When opportunities collide
RGA Landcare expands footprint to service Berriquin region, hitting the ground running with the establishment of two on-farm revegetation demonstration sites at Boomanoomana.
Capacity building - LEP_23-030_LLC005
The issue
The expansion and intensification of agriculture in the Berriquin region has seen a dramatic loss of connected habitat and biodiversity since pre-European settlement. Significant tree planting efforts were made by landholders in the 1990s to successfully combat salinity issues, however generally these plantings were not designed with biodiversity and habitat connectedness in mind.
Since this time, the Landcare movement and on-ground activity has diminished in the region. Although a series of Landcare supporting programs delivered in recent decades have funded Landcare Coordinators to support and promote Landcare activity in most of the Murray region, the Berriquin region has effectively been a Landcare ‘black spot’, with the absence of a coordinator contributing to the lull in on-ground works to promote biodiversity and restoration of connected habitat.
The solution
In 2023, the RGA was successful in its bid for funding to host another 0.6FTE LLC to expand its support services from the Deniliquin region to the Berriquin region, now effectively servicing the entire Central NSW Murray. Fortunately, this coincided with a funding opportunity from the Holbrook Landcare Network to establish two revegetation best practice demonstration sites in the Berriquin area as part of the Landcare-Led Landscape Resilience project. This presented a fantastic opportunity to both raise awareness of the new LLC role in the area and promote habitat restoration in the region.
The impact
A total of 6 hectares of “greenfield” farmland previously cleared and used for cropping are being restored to provide habitat for native species that is connected to both remnant and previously restored vegetation. A combination of direct seeding and planting of 1,700 tube stock is underway following best practice guidelines published in the recently updated Revegetation Guide to the NSW South West Slopes and Riverina Regions. Species planted include Yellow Box, Grey Box, Buloke, White Cyprus Pine, Butter Bush, Gold Dust Wattle, Western Silver Wattle, Ruby Saltbush and Wedge Leaf Hopbush, to name a few.
Key facts
- RGA Landcare has expanded its footprint to service the Berriquin region, now covering the entire Central Murray
- Two revegetation demonstration sites are underway, restoring 6 hectares of greenfield farmland to provide connected habitat for native species.
- Fantastic opportunity for an awareness raising and knowledge exchange event in the near future; touring newly established demo sites and revegetation work completed in the 1990s