Hunter Region Landcare Network

Woodland Birds School Education Program

This is part of the program: Bringing Back the Regent Honeyeater, a flagship species for our forests, farms, rivers and woodland birds.

Woodland Birds School Education Program

This is part of the program: Bringing Back the Regent Honeyeater, a flagship species for our forests, farms, rivers and woodland birds.

Community Participation -

LP038R-003

The issue

Woodland birds such as the Regent Honeyeater and the Swift Parrot are critically endangered, and the Hunter region provides critical habitat for these birds within the vegetation communities of: Box Gum Grassy Woodland and Spotted Gum/ Red Ironbark/ Grassy Open Forest These vegetation communities are listed as Endangered Ecological Communities because of the flora and fauna they support.

The main issues affecting woodland birds include: ongoing fragmentation of habitat increasing the risk of extinction; increase in invasive/ aggressive bird species; degradation of habitat resources; higher fire frequency; and erosion of natural corridors.

The solution

We have developed a school education program for primary schools in the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA’s) of the Hunter region. The program includes:

  • A range of curriculum-based activities and resources to complement existing teaching programs in science & technology, geography, mathematics, creative arts, and English;
  • Assistance from HRLN staff to facilitate the activities; and
  • Coordination from HRLN staff to enable the creation of an ongoing Junior Landcare Program onsite.

The impact

The impact and positive outcomes of the program include:

  • Schools in the KBA’s can provide and/or extend habitat corridors for these woodland birds,
  • Citizen science type activities can engage young people and enable schools to be part of the regional monitoring and reporting of woodland birds;
  • Revegetation projects on school grounds in the KBA’s can increase potential habitat with school grounds acting as refuges for these species;
  • Schools in the KBA’s forming Junior Landcare Groups will enable school students to become stewards of these species.

Key facts

  • Many woodland birds are critically endangered and the Hunter region provides essential habitat for these birds.
  • Together as a community we can empower others to join us in helping to preserve and protect the vegetation communities which support our woodland birds.
  • A curriculum based school education program has been developed to raise awareness about our endangered woodland birds and encourage school children to become directly involved in saving them.