Rediscovering our Sandhills: A tour around Wanganella
A day of exploring threatened sandhill pine communities and discovering how protection, persistence and passion can result in something truly amazing.
Capacity building - LEP_23-030_LLC011
The issue
Sandhill Pine Woodlands are a threatened ecological community and the protection and restoration of these areas is critical. They provide habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna and play an important role in maintaining ground cover and preventing soil erosion. Even sandhills with limited vegetation can be restored and provide an ecological value to the landscape. Promoting the importance and protection of these sandhill communities can be a challenge.
The solution
In April RGA Landcare with support from the Biodiversity Conservation Trust ran a tour of three sandhill woodland sites just south of Wanganella in southern NSW.
The first stop was Zara Sandhill, a remnant site, now managed under a BCT conservation agreement on private land. This site provides a glimpse as to what the region’s sandhills looked like before clearing. It is a benchmark for what a biodiverse sandhill woodland can look like when threats are reduced and active management supports natural processes.
In contrast, the Wanganella Sandhill highlighted just how far a landscape can come with persistence and care. Once the home of a single emu bush, the site now supports thousands of trees and a growing diversity of wildlife, the result of more than two decades of effort involving revegetation, pest control and ongoing management.
Local ornithologist Philip Maher led the tour and spoke about his involvement in the restoration of the Wanganella and Monimail sandhills and the some of the structures that have been put in place to encourage birds back to the sites. These include the construction of a nesting wall dug into the side of the sandhill that is now home to white-backed wood swallows and the introduction of several mistletoe species.
The impact
The tour brought together landholders, community members and natural resource professionals from across the Murray and Riverina. The event created time for people to connect, share knowledge and see firsthand how the region’s threatened sandhill woodlands are being restored.
For RGA Landcare, it is this collective effort that continues to drive results on the ground. By bringing people together, sharing practical knowledge and fostering strong partnerships, the community is helping ensure the survival of the Riverina’s sandhill woodlands.
Key facts
- Restoring sandhill woodlands is possible with collaboration between landholders, community groups and conservation agencies.
- Planned site preparation is key to plant survival.
- Persistence is the key to the restoration of these sandhill communities.