The western ringtail possum or ngwayir is a threatened species under Australian State and Commonwealth legislation.
In Western Australia the species is listed as Critically Endangered fauna under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Nationally it is listed as Critically Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and internationally is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Critically Endangered.
Western Ringtail Possums numbers has declined by more than 95% since British colonisation, and disappeared from at least 80% of their pre-European range by 1980.
The population in most areas has catastrophically declined or become locally extinct, but strongholds remain in the urbanised areas near Busselton, Albany and Dunsborough in Western Australia.
In 2017, the estimated population of around 3,400 individuals, with recent surveys of public reserves finding about 20,000 western ringtail possums left in the wild.
Residents are being encouraged to make their properties possum-friendly to contribute to their conservation. See “Western Ringtail Possums and Your Property: A Guide to Conserve and Encourage Them On Your Patch”
Western ringtail possums have a small home range of 0.5-6 ha. Their distribution and population size has continued to decline due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats, road kills, bush fire and drought.
Common names include the western ringtail possum, ngwayir, womp, woder, ngoor and ngoolangit. Ngwayir forage at night through the upper canopy of trees, feeding on young leaves, flowers and fruit, especially in groves of the weeping peppermint Agonis flexuosa.
The western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) is a small to medium sized marsupial, with adults weighing 700g to 1.3kg, and 30-40cm length with a tail as long as its body. Its tail is strongly prehensile and is used to support the ringtailed possum while they forage for leaves in the tree canopy.
GeoCatch came together with the community in June 2023 to plant habitat for the critically endangered western ringtail possum.
Habitat trees for the western ringtailed possum include Peppermint, Tuart, Marri, Jarrah, Karri, Bullich, Albany Blackbutt, Allocasuarina, Banksia, Kunzea, Nuytsia, and Xylomelum.
Volunteers planted 11,000 native seedlings funded by Planet Ark’s Seedling Bank program including a sedge which is important for the western ringtail possum. They use the sedge to move safely away from predators and to shelter from heat.
Photos supplied by GeoCatch & Planet Ark
“We hope to improve habitat for the critically endangered western ringtail possum and to provide the community with the opportunity to be part of the solution” said GeoCatch Natural Resource Officer Nicole Lincoln.
Replanting habitat
The nature care efforts are being made possible by a grant from Planet Ark’s Seedling bank program in the lead up to the organisation’s National Tree Day campaign. The program launched in 2019 with the goal of supplying native seedlings to schools and community groups participating in National Tree Day activities across the country.
“The Seedling Bank is our way of giving back to the thousands of Australian volunteers who roll up their sleeves each year to give something back to the environment as part of National Tree Day,” said Rebecca Gilling, Planet Ark CEO.
“We have already directly supported over 132 groups in their efforts to plant almost 80,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses since the program’s inception.”
Western ringtail possums are only found in the south-west of Western Australia. They build nests or resting places called ‘dreys’ from foliage. The team will be planting canopy trees and native understorey to support the possum with their efforts to build a home.
“Our species list will compliment last year’s planting to provide a full species range on site,” said Lincoln.
Schools Tree Day (July 28) and National Tree Day (July 30) are Australia’s largest annual tree-planting and nature care events, with plantings taking place across the country on the last weekend of July.
National Tree Day is an initiative organised by Planet Ark in partnership with major sponsor Toyota Australia and its Dealer Network.
For more information and to find events in your local area, please visit treeday.planetark.org.
Planet Ark Environmental Foundation is an Australian not-for-profit organisation with a vision of a world where people live in balance with nature.
Established in 1992, it is one of Australia’s leading environmental behaviour change organisations with a focus on working collaboratively and positively. Planet Ark promotes and creates simple, positive environmental actions – for everyone.
More information
- Nature Conservation Margaret River Region. “Western Ringtail Possums and Your Property: A Guide to Conserve and Encourage Them On Your Patch” (PDF). WRP-and-your-property-A5-booklet.pdf.
- Department of Parks and Wildlife (2017). Western Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) Recovery Plan. Wildlife Management Program No. 58. Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth, WA.
- Shedley E and Williams K (2014) An assessment of habitat for western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) on the southern Swan Coastal Plain. Unpublished report for the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Bunbury, Western Australia.
- Western ringtail possum fauna profile
- Possums – Damage Prevention and Control
- EPBC Act SPRAT Profile – Western Ringtail Possum
- Commonwealth Conservation Advice for Pseudocheirus occidentalis(Western Ringtail Possum) (Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC), 2013)
- EPBC Act Policy Statement 3.10: Significant impact guidelines for the vulnerable western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis)in the southern Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), 2009)
- Background Paper to the EPBC Act Policy Statement 3.10: Significant impact guidelines for the vulnerable western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) in the southern Swan Coastal Plain, WA (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), 2009)
- Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened mammals. EPBC Act survey guidelines (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC), 2011)
- Pseudocheirus occidentalis (Ngwayir, Western Ringtail, Western Ringtail Possum). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008.
