On Wednesday Xstrata Coal chief executive Reinhold Schmidt and state Climate Change Minister Kate Jones attended an event at Yarran Downs, 62km north of St George, to celebrate the milestone.

While the entire world population of 138 northern hairy-nosed wombats live in one colony at Epping Forest National Park, a second habitat is expected to be completed within weeks for the establishment of a second colony.

Development work for the new habitat includes setting up 2.5m-high predator-proof fences and removing pests and weeds, while starter burrows are also being built at the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge, near St George.

Wombats moving into the second colony will be selected on gender, age and weight criteria.

Jones said the wombats escaped the 2008 floods in central Queensland but it was a timely warning of how real the threat of extinction was to the species.

"They are more endangered than the Sumatran tiger, Central Africa's mountain gorilla and China's giant panda and are presently only found in one isolated area about the size of Brisbane's CBD,” she said.

Jones said the opportunity to act now was thanks to Xstrata’s $3 million contribution to the project.

Schmidt said he was proud Xstrata was playing a role in saving the iconic and endangered species.

Xstrata’s funding comes from its Community Partnership Program.

Earlier in the year, Jones announced a 20% increase in the population of the endangered wombat.