Partnering in Biodiversity to Provide Hollow Habitat
Partnering in Biodiversity to Provide Hollow Habitat
The Far South Coast Conservation Management Network, supported by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, ran a nest box building workshop for bushfire-impacted conservation agreement landholders in the Towamba Valley
Collaborations -
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The issue
The impacts of the Black Summer bushfires were devastating for local communities and native wildlife alike across the Bega Valley Shire. In the Towamba Valley many landholders with conservation agreements through the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (the NSW BCT) were directly impacted by the fires. After the bushfires these landholders expressed their concerns to the BCT about the new challenges of managing their land for biodiversity post-fire. The BCT responded for the landholders’ request for help to restore habitat for wildlife by partnering with the Far South Coast Conservation Management Network to run a hands-on workshop for these landholders.
The solution
On a misty day in February landholders from across the Towamba Valley came together to learn about the provision of artificial hollows for hollow-dependent wildlife, such as squirrel gliders and Eastern pygmy possums, and to create nestboxes to install on their own properties. Participants on the day constructed nest-boxes with guidance from the Two Sheds Woodwork Workshop. Tobi Edmonds presented the BCT's artificial hollows guidelines and participants learned about the many considerations when providing habitat for native hollow-dependent species. The day also featured a demonstration of an exciting new tool for creating hollows inside standing trees by local arborist Christjan Peters.
The impact
As one of the first events in the NSW BCT’s Partnering in PLC Landcare projects, this workshop demonstrated the great opportunities that can be achieved through this partnership project between Landcare NSW, Local Landcare networks and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust. The workshop was an opportunity for landholders to come together, to chat and to support wildlife and biodiversity on their bushfire impacted properties. The day was centred around both the hands-on construction of nest-boxes and the evidence base for augmenting habitat with artificial hollows and resulted in networking, forming relationships and debriefing together about the fires and their recovery.
Key facts
- The workshop allowed landholders working on similar challenges in managing their properties for biodiversity to network and share experiences and knowledge.
- Twenty nest boxes were created to be installed on private land with conservation agreements.
- The group explored the complexities of augmenting habitat for hollow-dependent species and made a commitment to monitoring and reporting on their nest boxes.