Cuttaburra National Park
A protected oasis for biodiversity in outback NSW
In July 2023, TNC Australia, with generous contributions from the Wyss Foundation and Holdfast Collective, Patagonia’s non-profit shareholder, supported the acquisition of Comeroo Station by the New South Wales Government. The protection of Comeroo as Cuttaburra National Park adds 37,423 hectares of high conservation value land to Australia’s network of protected areas.
Located in the semi-arid Mulga Lands bioregion, about 150km northwest of Bourke in Western New South Wales, Cuttaburra National Park protects an oasis of diverse wetland habitats that form part of the Cuttaburra Creek system and part of the unregulated Northern Murray Darling Basin - the only part of the Murray Darling Basin without large water storages controlling the level and flow rate of rivers and creeks.
A biodiversity oasis in NSW
Cuttaburra National Park contains a diversity of habitats including alluvial floodplains, swamps, permanent waterholes and wetlands, which support a variety of plants and animals, including three New South Wales and nationally endangered ecological communities.
The first fauna survey recently completed by the NSW Government recorded an impressive 158 native species, including the threatened Eastern Fat-tailed Gecko, Hall’s Babbler and Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat.
More than a quarter of the national park forms part of the Yantabulla Swamp, a mosaic of channels and wetlands which has been identified as the most important water bird breeding site in north-west New South Wales.
“The Wyss Foundation is proud to partner with The Nature Conservancy, Holdfast Collective, and the New South Wales Government for the purchase and protection of Australia’s Comeroo Station, a sprawling landmass home to threatened, diverse species", said Molly McUsic, President of the Wyss Foundation.
Quote: Molly McUsic
With the purchase of Comeroo Station comes an addition to Australia’s protected lands as the new Cuttaburra National Park, which will curb biodiversity loss in the region and bring us closer to conserving at least 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030.
Cuttaburra National Park
Delivering large scale protection outcomes to deliver our 2030 goals
The protection of Cuttaburra National Park also builds connectivity with the new Brindingabba National Park, and other private protected areas in the region, and enables wide ranging animals and plants to move and adapt to changing environmental conditions, forming a corridor of more than 90,000 hectares.
Increasing protection of under-represented ecosystems, protecting sites of high biodiversity value and increasing connectivity between protected areas are some of the key scientific principles underpinning a successful strategy to protect Australia’s unique biodiversity, as highlighted in the Pathways to 30x30 report delivered in 2023.
To achieve this goal, national governments, local communities, NGOs, private landholders and funders must work together to create lasting protection of the most critical places needed to support life on Earth. TNC is applying cutting-edge science and unlocking new forms of innovative funding through the establishment of these collaborative partnerships.