critical.

“You can travel 15 kilometres driving the fence looking for a half-millimetre strand of wire that’s dropped and caused a short,” says Garth. “It’s a sturdy fence, but it’s old. Things like this happen all the time.”

Scotia previously relied on a distributed system of 16 separate energizers. Now, the entire predator-free area is powered by two Gallagher i Series solar-powered energizers, one with large battery storage. Both units are installed just 100 metres from Garth’s office, which is a major improvement.

“The i Series energizers are so much more powerful and efficient than our previous set-up,” says Garth. “We used to have one unit way out in the bush, but it was too isolated. Now, both are central, easy to access, and backed by solar and battery, so we’re not reliant on generators or vehicle access.”

The team also uses multiple Gallagher i Series Fence Monitors spaced along the fence line. These communicate back to the energizer which are connected to Wi-Fi, instantly sending alerts and notifications to the team’s phones in real time.

“It’s a game changer. If something happens overnight and there’s a voltage drop or fault, we know about it immediately. We’re not waiting until our next scheduled patrol two days later.

“It’s usually something like kangaroos fighting and damaging the fence. But now we fix it fast, often before any risk emerges. We still do our regular checks, because you can’t beat human eyes for spotting a dig or rip. But now we know exactly where to focus, which saves us hours.”

Technology doesn’t stop at the fence. Scotia also uses tools like Gallagher Satellite Liquid Monitoring systems, and other camera traps, and automated data collection to support wildlife monitoring and day-to-day land care.

“Tech gives us visibility we wouldn’t otherwise have on such an expansive property,” says Garth. “It helps us respond faster, work more efficiently, and make better decisions.”

Living and working at the edge 

For Garth and his team, Scotia isn’t just a workplace, it’s home. Garth lives on-site with his family, alongside land management officers who stay for extended rotations. Their days are filled with species monitoring, land care, building repairs, and data collection.

“We’re colleagues but we also live together, work together, and rely on each other,” says Garth. “You’ve got to hire people who thrive in that environment.”

To support life on site, the team grows fresh greens using aquaponics and raises chickens to reduce food waste. It’s all part of a growing effort to live more sustainably in the bush.

On country with the Barkindji People

Scotia lies on the traditional lands of the Barkindji People, an Aboriginal group with deep cultural and spiritual ties to the region.

AWC is building its relationship with Barkindji descendants whose ancestors lived on and cared for the land. The connection is still developing but holds promise for more inclusive land care practices.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” says Garth. “And that will guide how we work together in the future.”

Why Scotia matters 

Scotia now protects 16 threatened species, with conservation extending beyond the fence through fire management, feral animal control, and habitat restoration. Birdlife, reptiles, and small mammals all benefit from this work, including species found nowhere else.

“We’re not fencing animals in forever,” says Garth. “We’re giving them a fighting chance while we work to solve bigger problems in the wider landscape.”

The work is made possible through donations. Every fence post, energizer, and sensor is funded by people who care. Those contributions help keep precious species alive, which is something Garth never takes for granted.

“Every time I see a Numbat, I’m reminded why we do this. There are only about 2,000 left. And we get to be the ones looking after them. That’s pretty special.”