Planned Woodland Pathways

10 year plan; 12 landholders; 15 hectares-planning woodlands to protect fauna.

Making a Difference - LLCI001-009

The issue

Our region has been over-cleared for agriculture and urban expansion, and now consists of a mosiac of native and non-native vegetation which can be described to be in fair condition, at best. We need to build community awareness about the importance of maintaining and enhancing biodiversity connections and promote better management of our local endangered ecological communities.

The solution

The solution was to organise some workshops which will run over the lifetime of the project to engage our community and increase the knowledge and capacity of landholders in revegetation and monitoring our woodland areas.

Workshop topics will include biodiversity planning-individuals will be given an aerial photograph of their property, and identify areas for revegetation over the next 10 years. Biodiversity plans take into account connectivity, sensitive areas needing protection, production needs like wind breaks, buffers for dams, highways and houses. Other activities to increase capacity of the participants will be bird surveys and the use of wildlife motion detection cameras to monitor fauna.

The impact

We have engaged 12 landholders and they have completed biodiversity plans for their properties. During the course of the project they will revegetate 15 hectares of grassy whitebox woodland species with 5,700 locally sourced and grown species sourced from our Landcare Nursery.

These landholders have now been provided with revegetation plans for their properties for at least the next 10 years, and they also have a better understanding of the fauna on their properties for which they are endeavouring to restore habitat.

A rewarding spotlighting session was held in Gosling Creek Reserve where a pair of nesting sugar gliders were found out foraging. Participants learnt how to operate and place the motion detection cameras.

The CTLC Nursery is propagating the required tubestock. This large task (5700 tubes) has been made somewhat challenging due to the relentless nature of the current drought.

Author: Geraldine Brown