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Local landholders keen for woodland protection

Posted in: 
Healthy Environments

 

Recently we advertised for Expressions of Interest from landholders who had a special patch of Eucalypt woodland they wanted help to protect and recover.

While COVID-19 restrictions have slowed us down we are still able to organise site visits to survey these remnants.

Project Officer Kate Nicol was out last week in the Avon Region surveying a patch of wandoo woodland.

All our work is centred on landholder agreement with the proposed plan. Firstly a project plan is developed using our technical skills in conjunction with an understanding of landholder wants and needs.

While a small number of community members fear the ‘Government taking our land’ our aim is to work with landholders to do the work they want to do. We are not government and can never take land.

Ongoing conversations about potential on ground activity lead to an agreed project plan that fits in with the landholders overall farm planning.

The first question Kate had to consider as part of her site assessment is whether or not this patch met the criteria to be considered a part of the Threatened Ecological Community – Eucalypt Woodlands of the WA Wheatbelt.

This remnant is looking good in terms of the presence of mature eucalypts, however it is clearly missing a diverse understorey. We’ve put together a suite of proposed options into a property plan. These include support to:

  • Exclude stock through fencing
  • Manage pests through baiting and cage trapping
  • Provide biodiverse seedlings for infill planting
  • Provide artificial nest boxes for native species

We’re excited to be able to support the landholders in their NRM project like this.

Assessing the many types of eucalypt woodlands in the region can be complicated but we have developed a very simple Survey App that indicates whether or not the patch meets certain benchmarks.

We also have a keen team, who here to support the Wheatbelt community understand more about the remnants on their properties and where needed help people with the survey App.

We still have capacity to assist more landholders who are keen to be part of this work.

If you would like to find out more please head to www.wheatbeltnrm.org.au/funding/where-wild-things-are or contact Anika on 9670 3104 or adent@wheatbeltnrm.org.au

This Wheatbelt NRM project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

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