The native rodent fauna of Western New South Wales has experienced a severe decline since European settlement. Of the seventeen native rodents which have been recorded in the arid zone of Western New South Wales, eleven are now regionally extinct, three (including Sandy Inland Mouse) are rare, two (including Forrest’s Mouse) are sparse, and one is common in limited habitat (Dickman, 1993). In view of this decline, the biodiversity value of the remaining species is considerable.
As well as aiding the recovery of Forrest’s Mouse and Sandy Inland Mouse, the actions contained in this Recovery Plan will have benefits for biodiversity in general. Actions such as control of feral predators and reduction of grazing pressure have benefits for a range of native species (Dickman, 1993), while surveys and ongoing monitoring will yield data which will be useful in the management of other native species.
Other threatened species that will benefit from actions detailed in this Recovery Plan include the Flame Spider-flower (Grevillea kennedyana), Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis), Flock Bronzewing (Phaps histrionica), Squatter Pigeon (Geophaps scripta), Long-haired Rat (Rattus villosissimus), Inland Blind Snake, (Ramphotyphlops endoterus), Centralian Blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua multifasciata), Gunther’s Skink (Cyclodomorphus branchialis) and Stimson’s Python (Liasis stimsoni).
