Nesting boxes installed near Kindra Forest
Nesting boxes installed near Kindra Forest
Using artificial hollows to mitigate habitat loss while educating youth about this issue.
Capacity to Deliver
The issue
The landscapes of the Coolamon area have been extensively cleared and modified over the last 200 years for urban and agricultural needs. This is the time it takes to create homes (hollows) for medium-sized animals like parrots.
New South Wales counts at least 46 mammals, 81 birds, 31 reptiles and 16 frogs that rely on hollows to live. The loss of hollow-bearing trees has been identified as a key threatening process for 40 species listed as vulnerable or endangered. These include owls, parrots, cockatoos and mammals that live in our area.
The solution
In collaboration with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, 2 nesting boxes have been donated by Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc. to be installed in Coolamon.
The Habitech boxes have a modular, durable design based on bio-mimicry - imitating natural hollows' features with suitable humidity and temperature levels. One box is suitable for parrots and the second for kookaburras.
Our two boxes were installed by ecologist Carl Tippler from Habitat Innovation (creators of Habitech) adjacent to Kindra State Forest, an essential remnant of native vegetation.
Students from Coolamon Central School attended the installation and had a Q&A session with Carl.
The impact
Educating future generations on key issues like habitat loss is fundamental to mitigate these problems on the long-term.
Carl Tippler raised awareness about the rate of mammal extinction in Australia, and explained the important role hollows play in providing shelter for native species.
The students whole-heartedly supported the nesting boxes after they learnt why they were needed and how they were made. They were excited to know that birds will be able to use the boxes as their homes to nest and raise their offspring.
Key facts
- The loss of hollow-bearing trees is listed as a key threatening process under the Threatened Species Conservation Act (NSW).
- At least 46 mammals, 81 birds, 31 reptiles and 16 frogs in our state are hollow-dependent.
- Small hollows take between 100-150 years to form, while larger ones can take several centuries.
- The South Western Slopes bioregion has some of the most highly cleared and altered lands in New South Wales.
- Artificial hollows like Habitech help mitigate habitat loss, but education and awareness on the issue is just as important.