From: Lynne
King [
Sent: Monday, 3 December
2012 1:40 PM
Subject: Biodiversity Funding delivers first 300 hectares
of critically endangered Grassy Box Gum Woodland
Biodiversity Funding delivers first 300 hectares of critically
endangered Grassy Box Gum Woodland
With the
support of the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Fund, Greening Australia and
Bush Heritage Australia have partnered to deliver the restoration of 300
hectares of threatened Grassy Box Gum woodland on Scottsdale Reserve, 75km south
of Canberra.
Box Gum
Grassy Woodlands are a nationally endangered plant community (EPBC Act)
and have been heavily cleared and degraded in the region. This new joint-project
will progressively turn a weed infested valley floor at Scottsdale into its
former Yellow Box Gum glory and will also serve as a showcase for the
broad-scale management of African Love Grass, a noxious rapidly spreading weed
across the southern tablelands of NSW.
Greening Australia and Bush Heritage will work together over the next
two years of this project to make some headway on reversing
biodiversity loss in the region, the first seeding to commence in Spring
2013.
“It’s
wonderful to see Australian government policy hitting the ground in such an
emphatic way through the biodiversity fund” said Brendan Foran, CEO Greening
Australia.
The
Biodiversity Funding of $225,000 will aim to transition the site from a degraded
exotic grassland of poor biodiversity value to a semi-dense woodland system, to
initially break the stranglehold the weed has on the area.
“We work with
a group of willing and capable partners in restoring our landscapes, and it’s
fantastic to be working with Bush Heritage Australia at their iconic Scottsdale
reserve”
“Key to the
early success of this project is our 30 years of experience, and long-standing
partnerships with landholders, in this case Bush Heritage”
Peter
Saunders, Regional Reserve Manager for Bush Heritage Australia says this is a
huge win for Scottsdale Reserve.
“This
commitment from Greening Australia is impressive. We have progressively worked
together over the last four years on revegetation efforts such as direct
seeding, seed collecting and tube stock plantings and can’t wait to start
planting in 2013.”
Over the past
5 years, Bush Heritage and volunteers have also been able to reduce the rabbit
threat by 80% on Scottsdale. This, along with the continued management of feral
animals, and fire breaks will provide the baseline and on-going management
needed to make the restoration project a successful one.”
“A variety of
revegetation methods will also be used – including direct seeding and tube stock
planting while the volunteer-run nursery will also produce approximately 20, 000
tube-stock plantings for this project, not to mention thousands of dollars’
worth of labour.”
Greening
Australia is supporting many Biodiversity Fund projects across the country, if
you would like to partner with Greening Australia, there are further partnership
opportunities available.
ENDS
For media enquiries please
contact:
Jason Cummings
CEO Greening Australia Capital
Region
0428 460 004
Peter Saunders
Regional Reserve Manager, Scottsdale
Reserve
0407 700 431
About Scottsdale
Reserve:
Just 45
minutes south of Canberra, Bush Heritage’s Scottsdale Reserve is located in the
region between Kosciuszko and Namadgi national parks and the forests of NSW's
far south coast. It protects endangered grassy box gum woodlands and temperate
grasslands. It harbours many rare birds and reptiles. Wrapped around
Scottsdale's northern and western flanks is the Murrumbidgee River, which
cascades over natural rock weirs, through deep tree-fringed pools and around
river-sculpted rocks.
This revegetation plan focuses on the Gungoandra valley floor which
encompasses Yellow Box / Apple Box grassy woodlands, and associated threatened
communities Snow Gum grassy / Black Sallee frost hollow woodlands and native
grasslands along with derived grasslands.
Lynne
King
Greening
Australia
National Communications
Ph: 0416 003
218
