I was a bit saddened to read such biting criticism of the National Arboretum. Of course I fully understand that people hold different views on what should have been done with the Commonwealth
gift to mark Canberra’s centenary but a variety of opinion would have been evident whatever the gift had been used for. But the decision, made over a decade ago now, was not ‘folly’. A number of COG members, including myself, are volunteer guides at the arboretum
and are proud to be involved in it and excited to see it slowly but surely developing into a world-class arboretum, even unique in its founding concept of whole forests of threatened species. Some are critically endangered or even extinct in other parts of
the world but it matters even more to me that there are important plantings of endangered Australian species. Naturally there is a modest forest of the iconic Wollemi Pine but other lesser-known species are also being preserved such as the Camden White Gum
and the Buchan Blue Wattle. The Camden White Gum’s very restricted habitat was mostly drowned beneath Warragamba dam and now only small stands remain along the Nepean River between the Dam and Camden, threatened by urbanisation, bushfires and other dangers.
The C W Gum forests of several thousand trees are the largest planting in the Arboretum.
COG was actually involved in the decision to plant a forest of the Drooping She Oak. It is a major food source for the Glossy Black Cockatoo. Although not yet critically endangered the Drooping
She Oak is disappearing from many parts of the G B Cockatoo's habitats and so a forest was planted to create the necessary biodiversity to assist the G B Cockatoo not to become extinct in the ACT.
As to the arboretum being a ‘barren wasteland’ well of course it was bare immediately after the fires of 2003 and during the preparation of the site over the next few years. There were indeed
few birds there in that period. I only saw Australasian Pipits on the relatively bare hills and on rare occasions Brown Quail on the lower slopes after the tall grasses had regrown. But that is a decade ago. It is no longer a ‘barren wasteland’. As the hundreds
of forests and thousands of trees grow, bird numbers and variety are clearly building up. The Arboretum occasionally includes bird walks in its program and, unlike the suggestion made in this discussion site, is not interested in attracting Common Mynahs and
Starlings. A particularly important project is ‘STEP’, the 'Southern Tablelands Ecosystem Project’. This is entirely planted and managed by the Friends of the Arboretum and is intended to recreate as completely as possible the original ecosystem of the area
with trees, shrubs, grasses and all other plant species specific to the Southern Tablelands and therefore the ACT. As this matures it will provide the most natural of habitats for local birds. I have already seen three varieties of finch there.
I am proud to be involved in a such a thoughtfully-designed and conservation-minded project which is converting what once may have been a fire-ravaged 'barren landscape’ into something green
and beautiful which will endure for ever and of which Canberrans of the future will be justly proud. I look forward to the day when Glossy Black Cockatoos feed there again.
