North Coast Regional Landcare Network
Landcare leading wildlife recovery post-bushfires
An arborist uses the innovative HollowHog tool to carve a hollow cavity suitable for a range of wildlife into a eucalypt tree trunk. INSET: The finished entry to the carved hollow. Image: Border Ranges-Richmond Valley Landcare.

Landcare leading wildlife recovery post-bushfires

Amongst the extensive destruction of the 2019-2020 bushfires, native wildlife was severely affected in many ways, with a major and long-term impact being the loss of hollow-bearing trees that provide critical habitat for about 15% of Australian animals. Many landholders in the bushfire zones have experienced the loss of large hollow-bearing trees that are sometimes hundreds of years old. In response, nest boxes have been used extensively to re-create the essential nesting hollows. Building on this, the North Coast Regional Landcare Network has embarked on a regional-scale project to install more nest boxes as well as using innovative drilling techniques that create hollows within the tree trunk.

The North Coast Regional Landcare Network has embarked on a regional-scale project to install more nest boxes as well as using innovative drilling techniques that create hollows within the tree trunk.

“The loss of hollow-bearing trees during the bushfires is of great concern” Jim Kinkead, Chair of North Coast Regional Landcare Network says, “Engaging landholders to install and monitor nest boxes and carved tree-trunk hollows is an important step towards supporting our hollow-dependent wildlife as we recover from the bushfires”.

Landcare has a strong track record of identifying issues and priorities, developing responsive programs and implementing grassroots, community-based solutions on-ground.

Importantly, the North Coast Landcare project is engaging an ecologist to review how successful the nest boxes and carved hollows are in attracting wildlife habitation. This study will guide how nest boxes and carved hollows are planned, installed and monitored by Landcare in future and will also provide important information on how they are assisting biodiversity and wildlife resilience post-fire.

Regional Landcare Coordinator, Josh Keating, says learning and improving the approach to providing artificial hollow habitat is central to the Landcare project. “Pulling together data on wildlife use of nest boxes and carved hollows across the North Coast is giving us a much greater insight into how effective our actions are in providing essential habitat for wildlife after the devastating bushfires” Josh said.

Landcare on the North Coast comprises hundreds of community groups and thousands of participants across the 11 Landcare networks.

It is a community-based approach to managing and protecting our natural resources – creating more productive and sustainable farms, conserving our environment, and building more cohesive and resilient communities. It’s about people coming together with a common cause - to make a positive and lasting impact on the land.

The Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery project has been supported by the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery Program for Wildlife and their Habitat.

Contact:

North Coast Regional Landcare Network https://landcare.nsw.gov.au/groups/north-coast-regional-landcare-network/

Josh Keating – Regional Landcare Coordinator – 0419966278 – josh@northcoastlandcare.net.au