Extract from ABC News
Fewer than 2,000 mountain pygmy possums remain in the wild across NSW and Victoria. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
In short:
The mountain pygmy possum is being bred at lower altitudes to help the marsupials adapt to a changing climate.
Increasing snow loss in the Snowy Mountains exposes the species to increased predation.
What's next?
Secret Creek Sanctuary runs a successful breeding program in Lithgow.
For the past six years, Trevor Evans has seen the number of endangered mountain pygmy possums at his sanctuary increase sixfold.
The pocket-sized possums are traditionally found on the peaks of the Snowy Mountains, but are being bred at a lower altitude at the Secret Creek Sanctuary in Lithgow in the NSW Central Tablelands to prepare them for the impacts of climate change.
"We started off with six possums many years ago," Mr Evans said.
"We've grown the population to about 36. Our work is instrumental [in its survival]."
Trevor Evans says the mountain pygmy possum is facing extinction. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
Weighing less than 100 grams, the mountain pygmy possum is Australia's only hibernating marsupial, spending up to seven months of the year sleeping under the snow.
There are fewer than 2,000 individual possums living in the wild as a changing climate exposes them to growing threats.
"They are quite unique, very special, and disappearing," Mr Evans said.
"With the loss of snow in the Snowy Mountains, it allows predators to come up in the summer and feed on them."
The possums spend seven months of the year hibernating under snow and rocks. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
Changing habitat
In collaboration with the University of NSW, the sanctuary is attempting to better prepare the species for living in warmer temperatures by breeding them at an altitude of 1,000 metres.
The species is usually found above 1,400 metres.
"Breeding them here at 1,000 metres will help them live through climate change," Mr Evans said.
"We are adapting them to lower altitudes, higher temperatures and different mating cycles.
"They have the opportunity to breed twice in a season. They breed quite readily if you give them the right opportunities."
Mountain pygmy possums are found in the Snowy Mountains, but climate change is threatening their habitat. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
The idea to breed them at a lower altitude came after the discovery of a 25-million-year-old fossil belonging to a direct ancestor in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north of Mount Isa.
University of New South Wales biological sciences professor Michael Archer said it showed the species had not always lived in the Snowy Mountains.
"Every time we see this species in the fossil record, it is always in fossil communities that were cool temperate lowland rainforests, not alpine environments," Professor Archer said.
"Every signal to us says they are not in their comfort zone now; they're struggling to survive by the skin of their teeth.
"If we could get them back into their ancestral comfort zone, the lowland rainforest, we predict that they will be very happy."
Michael Archer says the mountain pygmy possum is more suited to living in lowland rainforests. (Supplied: UNSW)
The possums have become reliant on snow coverage, providing insulation for their nests under the rocks.
Professor Archer said they would be unable to survive in the alpine regions if snow coverage were reduced further by global warming.
"For these possums, that would be lethal," he said.
"If the snow disappears, the wintry cold winds will end up going down into these rock piles and kill the possums."
While the colony at Secret Creek Sanctuary will remain in captivity, Mr Evans hoped the population could be used to support efforts to increase numbers in the wild.
"To be able to breed some from the wild that are currently geographically isolated from each other is a goal," he said.
"We would like to breed those and then return those possums to the wild."
It is hoped that the possums that return to the Snowy Mountains will be more predator-aware and better able to deal with warmer temperatures.
Critical research
During hibernation, the species lives deep under snow and rocks, giving scientists little understanding of the animal's daily life for much of the year.
The population of mountain pygmy possums at the Secret Creek Sanctuary has grown from six to 36. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
Mr Evans said observing the marsupials in a controlled environment had been educational.
"We filmed them mating for the first time. We filmed the little nest that they make when they hibernate in winter," he said.
"We get a better understanding of what they're eating, how they're surviving, where they actually live, how they nest, and how they hibernate as well.
"If we understand them, we can help manage them."
The Secret Creek Sanctuary in Lithgow is home to hundreds of native animals, including koalas. (ABC Central West: Hamish Cole)
The Secret Creek Sanctuary has been operating for more than 30 years and contains hundreds of native species, many of which are endangered.
For Mr Evans, protecting the mountain pygmy possum from extinction had become a critical part of the shelter.
"It feels really good to be involved," he said.
"If we don't do it, and no-one does, it's a species that we could lose.
"We need to [put in] an all-out effort, and the critical thing is funding and support."
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