Icon Species

The Victorian Government’s Icon Species Funding Program focuses on protecting and managing a range of native plants and animals, threatened species and habitats through collaborative planning, increased engagement and alignment of natural resources, scientific, educational and community sectors.

Through this program and our Faunal Emblems Program, we are providing funds for targeted actions designed to protect and conserve Victoria’s threatened species. Over $10.6 million has been provided by DEECA to support intensive management actions for 22 icon species being delivered in collaboration with species’ recovery teams. In 2022-23, $1 million of funding was awarded across the state to support the ongoing protection of icon species.

Want to know more?

See below for more information about some of these species and the work DEECA and our partners are doing to support their protection and recovery.

Australasian Bittern

Monitoring of the Australasian Bittern to increase knowledge of its location and abundance in Barmah National Park

Australian Fairy Tern

Actions to improve breeding sites and increase nesting habitat for the Australian Fairy Tern

Baw Baw Frog

Securing an insurance population and undertaking research in partnership with Zoos Victoria

Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby

Supporting captive breeding and release programs at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Mt Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre

Burrunan Dolphin

Investigating the health, mortality, contaminants and provide information to manage impacts

Eastern Barred Bandicoot

Supporting the management of four reintroduction sites including predator fences, control of feral animals and weed control

Eltham Copper Butterfly

Mapping the known populations and locating new populations around Castlemaine and Bendigo and promoting awareness of how to protect this species

Helmeted Honeyeater

Supporting staff and volunteers to monitor the wild population, as well as the release and monitoring of captive bred birds

Hooded Plover

Recruitment, training and support of citizen scientists to protect nesting pairs along Victoria’s coastline

Leadbeater's Possum

Protect critical habitat for lowland animals and work towards restoring hydrological conditions at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve

Mountain Pygmy-possum

Develop translocation plans to increase population size of isolated populations of pygmy-possums

Murray Hardyhead

Assessing populations and translocation potential of Murray Hardyheads

Orange-bellied Parrot

Supporting the four-year Mainland Release Trial, which is undertaken as a partnership between DELWP and Zoos Victoria

Plains-wanderer

Identifying suitable and occupied habitat across the Northern Plains, using song meters to record breeding female Plains-wanderers’ calls

Regent Honeyeater

Supporting the implementation of the Regent Honeyeater Captive Release and Community Monitoring Program

Southern Bent-wing Bat

Managing and monitoring the maternity cave for the Southern Bent-wing Bat to determine population numbers and breeding success

Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon

A captive breeding program and establishing 'back up' populations in high quality habitat sites

Southern Right Whale

A collaborative study on actions to protect Southern Right Whales from key threats such as entanglement, vessel strike and noise disturbance

Spotted Tree Frog

Restoring a fish barrier and controlling introduced fish that prey on this species

Page last updated: 02/06/23