Reconstructing Hastings River Riparian Rainforest
Hastings Landcare, in collaboration with Landholders Peter & Emma Daley and a dedicated group of volunteers, have boosted biodiversity, protected riverbanks and created the beginnings of a valuable wildlife corridor along the Hastings River.
Capacity to Deliver - LEP23-33_LLC06
The issue
Landholders Peter and Emma Daley have recently taken over management of their family farm 'Gannon Vale'. They took a different approach to previous generations by opting for regenerative agriculture and building biodiversity. After become Hastings Landcare members the Daley's sought advice for restoring 1km of eroded treeless hastings River.
The solution
The Daley's developed a Biodiversity Plan that mapped out the features of the property they wanted to improve. With support via a Landcare grant, fencing and off-stream watering points were installed to prevent stock from accessing the river and the first stage of planting completed. Peter & Emma Daley says, “Hastings Landcare helped with site selection, plant selection, tree guard selection and putting together a community planting day. I got the site prepared and a great group of volunteers came out to help plant the trees!”. This Hastings River site was planted as Lower North Waterhousea-Water Gum Rainforest which is what would have been on the site originally.
The impact
-Livestock prevented from accessing the Hastings River
-Improved water quality via change of management (for stock and wildlife and us!)
-Boost biodiversity by planting back the rainforest that once existed on the site
-Creating a future wildlife corridor
-Improved stock management
-Community involvement to compound local impact!
Key facts
- Landcare can help determine the plant community that existed on a site before it was cleared.
- Planting local native species that have adapted to site conditions is a major factor in the success of a planted site.
- Stock must be appropriately excluded from planting site to prevent young trees from being damaged.