2006–07 Conservation Report

Annual Conservation Report Bush Heritage in action, 2006–2007 Vision for the future By 2025 Bush Heritage will protect 1% of Australia by conserving more than 7 million hectares of Australia’s land and water and the wildlife that inhabits these protected areas. Protecting Australia’s biodiversity and restoring the health of the environment are our highest priorities. We also work in partnership with others to rebuild the resilience of whole landscapes, and use best available science to manage the land under our care. i Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Liffey River Reserve, Tas. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Australian Bush Heritage Fund (trading as Bush Heritage Australia) ABN 78 053 639 115 Registered ofﬁce: Level 5, 395 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Postal address: PO Box 329, Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 8009 Phone: (03) 8610 9100 or 1300 NATURE (1300 628 873) Fax: (03) 8610 9199 Email: [email protected] Website: www.bushheritage.org.au Artwork and production: Geoffrey Williams + Associates Pty Ltd Printed on combination 55% recycled and 45% plantation ﬁbre using vegetable-based inks. Contents

Vision for the future i Board of Directors 2 Chief Executive Ofﬁcer 3 Patron 3 Ambassador 3 President’s report 4 Chief Executive Ofﬁcer’s report 5 A strategic approach to conservation 6 Gulf of Carpentaria to Lake Eyre anchor region 9 Ethabuka and Cravens Peak reserves 9 Queensland Uplands and Brigalow Belt anchor region 12 Carnarvon Station and Goonderoo reserves 12 South-East Grassy Box Woodlands anchor region 14 Scottsdale Reserve 14 Kosciuszko to Coast 15 Tarcutta Hills Reserve 16 Nardoo Hills reserves 17 Burrin Burrin and Brogo reserves 20 South-West Botanical Province anchor region 21 The northern woodlands: Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves 21

Map of Bush Heritage reserves (centre-page spread) 22

Kojonup Reserve 24 Gondwana Link 26 Midlands of Tasmania anchor region 30 South Esk Pine and Friendly Beaches reserves 31 Reserves outside the Bush Heritage anchor regions 32 Liffey Valley reserves 33 Fan Palm and Currumbin Valley reserves 33 Reedy Creek Reserve 34 Boolcoomatta Reserve 35 Financial summary 38 Fundraising and communications 40 Bush Heritage staff 42 Thank you 44

Front cover: Barbed seed head of bidgee-widgee Acaena novaezelandiae, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. Clockwise from far left: Unfurling fern frond, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. A dragonﬂy displays cryptic colouration. Fringe lily Thysanotus sp. Epiphytic fern. Photos on page 1 are from Yourka Reserve, Qld, a property recently acquired by Bush Heritage. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

President: Phillip Toyne LLB, DipEd – Director, EcoFutures Pty Ltd Phillip is one of Australia’s leading environmentalists. He was the Executive Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation where he helped to establish the National Landcare Program. Phillip was a visiting Fellow at the Australian National University before becoming Deputy Secretary in the Commonwealth Department of Environment. Earlier he worked as a lawyer for Aboriginal groups in central Australia. Phillip is also a director of ITC Limited, CVC Sustainable Investments Pty Ltd, Agri Energy Limited, the Australasian Carbon Exchange Pty Ltd and the Rein Foundation. EcoFutures is a company working on sustainability initiatives with business and governments. Phillip has been President of Bush Heritage since 2000. Vice-President: Dr Steve Morton BSc(Hons), PhD – Group Executive, CSIRO Sustainable Energy and Environment Steve is one of Australia’s most respected ecologists. He has 23 years’ experience with CSIRO as a research scientist in tropical northern Australia, arid central Australia and the southern temperate zone, and has worked to integrate biodiversity conservation and land use for grazing and agriculture. Steve joined the Bush Heritage Board in 2003. Treasurer: David Rickards BSc, BEng, MBA – Executive Director and Global Head of Research, Macquarie Bank David heads up the extensive and highly rated equities research group at Macquarie Bank, coordinating a team based throughout Australia, Asia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Before joining Macquarie, David was responsible for establishing a risk management company, BARRA International, in Australia and worked as a consulting structural engineer with Maunsell. David is an authority on the equities market, with particular expertise in strategic analysis. David joined the Board in 2006.

Dr Guy Fitzhardinge BAgEcon, MAppSci, PhD – Managing Director, Thring Pastoral Company Guy is currently a member of the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientiﬁc Committee and Chairman of the CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies. He has previously been a director of Meat & Livestock Australia and the Meat Research Corporation, Vice-President of the Australian Rangelands Society, an advisor to CSIRO Wool and Textiles Division, the wool industry and WWF, and a ministerial appointee to the NSW Biodiversity Advisory Committee. He currently manages three properties and a large cattle herd in central NSW. Guy joined the Bush Heritage Board in 2003.

Gnarled trunk, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

2 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Dr Sue McIntyre BSc(Hons), PhD – Senior consulting widely with rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Strait Islander communities on land management, enterprise Sustainable Ecosystems development, employment initiatives and cultural heritage. Sue currently leads a research group working For the past fifteen years, Rosalie has been involved with on sustainability in agricultural landscapes. working towards resolving native title on a state-wide basis She has 27 years of research experience in and is currently a representative on the Congress Executive weed ecology, landscape ecology and conservation biology. Committee, which includes representatives of claimant Throughout her career Sue has sought to make complex groups in South Australia. She has published and presented ecological concepts understood as simple principles that a number of papers at national and international conferences. enable land managers to put science into practice on their Rosalie also sits on the Indigenous Protected Areas land. Sue joined the Bush Heritage Board in 2007. Ministerial Advisory Committee and is currently Chair of the Nukunu Peoples Council. Andrew Myer GradDipBusMgt, MBA – Founder and Managing Director, Sestriere Investments Pty Ltd Chief Executive Officer Andrew has long been involved in investment, film and philanthropy. He has Doug Humann BA(Hons)Geog, DipEd interests in equities, property development Before coming to Bush Heritage, Doug and management, and is a director of numerous private spent eight years as Director of the Victorian companies. He has produced and been executive producer National Parks Association, Victoria’s of Australian feature films and is a board member of the largest member-based nature conservation Melbourne International Film Festival. Andrew was for organisation. He is a member of the World five years Director and Co-Vice-President of The Myer Commission on Protected Areas and has advised several Foundation and is currently a Trustee of the Sidney Myer governments on private protected areas. He won the Wild Fund. Andrew joined the Bush Heritage Board in 2007. Environmentalist of the Year award in 1997 and was a finalist in the CEO of the Year awards in 2005. Doug was Hutch Ranck BScEcon – Managing Director, appointed CEO of Bush Heritage in 1997. DuPont Australia/New Zealand Hutch is also Group Managing Director Patron of Dupont ASEAN. He represents the Business Council of Australia on the Prime Bob Brown – Founder, and Australian Greens Senator Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation for Tasmania Council and is a member of the Business Roundtable on Sustainable Development. Hutch joined the Bush Heritage Ambassador Board in 2006. Tim Fischer AC – Chairman, Tourism Australia

Keith Tufﬂey BEc, LLM – Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Keith is a Managing Director with Goldman Sachs, now based in London. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2002 and for four years was the head of the Investment Banking Division and a member of the Board in Australia, until his relocation to London. Keith has over 15 years’ investment banking experience advising and ﬁnancing corporations across a wide range of industries. He is also a Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and a Governor of WWF- Australia. Keith joined the Bush Heritage Board in 2006.

Rosalie Turner BAppSc (Natural Resource Management) Rosalie is a Nukunu woman from the central- southern Flinders Ranges and a named claimant on the Nukunu native title claim. She has worked for many years in Aboriginal health, education and land and cultural heritage management, Regenerating grass tree, Yourka Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 3 President’s report footprint. Therefore, the Board and management have committed to creating a sustainable business model and being It is gratifying to see the continued expansion carbon neutral by 2010. of Bush Heritage’s work, as our nation engages in a This year both Vice-President Louise Gilfedder and Treasurer robust debate on sustainability and global warming and Mara Bún retired after each had served the Board ably for takes a genuine interest in protecting our environment. three full terms. Mara was our vigilant Treasurer from 2002 The 2006/07 year was one of substantial growth in all until her retirement in September and Louise Gilfedder, who areas of our work, in line with our strategic plan. We acquired completed her third term in February, had been a dependable ﬁve new properties and took major steps forward in the Vice-President since 2001. We thank them for their development of partnerships with Indigenous groups, pastoral commitment to Bush Heritage and their insightful contributions, neighbours and research organisations. Kosciuszko to Coast, which have helped to maintain the solid yet sustainable growth the landscape recovery initiative in New South Wales, was that Bush Heritage has experienced over that time. launched, and Gondwana Link, a similar program in Western I congratulate Alexis Wright on the notable success of her Australia, continued its remarkable progress. Our Anchors in book Carpentaria, which won, among other awards, the 2007 the Landscape fundraising campaign reached its $20 million Miles Franklin Literary Award. Alexis joined the Board in 2006 target in just two and a half years. This is the largest amount but decided to resign in September 2007 to concentrate on ever raised for the environment in one campaign in Australia. her writing. However, she will maintain an ongoing role in These achievements were only possible because of the helping Bush Heritage to develop its conservation program outstanding support that we received from around the globe. and build partnerships with Indigenous people. We thank her On behalf of the Board I would like to thank all those who for her invaluable contribution. have contributed so generously this year. Many of our donors As the world looks for solutions to global warming and are acknowledged at the end of this report and I would climate change, Bush Heritage is standing up to be counted. particularly like to thank the Australian Government’s National With a clear vision for the future, we offer all sections of the Reserve System and Maintaining Australia’s Biodiversity community, from individuals to government departments, Hotspots programs, The Thomas Foundation and The Nature the opportunity to contribute to protecting those places and Conservancy. These agencies and organisations have made a creatures that cannot speak for themselves and which are major contribution to our work. most at risk from the threats associated with climate change. Partnerships in all their forms will become increasingly Bush Heritage is in a unique position to protect Australia’s important as we work towards our goal for 2025 – of owning land, waters and wildlife across the nation through strategic or helping to manage one per cent of Australia, that is, about land purchases and strong partnerships. With more than 7 million hectares of our country’s most important areas for 720 000 hectares already under management and with more biodiversity. Over the next twelve months, building stronger land purchases in sight, we are well on our way, with the help partnership with Indigenous groups, corporations, private of our supporters, to meeting our long-term goals. landowners and community organisations will be a major focus of our activities. These partnerships will be collaborative and participatory and we hope to engage people’s hearts and minds so that they choose to be involved for the long term. And we will not just ‘talk’ about sustainability. As a business, we must look to our own operations and reduce our carbon Phillip Toyne, President

From left: Female Lesueurs frog, Currumbin Valley Reserve, Qld. Rock fossil and coal, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

4 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Chief Executive Officer’s report Our increasing engagement with Indigenous groups is leading to important strategic partnerships as well as a cultural This year Bush Heritage has moved confidently towards change within Bush Heritage. Working with Indigenous people its goal of protecting, by 2025, 7 million hectares of land to protect the land and their cultural heritage is now core that is critical for safeguarding Australia’s biodiversity. business for Bush Heritage. Bidjara and Noongar people (in central Queensland and south-west Western Australia While our management team has focused on developing the respectively) are re-establishing cultural ties with their country internal systems, skills and experience to ensure that we are through involvement on lands owned by Bush Heritage. the most efficient and effective organisation that we can be, all our other staff have been busier than ever working on the This year we exceeded our targets for land acquisition ground to meet our conservation goals. and achieved more than expected on the reserves and in our partnerships as a result of reaching our ambitious We are also benefiting from some great innovations. fundraising goal. Through our Anchors in the Landscape Our ecologists have been working with the Australian fundraising campaign, Phase 1, we raised over $20 million by National University to develop a powerful technological September 2007. This campaign received outstanding support tool that we have termed BioPrEP (see page 7). It uses from both within and beyond Australia, and from all sectors of satellite imagery to help identify highly productive areas of land the community. that should be protected. Using satellite images, we are also able to measure the health of vegetation communities, identify At the time this report was going to print, Bush Heritage had areas that need additional management work and acquired two more properties: Yourka Reserve in far-north systematically track the recovery of some of our reserves. Queensland (43 500 ha) and Bon Bon Reserve in arid South In addition we have been working to develop a comprehensive Australia (215 500 ha). The total area of land and water under reporting system that will enable us to document the Bush Heritage protection is now 936 000 hectares. benefits to biodiversity of the conservation dollars (including The coming year is offering even greater opportunities for donations) that we spend. This work has been supported by Bush Heritage to protect the most iconic and important the Australian Government. landscapes in Australia. In the bush, reserve staff and volunteers have worked Please stay with us on this exciting journey and thank you for tirelessly, often in remote and difficult circumstances, to return all the help, support and confidence you have shown in the ecosystems to health. They have also worked closely with their organisation, in me, and in my teams who work enthusiastically local communities to ensure that Bush Heritage is respected and with grace and humour to achieve a better long-term as a collaborative and effective land manager. future for Australia’s biodiversity. Bush Heritage now manages over 720 000 hectares of land. The details of our properties and partnerships can be found in the following pages. We are continuing to focus our activities in our five priority ‘anchor’ regions, those areas of exceptional value for biodiversity that are under threat. However, as planned through our Beyond the Boundaries program, we have also expanded our reach by developing partnerships with other land-owners and assisting them to manage important areas of their land for conservation. Doug Humann, Chief Executive Officer

From left: Bush Heritage CEO Doug Humann with thorny devil, Ethabuka Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE Tiger Gorge, Yourka Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

In Australia we need an additional 22 million hectares under conservation management if we are to protect a representative core of our biodiversity. Bush Heritage has set itself the task of contributing one third of this area, and aims by 2025 to protect more than 7 million hectares of land that is critical for saving species and habitats and returning ecosystems to health. To achieve this goal Bush Heritage is working with many partners to identify these critical areas and then to manage them for conservation. Our ﬁrst step has been to develop a national strategic approach to our conservation work, titled the ‘Anchors in the Landscape Conservation Framework’. Using this framework, we have selected key regions in which to work (see pages 22–23) and in each region we are investing in long-term conservation activities. The regions chosen: ■ have outstanding biodiversity values ■ have been or are being degraded by unsustainable land management practices ■ strategically position us in areas where we can create effective partnerships with key land-owners such as Indigenous groups, governments and pastoral companies. Within each region, we are identifying and protecting, through land acquisitions and partnerships, core areas or ‘anchors’. These anchors are not only a focus for our activities on the ground, but are also areas from which we can develop regional relationships and explore new partnership opportunities. We will continue to acquire outstanding properties and develop signiﬁcant partnerships outside these regions, however.

Saving ‘source’ areas From Tasmania to the Kimberley, Australia’s most fertile land is rarely found in reserves. Today we understand that land that is productive for human use is also productive for native species and ecosystems. Consequently, protecting representative

From left: River cascade, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

samples of these productive ‘source’ areas, particularly where Monitoring what we do threatened species or ecosystems remain, is vital. Unless As our land management work expands, we need to know if we adequately protect source areas such as valley floors, our efforts are being effective in reaching our conservation rivers, wetlands and ‘flood-out country’, we will lose the places goals. Our Ecological Outcomes Monitoring program provides where many species breed or find refuge during drought or the answers. Using this program on our reserves and on the fire. If we fail, these species will struggle to survive in the properties owned by our partners, we measure the changes surrounding landscape. that occur over time in environmental variables such as the Source areas are currently concentrated in the pastoral soil, vegetation and bird populations. This allows us to track the and development zones and, if they become degraded, they general health of the land, and especially its most significant struggle to fulfil their essential ecological role. species and habitats. Ecological outcomes monitoring sites have been set up on Finding source areas with BioPrEP most of our existing reserves, and are established on all new Bush Heritage is now identifying these source areas reserves as soon as possible after their purchase. using an innovative approach called BioPrEP (Biodiversity In this Annual Conservation Report we present some Prediction using Ecological Processes). BioPrEP was of the preliminary results of our work towards reaching developed by the Bush Heritage ecology team and our management goals. Each goal is measured using an researchers from Australian National University and the ‘indicator’, such as the condition of the soil surface or browsed Bureau of Rural Sciences. BioPrEP builds a ‘picture’ of the vegetation, or the population numbers of a threatened species. land by combining information on productivity, the health of the All these indicators provide a good measure of some aspect of landscape and the level of official protection of its ecosystems. ecosystem health. Additional information on threatened species and active threats refines the picture. Working beyond reserve boundaries To date, BioPrEP has been used to examine two of our Achieving our conservation goals will not be possible if we key regions. The others will be analysed during the next focus simply on land that we own. The health of our reserves twelve months. is affected by the activities of our neighbours, and many ‘Anchors’ are beginning to develop as we make important ‘source’ areas are owned by landholders unable strategic land acquisitions and/or establish partnerships or unwilling to sell their land. The growing awareness of the with other landholders, such as Indigenous groups or impacts of climate change also makes all the more urgent the neighbouring land-owners. Whole landscapes are starting need for an integrated approach to land management across to be managed in an integrated way to restore their large areas. ecological health. In the cases of Gondwana Link in Western Australia, and Kosciusko to Coast in New South Wales, Indigenous perspectives on caring for and understanding the land are being incorporated into the management strategies. continued overleaf

From left: Checking a pitfall trap are Eurardy Reserve Manager Paul Hales (left) and former staff member Julian Fennessy. PHOTO: LEANNE HALES Emu family, Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 7 continued from previous page Bush Heritage’s ecological outcomes monitoring methods will soon be used on properties around our Nardoo Hills reserves in Victoria by the Wedderburn Conservation Over the past two years we have been building partnerships Management Network, as a way to track the health of the conservation benefits of which will be seen on land owned populations of woodland birds known to be declining across by others. These activities we describe as working ‘beyond the their range. And monitoring is also under way on the boundaries’ of traditional conservation. Greening Australia (WA) property Nowanup, which is part At the individual property level, we are working closely with of Gondwana Link. neighbours ‘over the fence’ to coordinate the management of fire and feral animal species. We have also directly supported Reporting on the outcomes conservation planning and on-ground management on Bush Heritage has joined with international organisations Indigenous lands on Cape York and in Arnhem Land, with new to develop ways to report accurately on the biodiversity projects beginning in other regions such as the Kimberley. gains made from the dollars invested in conservation. While still in their early days, these individual property This project, Investment in Conservation and Resource partnerships promise enormous conservation benefits. Management, or ‘Increment’, was funded by the Australian Long-term landscape partnerships involve many groups, Government’s National Heritage Trust and Land & Water extend over large areas and incorporate many individual Australia. Increment provides a way to define, evaluate projects, including land acquisitions, conservation covenants, and report on biodiversity conservation returns from support for landholder actions and, for example, the specific investments, and allows investors to evaluate the coordination of regional fire management. Kosciuszko to risks and likely returns. Coast in New South Wales, Gondwana Link in Western Australia and a new cooperative project in the Midlands of Thanks Tasmania (see page 30) are examples of such landscape Our list of collaborators across the country is vast and partnerships. As well as purchasing properties, Bush Heritage we thank them all. It is not possible to list them all here. contributes to employing and managing facilitators and Particular thanks are due to Professor Chris Dickman and the coordinators, plans and develops the broader projects and Desert Ecology Group, Sydney University; Jeremy Wallace, then plans the detailed actions needed on the ground. CSIRO (VegMachine); Brendan Mackey, Australian National University, and Rob Lesslie, Bureau of Rural Sciences Encouraging research (BioPrEP); Eddie van Etten and Will Stock, Edith Cowan Bush Heritage reserves are sites for studies being University; the Wildflower Society of Western Australia; undertaken by research partners. Recently, scientific surveys the coordination teams and partners of Gondwana Link, have been undertaken at Cravens Peak Reserve by the Royal Kosciuszko to Coast and the Tasmanian Midlands project; Geographic Society of Queensland and at Boolcoomatta Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation; Indigenous Reserve by the Scientific Expedition Group. The Desert Land Corporation; members of our Indigenous Advisory Group; Ecology Group at Sydney University continues its long-term Aboriginal Traditional Owners working with us on ‘country’ study of the ecology of desert animals at both Ethabuka and throughout Australia; Rob Richards (Increment) and Ian Cravens Peak reserves. Watson (Pastoral Partnerships).

From left: Bark study, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. Grey kangaroo, Yourka Reserve, Qld. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

In the Gulf of Carpentaria to Lake Eyre anchor region are Bush Heritage’s two largest reserves, Cravens Peak and Ethabuka reserves. They protect a vast, relatively unmodified landscape between the Simpson Desert and the Queensland Channel Country. During the boom times that follow good rain, ephemeral wetlands, drainage lines and lakes on the reserves become highly productive. Plants grow, flower and seed, and animals breed rapidly, feasting on the plentiful plant material or on the insects and smaller mammals that multiply with the abundant food. These habitats can act as drought refuges for months or even years to come. These productive areas, which make up only a small proportion of the reserves, are also the best cattle country. In the past, concentrations of grazing cattle have eaten the vegetation and thus reduced the store of nutrients and cover available for native species. In some areas of the reserves, stock have also compacted the soils, which has made the soils less able to absorb the rain and caused the loss of more nutrients through erosion. These disturbed fertile areas have also been introduction points for invasive weeds. Cattle and feral camels are selective feeders and have caused changes to the natural structure and composition of plant communities on the properties. The Simpson/Strzelecki dunefields, parts of which form the west of the reserves, are home to a great variety of animals, particularly small mammals and reptiles. These dunefields support more reptiles than any other desert area in the world. Thanks to the ongoing research work, on both Cravens Peak and Ethabuka reserves, of Professor Chris Dickman and his Desert Ecology Group from Sydney University, we know a lot about the dynamics of the animal populations in this highly variable desert environment. One of the research team’s key achievements has been to track and understand the Gulf of Carpentaria extraordinary episodic boom-and-bust dynamics that follow to Lake Eyre anchor region continued overleaf

From top: Rocky outcrop, Cravens Peak Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Professor Chris Dickman and friend. PHOTO: BOBBY TAMAYO

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 9 continued from previous page unpredictable floods, such as those that occurred in the around water points and also by maintaining the competitive summer of 2006/07 when Ethabuka and surrounding areas role of dingoes. received a downpour such as occurs only once in about At Ethabuka, reducing the risk of wildfire has been a 30 years. priority. In 2006 we put in firebreaks to protect the Not only the native fauna, but also foxes, cats and probably Ethabuka homestead. In 2007 we burnt a major firebreak, dingoes, thrive in these conditions, and wildfires often follow, extending over a distance of 18 kilometres along the burning over large areas on the increased fuel available. southern boundary, from Pulchera Waterhole in the east Species such as the mulgara, a small native predator, can be to the dunefields in the west. With volunteers Mike Emery severely impacted at these times and understanding how to and Veronica Steane, reserve managers Sajidah Abdullah enhance the mulgara’s population in this complex ecological and Scott Morrison undertook the burning, working solidly environment is something that the long-term research will help throughout August and September. Drip torches were used to to determine. light the spinifex along the southern boundary track and the burns were contained by a cleared line graded 100 metres to Management goals the north. At Cravens Peak and Ethabuka reserves our three main This 100 metre firebreak provides additional protection for the management goals are to: homestead complex, the Sydney University research camp, the ■ restore the ecological functions of the land and increase research sites where mulgara have been studied for sixteen the proportion of the reserve that is effectively gathering years and the habitats that remained unburnt following the water, nutrients and energy extensive wildfires in 2001. It will reduce the extent of wildfires ■ maintain or restore the viability of the populations of key likely to arrive from the south, which is the direction of the species, such as the mulgara, through protecting, restoring prevailing wind. and increasing the extent of high-quality habitat ■ maintain or restore the variability in the landscape and The results so far allow the ground cover, herb and shrub layers and the Monitoring sites have been established across both reserves. vegetation canopy to integrate back into a functioning Data has been collected regularly on the condition of the soil healthy ecosystem. surface and vegetation, and bird species have been recorded. The diversity and abundance of birds are good indicators of What we are doing to achieve these goals the health of the native food chain, as birds feed throughout Removing stock, repairing fences and mustering stray cattle each ecosystem from within the soil surface to above the tree have been major steps towards reaching our management canopy. In a desert environment, birds will also move to a new goals. Camel musters, organised with neighbouring properties, location if conditions deteriorate. have resulted in 80 feral camels being trucked out of the area. Trapping this year by the Desert Ecology Group indicated that Native mammal populations, including populations of the the populations of native rodents have increased significantly. mulgara, are being monitored regularly by the Desert Ecology We expect such increases to be followed by a rise in the Group across a series of strategically placed trapping grids. number of native predators such as the mulgara. The peak We are also working with the group to understand the role of of the rodent population has been higher than expected in feral predators in the landscape. It is thought that foxes and some places, possibly as a consequence of the boom period cats may be most effectively controlled by baiting and trapping coinciding with the cessation of grazing.

From left: Ethabuka Reserve Manager Sajidah Abdullah. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE Mulgara. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/ LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES Lighting spinifex at Ethabuka Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE

10 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia The question of the impact of foxes and cats, particularly on the native predators further up the food chain, remains to be answered. We hope that now, with more cover in which to hide, these species will be better able to survive the inevitable increase in the numbers of foxes and cats.

Recovery of vegetation at Cravens Peak Reserve The removal of cattle from Cravens Peak Reserve in the summer of 2006/07 coincided with a rainfall event such as occurs about once in 30 years. There was an immediate response on the land, with a surge of plant growth and improvements in the soil crust. However, the impact of the rain meant that we were unable to collect baseline data on the condition of the reserve at the time the cattle were removed. This would have been used to make comparisons with its condition in the years ahead. We do, however, have early photographic records taken at our monitoring sites to show that already there has been a greater recovery on the reserve than on adjacent pastoral properties that are still grazed. With stock removed, favoured plants such as the Queensland blue bush Chenopodium auricomum and lignum Muehlenbeckia ﬂorulenta are now regenerating along the creek lines. Other species that depend on them will return also. Our monitoring work shows that ground cover plants are returning, plants that have been heavily browsed are recovering and a more complex structure is returning to the vegetation communities. Many of the valleys between dunes now have a shrub layer that was previously absent. This vegetation will anchor and mulch the soil and speed up the redevelopment of the soil crust. An ongoing study by the Desert Ecology Group is giving us an overview of the structure of the bird community and how birds use the landscape. There are some promising signs, with an increase in sightings of ﬂock pigeons, a species that frequents productive desert country. The pigeons have been recorded breeding close to the Cravens Peak homestead, the most productive and formerly most heavily grazed part of the reserve.

From left: Ethabuka Reserve Manager Scott Morrison lighting spinifex. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE Dingo hunting at Pulchera Waterhole, Ethabuka Reserve, Qld. Dunes ﬂowering after rain at Ethabuka. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 11 Carnarvon Station and Goonderoo reserves Both Goonderoo and Carnarvon Station reserves were purchased at a time when land clearing in central Queensland was at its most intense. Brigalow woodlands and bluegrass downs, and the animals and plants that depended on them, were being severely affected by the broad-scale clearing and conversion of the land to grazing and cropping. Buying land for conservation was urgently needed to protect these most vulnerable ecosystems and species, especially at Goonderoo. The threatened bluegrass grasslands and brigalow woodlands on both properties have been a focus of our conservation activities.

Management goals Our key management goals for these threatened habitats are to: ■ restore the health of the soil surface and increase the amount of vegetation cover ■ restore the viability and health of populations of key species of small mammals, such as the narrow-nosed planigale and Forrest’s mouse in the bluegrass at Carnarvon Station Reserve, and of birds such as the speckled warbler in the brigalow woodlands at Goonderoo Reserve ■ restore the vegetation structure of both vegetation types so that they exhibit the proper structural characteristics and balance of plant species. Our success will be indicated by the return of a greater diversity of grasses, small shrubs and forbs to the bluegrass downs, and by the return of the full range and abundance of birds to the brigalow woodland.

What we are doing to achieve these goals Our efforts to remove grazing stock, muster stray cattle and repair and maintain fences have allowed these productive ecosystems to once again put their nutrients, energy and Queensland Uplands water into the native food webs. In addition we have focused on controlling a number of serious weeds including Johnson and Brigalow Belt grass, buffel grass and Parthenium. Fire and herbicide sprays have been used on Carnarvon Station Reserve, and sprays and, anchor region in the most severely infested areas, grazing stock have been

Clockwise from top: Grasslands at Carnarvon Station Reserve, Qld. Speckled warbler, a declining woodland species. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Carnarvon Station Reserve management team member Sandy Larcombe with son Jack, admiring the view. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE 12 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia used to reduce the sward and seeding potential of the weeds on Goonderoo Reserve. At Carnarvon Station Reserve particularly, we have also established a fire regime that, over time, creates patches Bidjara involvement at in the vegetation that are at different stages of regrowth. This variability ensures that the range of habitats required Carnarvon Station Reserve throughout the life cycle of species such as the narrow-nosed Carnarvon Station Reserve is part of the traditional lands planigale, are available. of the Bidjara people. Bush Heritage staff and Bidjara Our monitoring work in the grasslands and brigalow country people have been working together over the past three on both reserves will track the improvements in the vegetation years to identify Bidjara aspirations and to plan the structure, condition of the soil surface and the diversity and people’s involvement in the management of the reserve. abundance of birds and small grassland animals. There is an earnest desire for Bidjara people to be employed on and assist in managing their country. The results so far The response of these threatened habitats to removing grazing In August 2007, Bidjara man Richard Mailman was employed stock and establishing a burning regime has been highly for two years as an Indigenous Land Management Trainee. variable and has depended on the soil and vegetation type, In this role, Richie works on both Carnarvon Station Reserve the history of farm management and our feral animal and nearby Mt Tabor Station, a cattle property managed by management program. Those grasslands that were never Bidjara people. cultivated have responded well, with native species rapidly Richie’s position is funded through the Rick Farley Memorial returning to provide good cover in most areas. The first species Scholarship and includes on-country training by Bush Heritage to return was Queensland bluegrass Dichanthium sericium staff in conservation and land management techniques. and it dominated the grasslands. Now this species is yielding This training is being complemented by formal certificate to a mixed and variable sward, as other species respond to the training in Conservation and Land Management and teachings burning and lack of grazing pressure. by his Elders. Richie is involved in a range of activities across The grasslands that were cultivated at the time that Carnarvon the two properties including the management of cultural was a pastoral property still retain extensive areas that are heritage and weeds and feral animals, erosion control and dominated by introduced species, including some invasive track maintenance. weeds. The worst of the weeds, Johnson grass, has mostly Richie is gaining new skills in land management, such as in been exterminated and the native grassland plants are slowly the mapping of weeds using Geographic Information System re-establishing. Further monitoring and mapping is being technology, which can also be applied to the management planned and we may trial some active regeneration in these of Mt Tabor Station. At the same time, he is sharing his areas by harvesting and spreading native seed. knowledge of his culture and, in collaboration with Elders and So far, our effort to trap small mammals has been small but community members, his knowledge of sites and resources of has revealed a rich and surprisingly abundant mammal fauna. importance to the Bidjara people, and how to manage them. The steady increase in the number of species trapped probably reflects their expanding populations as more seeds, insects and other potential foods increase in the recovering grasslands. Changes to the fauna of the Goonderoo brigalow are not yet apparent, as our monitoring work is just beginning there.

From left: Brigalow woodlands, Carnarvon Station Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Richard Mailman casting seeds of native grasses following erosion-control work at Carnarvon Station Reserve. PHOTO: DARREN LARCOMBE

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 13 This Bush Heritage anchor region extends from southern Queensland through the inland slopes and lowlands of New South Wales and Victoria to south-eastern South Australia. It is one of the most heavily cleared and degraded regions in the country. Native habitats have been converted to grazing and cropping land and, of those that remain, many are isolated and suffer from some degree of degradation. As would be expected, there are significant numbers of threatened species throughout the region. Bush Heritage has already purchased five significant properties in the South-East Grassy Box Woodlands anchor region. They protect a variety of threatened woodland, grassy woodland and grassland habitats, as well as the threatened species that live in them. Bush Heritage is also a partner in a major collaborative landscape restoration project called ‘Kosciuszko to Coast’ which began in 2006. The Kosciuszko to Coast project aims to reconnect isolated habitats across a distance of about 100 kilometres from the Australian Alps to the coast, focusing particularly on restoring the productive lowlands and river valleys.

Scottsdale Reserve Scottsdale Reserve on the Murrumbidgee River south of Canberra was the ﬁrst property purchased as part of the Kosciuszko to Coast project. It was purchased to protect its highly threatened remnant grassy ecosystems. These grassy woodlands are potential habitat for a wide range of threatened species; Rosenberg’s goanna, the golden sun moth and a number of declining woodland birds are among those recorded. Important remnants of yellow box grassy woodland occur along the Gungoandra Creek valley. As the most productive South-East Grassy and arable section of the property, this valley has been degraded by years of pastoralism and cereal cropping. Box Woodlands Loss of habitat, soil erosion and feral animal and weed invasion, particularly by African lovegrass and serrated tussock, anchor region are all issues that must be managed.

From top: Scottsdale Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: STUART COWELL Water dragon, Scottsdale Reserve. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES

14 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Management goals Our main management goals are to: ■ restore the health of ecological systems so that they can operate effectively again, including increasing the permeability of the soil to water ■ restore the viability of populations of key species by re-establishing high-quality habitats. Our success will be indicated by an increase in the population densities of species such as the hooded robin and squirrel glider, and by evidence that these species are spreading throughout their potential range on the reserve ■ restore the health of vegetation communities, especially the woody shrubs and trees that have been eliminated by years of continuous grazing.

What we are doing to achieve these goals Kosciuszko to Coast Scottsdale was purchased in November 2006 and the restoration work has now begun. To date we have Scottsdale is the ﬁrst property to be bought for a new removed grazing stock and started an integrated weed landscape restoration project that will re-establish a control program focusing on serrated tussock and African network of habitats between the Australian Alps and the lovegrass. Twenty monitoring points have been installed remnant bushland of the coastal ranges to the east. Bush across the range of habitats. Heritage is a partner in this project, called ‘Kosciuszko Extensive weed control was undertaken along the Gungoandra to Coast’, which is a collaborative effort between Creek and its fringing lower slopes prior to revegetating this Bush Heritage, NSW Department of Environment and critical area. In September, 160 hectares of land was seeded Climate Change, Greening Australia Capital Region, directly with 60 kilograms of native seed collected from Molonglo Catchment Group, Nature Conservation Trust the property. In addition, 5000 seedlings were planted by of NSW, Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Coordinating volunteers. This work was funded by a grant from the Committee, Friends of Grasslands and the Upper New South Wales Government’s Environmental Trust. It will Murrumbidgee Landcare Committee. greatly improve the ecological functions of this area. The land that lies between the alpine and coastal ranges has Pulse grazing (also called time-controlled grazing) has been been heavily cleared and the remaining habitats fragmented used in the south-east of the property to help reduce the and degraded. Much of the land is in private ownership. As a growth, spread and seeding potential of African lovegrass. result, re-creating this east–west network will mean working Local graziers brought a network of electric fences and mobile with landholders on properties with a range of tenures and water points and temporarily moved in their stock to eat down management regimes. The Kosciuszko to Coast project facilitator, based at Scottsdale Reserve, is now helping to develop a regional conservation network to support the continued overleaf people and organisations involved.

From left: Volunteers planting seedlings along Gungoandra Creek on Scottsdale Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: JOELLE METCALF Murrumbidgee River at Scottsdale Reserve. PHOTO: PAUL FOREMAN Reserve Manager Owen Whitaker with ancient hollow-bearing tree on Scottsdale Reserve. PHOTO: LAUREN VAN DYKE

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 15 continued from previous page It is critical that remaining box gum woodlands, as at Tarcutta Hills Reserve, are managed so that the trees can reach the lovegrass. They have then mapped and documented their full productive potential in terms of nectar and pollen the effect of short-term intense grazing on this introduced production, and are protected from wildfire. weed species. Their efforts have also significantly reduced the fire risk by reducing the density and height of this highly Management goals flammable species. Our main management goal is to restore the viability of populations of key species by re-establishing high-quality The results so far habitat. Our success will be indicated by an increase in the Monitoring work in spring 2007 provided us with baseline population densities of key species such as the swift parrot, data with which to compare subsequent changes in the bird and by the spread of species throughout their potential range populations. Eighty-two bird species have been recorded so on the reserve. far, including significant numbers of declining species such What we are doing to achieve these goals as the diamond firetail, rufous whistler, brown treecreeper, southern whiteface and hooded robin. The presence of the While a number of management activities undertaken at channel-billed cuckoo, well south of its usual range, could be Tarcutta Hills Reserve have indirect benefits for swift parrots, an early indicator of the effects of climate change. there have been two key actions that will directly affect the health of their food trees and thus the birds’ long-term survival. The condition of the vegetation and soils has also been recorded and there is some anecdotal evidence that the woody Five and a half kilometres of fire containment lines have been vegetation has begun to recover following the removal of established, and fire access tracks upgraded and extended grazing stock from large areas of the property. over 200 hectares of the reserve, effectively separating areas with high fuel loads from areas with mature stands of eucalypts. This will enable environmental burning to take place more safely and allow any unplanned fires to be better controlled. Dense stands of revegetation have also been Tarcutta Hills Reserve thinned , particularly from around the older more productive Tarcutta Hills Reserve is located close to the Hume trees. Reducing this flammable material increases the older Highway on the south-west slopes of New South Wales. trees’ chances of survival should there be a wildfire. Thinning It was purchased to conserve remnant grassy white box the excessive regrowth also reduces the competition between woodland and its associated dry sclerophyll habitats. trees for nutrients and water, and increases the flowering This habitat is vital for a range of declining woodland potential and general health of the older trees. species including the endangered swift parrot, the Weeds have been controlled over 150 hectares of the reserve, national population of which is estimated to be about further reducing fuel loads and enhancing the survival of 2500 individuals. Swift parrots breed in Tasmania during summer-growing native grasses. These actions have reduced spring and summer and are nomadic in the south-eastern the risk of the whole reserve being burnt in a single wildfire. mainland at other times. They seek out forests and woodlands in the ranges and foothills where they forage Ten hectares of cleared ground has been sown with native for nectar, pollen and leaf-eating invertebrates. Broad- grass seed and understorey shrubs. This will help to reduce the scale clearing of their preferred box gum woodland germination and survival of annual grass weeds and increase habitat has forced them to rely on less suitable habitats. the populations of insectivorous woodland birds. The woodland

From left: More seedlings going in along Gungoandra Creek on Scottsdale Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: JOELLE METCALF Replanting cleared ground at Tarcutta Hills Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE Juvenile leaves on red box Eucalyptus polyanthemos. Scribbly gum E. rossii at Tarcutta Hills Reserve. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

16 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia birds have an important role to play in promoting the health of the trees by eating sap-sucking and leaf-eating invertebrates. Any improvements in the health of the trees will enhance the Climatic effects on woodland birds reserve as a wintering site for swift parrots. To illustrate the impact of climatic effects on woodland Bird monitoring was undertaken in 2006 and 2007 at birds at Tarcutta Hills Reserve, Figure 1 shows changes the ecological outcomes monitoring sites. The distribution in the populations of some bird species between 2006 and abundance of populations of birds, including swift parrots, and 2007. The differences can largely be explained by were recorded. changes in the availability of food caused by the severe drought in 2007. The results so far The eucalypts did not flower in 2007, whereas they had The impacts of our fire protection and tree-thinning work flowered in 2006. Species dependent on nectar, such as the will not be seen for a number of years. Climatic changes will swift parrot and red wattlebird, and those dependent on seeds, also have a profound influence on bird populations that will such as the peaceful dove, either disappeared or declined need to be taken into account when we assess the impacts significantly in numbers as a result of the dry conditions. This of our management. was in contrast to those species that fed on insects, such as the brown and white-throated treecreepers and crested shrike- While swift parrots have been observed at Tarcutta Hills tits that fed in the bark and fallen litter, which generally survived Reserve, only one individual was recorded in 2006 during better than those species that were directly dependent on our monitoring and no birds were recorded in 2007 due to plant products. It was also a reflection of the conditions that the severity of drought. However, with the active exclusion of birds such as the red-capped robin, rufous whistler and rufous wildfire and better seasons, we anticipate greater numbers songlark, which are typically found in drier country, moved into of swift parrots at the reserve in the future. With time they Tarcutta Hills Reserve during the drought of 2007. will return in greater numbers to larger, more productive trees and be able to feed over a larger proportion of the reserve. ��

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Nardoo Hills reserves ��

The Nardoo Hills reserves in north-central Victoria �� incorporate three adjacent properties, including the Judith �� Eardley Reserve. They lie on the boundary between the ��

Goldﬁelds and Riverina bioregions and were purchased � to conserve remnant grassy woodland vegetation that is

vital for a range of declining woodland fauna, especially �� birds such as the brown treecreeper, diamond ﬁretail and �� hooded robin. �� Throughout this region, grazing pressure continues to be heavy. Sheep, rabbits, kangaroos and wallabies continue to �� continued overleaf Figure 1 Changes in abundance of birds at Tarcutta Hills Reserve, NSW

From left: Flower of the sundew Drosera sp. exuding beads of nectar, Tarcutta Hills Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: KATRINA BLAKE Varied sittella. PHOTO: FRANK PARK/COURTESY BIRDS AUSTRALIA Judith Eardley Reserve, Vic. PHOTO: DAVID TATNALL

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 17 continued from previous page have a major impact on the vegetation. The land around the found in the highest densities and it is these areas that reserves has also been partly cleared, especially on the most are the vital refuges for woodland fauna during droughts. fertile areas along drainage lines and their fringing plains. Restoring these areas is a priority, especially as the Nardoo These areas of low elevation are the most productive and Hills are in the grip of the worst enduring drought on record. support bigger trees that produce heavier loads of ﬂowers, Fox baiting occurs each quarter as part of a WCMN regional nectar and fruit than those on more elevated sites. fox control program. The loss of trees with hollows, the depletion of the understorey Six exclusion plots, erected by the WMCN, keep kangaroos and the encroachment of weeds are major threats. The Nardoo and wallabies out of half of the plots and kangaroos, Hills reserves protect one of the larger grassy woodland wallabies and rabbits out of the others. These plots show remnants in the region and, together with adjacent public and graphically the impact on the grasses, herbs and shrubs private land protected within the Wedderburn Conservation of these grazing animals. Where rabbits, wallabies and Management Network (WCMN), provide great potential to kangaroos have been excluded, the grasses and herbs have recover the habitat and create an important refuge for this continued to grow, ﬂower and seed despite the drought, and unique group of woodland animals. seedlings of plants favoured by the grazers are emerging. The soil surface is also well covered by lichens and plants. Management goals The impact of the rabbits exceeds that of the kangaroos Our main management goals on these reserves are to: and wallabies in the grassy woodlands. The exclusion plots ■ restore the ecological systems so they can operate in the box–ironbark woodlands indicate that wallabies and effectively again, as indicated by the recovery of the kangaroos can have a severe impact on the seedlings of biological soil crust regenerating shrubs. ■ restore the viability of populations of key species by Across the reserves, regular monitoring of the soils, re-establishing high-quality habitat. Our success will be vegetation and bird populations at 18 sites has been indicated by an increase in the population densities of supplemented by surveys for mammals and reptiles. The key species such as the threatened hooded robin and by Bush Heritage Ecological Outcomes Monitoring program the spread of species throughout their potential range on is now being implemented on other public and private land the reserves throughout the WCMN, as part of the collaborative effort to ■ restore the health of vegetation communities to the manage this wider landscape for conservation. point where we see the disappearance of browse lines on plants and the restoration of the natural frequency The results so far of occurrence in the landscape of plant species that are favoured by grazing stock. Monitoring work is showing a structural improvement in the vegetation in the lowland areas. Browse lines are What we are doing to achieve these goals disappearing as grazing pressure is reduced and there has been some regeneration of woody plants such as sheokes, Bush Heritage has excluded stock from the reserves and which are highly favoured by grazing animals. controlled rabbits by destroying and fumigating the warrens. Rabbit control has been concentrated in the lowland areas The impact of control operations on 112 rabbit warrens is along drainage lines and fringing plains where the most shown in Figure 2. So far, 32 per cent of these warrens productive and arable soils occur. This is where rabbits are have not been recolonised twelve months after their initial

From left: Discussion beside an exclusion plot, showing denser vegetation inside the fence, Nardoo Hills Reserve, Vic. PHOTO: LEIGH AHERN Female hooded robin. PHOTO: FRANK PARK/COURTESY BIRDS AUSTRALIA

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Figure 2 Decline in rabbit activity with the treatment of warrens

treatment, 50 per cent have been recolonised infrequently, while 18 per cent have been recolonised following more than half of the monthly treatments and require repeated management work. Ninety-ﬁve per cent of the 20 warrens that have been repeatedly reopened occur along the more fertile drainage lines. The invasive weed wheel cactus was formerly widespread across the reserves. All of the thousands of adult plants have been eliminated, largely through the persistent efforts of volunteers. Follow-up work on emerging seedlings will remove this weed from the reserves. Monitoring results show that many species of birds have retracted to the lowland areas, leaving the drier rocky ridges because of the drought conditions. Both hooded robins and brown treecreepers are holding out well in the lowlands, and they will readily move back to the upland areas once better climatic conditions return. Controlling grazing pressure and weeds will be the key to the recovery of habitats across the reserves and will serve to improve the health of woodland bird communities at Nardoo Hills and regionally.

From left: Echidna. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Scottsdale Reserve, NSW. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 19 Burrin Burrin and Brogo reserves periodically assessed and updated. Occasional low-intensity burns are used in some vegetation communities to prevent Burrin Burrin and Brogo reserves, in the hinterland intense fires, but no burning has been undertaken for the past of south-east New South Wales, protect significant areas few years because of the prolonged dry period. We undertake of dry grassy forest, wet valley forest and dry rainforest. regular track maintenance to ensure that there is clear access Brogo Reserve lies just outside the South-East Grassy into the reserves in the event of an unplanned fire. Box Woodland anchor region. Although relatively small, Neither Burrin Burrin nor Brogo reserves have on-site reserve these reserves safeguard some of the last vestiges managers, so building good relationships with neighbours is of several threatened and poorly reserved vegetation essential. Bush Heritage, through Contract Reserve Manager communities, such as Bega dry grassy forest and Brogo Owen Whitaker, has worked hard at collaborating with wet vine forest. The diverse mix of vegetation types neighbours on boundary fencing, feral animal management and reflects the reserves’ varied topography and elevation, retaining easy access to the reserves. The value of developing from river valleys to rocky ridges. good community relations was illustrated when domestic deer The region has been severely disturbed by agriculture and escaped into the reserve from a nearby farm and the problem logging, and Burrin Burrin and Brogo reserves provide was quickly resolved. refuges for a range of rare and threatened forest animals. The abundant hollow-bearing trees provide holes in which the The results so far majestic powerful owl breeds, and support the owl’s major prey species, the greater glider, and other tree-dwelling marsupials Burrin Burrin and Brogo reserves continue to provide such as the sugar glider and brushtail possum. Another high-quality habitat for a diverse variety of plants and predator, the greater sooty owl, lives in the wetter gullies, and animals. Recent rains have rejuvenated the vegetation on the wide-ranging but elusive spot-tailed quoll, which has been the escarpment. The health of the trees at Brogo Reserve seen on adjacent properties, is also likely to be present. declined during the dry years but is now improving, and there is a flush of new growth and regeneration. Native herbivores Management goals are moving out of the rocky escarpments to forage again on the fresh green shoots emerging in the grassy forests. As a Our main management goal on Burrin Burrin and Brogo consequence, rock-orchids in the escarpments are thriving as reserves is to maintain the health and integrity of the native the grazing pressure declines. vegetation and fauna communities including populations of The dry period may have had at least one benefit; bell miners rare and threatened species. have declined in numbers. When present in large numbers, What we are doing to achieve these goals this aggressive native bird can exclude other small birds. Now, with fewer bell miners at Brogo Reserve, the rest of the bird Monitoring the reserves regularly and responding rapidly to community is flourishing. There is no evidence of significant new invasions of weeds or feral animals keeps these pest damage to either the vegetation or the native wildlife caused by species under control. Small outbreaks of tiger pear cactus feral animals. Opuntia aurantiaca at Brogo Reserve were triggered by recent rain but were controlled by spot spraying. A small number of feral goats were also removed from the reserve. The most significant threat to the reserves is posed by intense bushfires. Fire management plans for both properties are

From left: Tree fern and bracken fern understorey in Eucalyptus fastigata forest, Burrin Burrin Reserve, NSW. Pearl vine Sarcopetalum sp. twines up an understorey shrub in Brogo Wet Vine Forest, Brogo Reserve, NSW. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

20 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia The South-West Botanical Province anchor region lies within Australia’s only internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot, in south-west Western Australia. It has one of the most diverse assemblages of endemic plants on earth. The region has also suffered heavily from land clearing and salting of the soil, and in all climate change models is considered likely to suffer major impacts from global warming. Bush Heritage is working in two major locations in this region: the northern woodlands of the Geraldton sandplain where Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves are located, and in the South West between the Stirling Range and the Fitzgerald River national parks, where we are a major partner in the Gondwana Link landscape restoration initiative.

The northern woodlands: Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves The environmental issues and management priorities are similar in the cases of both Bush Heritage reserves in the northern woodlands. Both Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves protect remnant york gum woodlands, and Acacia and mallee shrublands that support the nationally signiﬁcant malleefowl. Throughout their range, most of the york gum woodlands on red soils have been cleared for agriculture. The acquisition of Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves has increased the reserved area of york gum woodland from 0.9 per cent to 21.9 per cent of what remains. These woodlands on the reserves have been grazed in the past, with the loss of understorey species. Many tall shrubs have been heavily browsed and some plant species that are avoided by grazing stock have increased in density. The fragile soil crust, which stabilises the sandy soils, has been damaged. Feral goats continue to graze in these woodlands and regular control South-West measures are required. Malleefowl have been adversely affected by the clearing of Botanical Province their habitat. They have also suffered because grazing sheep anchor region continued on page 24

Caption PHOTO: CREDIT From top: Chereninup Creek Reserve, WA. Kangaroo paw Anigozanthos sp., Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve, WA. PHOTOS: CHINCH GRYNIEWICZ

3 Fan Palm

29 Yourka Gulf of Carpentaria to Lake Eyre Queensland Uplands and Brigalow Belt Cravens Peak 21 Reedy Creek 16 Goonderoo 7 Ethabuka 17 Carnarvon Station 12

19 Eurardy Currumbin Valley 11 14 Charles Darwin South-West Botanical Province South-East Chereninup Creek Boolcoomatta 24 Grassy Box Woodlands Kojonup 5 13 26 Peniup Creek 20 Tarcutta Hills 28 ‘Nameless’ Yarrabee Wesfarmers 23 Monjebup 9 10 Burrin Burrin Judith Eardley 18 25 Scottsdale 22 Nardoo Hills 3 27 4 Nardoo Hills Brogo Valley By 2025 Bush Heritage will protect 1% of Australia by conserving more than 7 million hectares of Australia’s land and water and the wildlife that inhabits these protected areas. Protecting Australia’s biodiversity and restoring Tasmanian Midlands Liffey Valley 15 1 8 South Esk Pine the health of the environment are our highest priorities. We also work in 2 6 Friendly Beaches partnership with others to rebuild the resilience of whole landscapes, and use best available science to manage the land under our care. Bush Heritage anchor regions

South-West Botanical Province 14 Charles Darwin Reserve, WA – purchased 2003 This reserve protects 68 615 ha of york gum, salmon gum, 26 Peniup Creek Reserve, WA – purchased jointly gimlet, and sandplain vegetation on the junction of the wetter with Greening Australia (WA) 2007 South West and the arid zone. The york gum woodlands This new 2409 ha reserve will protect intact riparian, occur on the more productive soils and provide drought woodland, mallee and heath vegetation. The property refuges for many species. The reserve protects twelve includes a section of the upper Peniup Creek, which is regional ecosystems and habitat for threatened malleefowl. in excellent condition. Some of the reserve is currently 13 Chereninup Creek Reserve, WA – purchased 2002 regenerating and a significant area will be actively This 877 ha reserve protects some of the most floristically revegetated. It protects habitats for the Tammar and black- spectacular and globally important land in south-west WA. gloved wallabies. The endangered red-tailed phascogale has It was the first property purchased for Gondwana Link. The been recorded here in the past. 60 ha that was replanted in 2003 is flourishing and animal 23 Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve, WA – purchased species have moved back in. The reserve safeguards at least jointly with Greening Australia (WA) 2006 twelve major plant communities, and threatened species This reserve is a key acquisition for the Gondwana Link such as the western whipbird and Tammar wallaby. pathway in WA. It lies on the eastern boundary of the Stirling 5 Kojonup Reserve, WA – purchased 1996 Range National Park and boasts a varied topography from This 389 ha reserve is an important remnant of wandoo tall marri/jarrah woodlands to low mallee and banksia-rich woodland in south-west WA. It protects at least 81 species heathlands. About 600 ha of the total area of 923 ha is of native birds and four threatened plant species. It has an being revegetated. intact understorey of herbs, heaths, sedges, orchids and other wildflowers. 20 Monjebup Reserve, WA – purchase completed 2007 South-East Grassy Box Woodlands This reserve protects 956 ha of highly diverse remnant bushland in south-west WA. Its landforms, ecosystems and 27 Nardoo Hills Reserve 3, Vic – purchased 2007 natural waterways remain largely untouched and in excellent This 216 ha of undulating grassy woodland links the condition. It is a key property for Gondwana Link. southern end of the existing Nardoo Hills reserves to a previously isolated 200 ha block of the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve. Its addition creates a chain of 19 Eurardy Reserve, WA – purchased 2005 reserves extending more than eight kilometres along the This 30 070 ha reserve helps to build a protected habitat Nardoo Hills. Its complex woodlands with numerous old corridor between the Kalbarri National Park and the hollow-bearing trees provide habitat for many threatened Toolonga Nature Reserve on the central coast of WA. woodland species including the hooded robin, diamond Together these reserves protect one of the most diverse firetail and tree goanna. endemic plant communities on the planet, including york 25 Scottsdale Reserve, NSW – purchased 2006 gum woodlands and banksia heathlands. Over 600 plant This reserve protects 1328 ha of threatened box-gum species have been recorded at Eurardy, including over woodlands and grassy woodlands on an untouched stretch 40 plants listed as rare or threatened. of the Murrumbidgee River. The region has been adversely affected by clearing, grazing and irrigation, and Scottsdale will protect some of its most threatened ecosystems. Scottsdale’s fertile lowlands are being rehabilitated while the threatened grassland plateaus, woodlands and springs will recover naturally with careful management.

22 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 22 & 18 Nardoo Hills reserves, Vic, incorporating Tasmanian Midlands Judith Eardley Reserve – purchased 2005 and 2006 At 572 ha, these properties help secure some of the 8 South Esk Pine Reserve, Tas – purchased 1998 most threatened ecosystems in southern Australia. Five Located on the banks of the Apsley River on Tasmania’s vegetation communities of conservation signiﬁcance are east coast, this 6.8 ha reserve protects the last large found here, including grey-box grassy woodland, herb-rich stand of the South Esk pine. A Tasmanian endemic, woodland and mallee. The high-quality habitats have good the pine is considered to be vulnerable, with only populations of declining woodland birds including the hooded 10 000 trees remaining. robin, brown treecreeper and diamond ﬁretail. They abut the 6 Friendly Beaches Reserve, Tas – purchased 1997 Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve. Fringed by Saltwater Lagoon and the sand dunes of Friendly Beaches, this reserve protects 140 ha of coastal heathland 10 Burrin Burrin Reserve, NSW – donated 1999 with dry sclerophyll forest, black gum and marsh-plant This reserve protects 411 ha of escarpment forest in communities. It retains some of the last examples of natural the upper reaches of the Shoalhaven River catchment. dune systems in Tasmania. It provides habitat for many tree-dwelling animals such as the sugar glider and threatened squirrel glider.

9 Tarcutta Hills Reserve, NSW – purchased 1999 Reserves outside the Bush Heritage anchor regions Tarcutta Hills is a 432 ha reserve of national significance. It protects the largest area of high-quality grassy white box 28 ‘Nameless’ Sylvan Reserve, NSW – donated 2007 woodland left in Australia and enjoys an unusual richness This reserve of 55 ha is situated on the steep slopes of the ‘Nameless’ of species. It provides habitat for the nationally threatened Illawarra Escarpment in NSW. It protects one of the few turquoise and swift parrots and declining woodland species. remnants of endangered Illawarra subtropical rainforest. There are species from cool temperate and warm temperate rainforest, and on the lower slopes and along the creek lines warm temperate and subtropical species dominate. The fast-flowing Irwin’s Creek flows through the reserve.

24 Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA – acquired 2006 Queensland Uplands and Brigalow Belt This 64 337 ha reserve was purchased with funds provided by the Nature Foundation SA and the Australian 29 Yourka Reserve, Qld – purchased 2007 Government’s National Reserve System Program. Its This 43 500 ha reserve lies in one of Australia’s fifteen ten vegetation communities were previously either poorly national biodiversity hotspots. It protects 39 regional protected or not protected because the vast saltbush plains ecosystems of which fourteen are listed as threatened and grasslands were used for grazing. The threatened or ‘of concern’. Tropical woodlands, eucalypt rainforest plains-wanderer and thick-billed grasswren are safeguarded fringes and diverse river and creek systems are home to here. The yellow-footed rock wallaby may return once goats many rare and threatened animals and plants. and foxes are controlled. 17 Reedy Creek Reserve, Qld – donated 2004 12 Carnarvon Station Reserve, Qld – purchased 2001 This 452 ha reserve abuts the Deepwater National Park This 59 000 ha reserve adjoins Carnarvon Gorge National in one of the most intensely used and depleted natural Park. It protects seventeen regional ecosystems, including environments in eastern Australia. Nine vegetation six that are endangered, in a region that has seen broad- communities including pandanus-lined wetlands and scale land clearing. The recovery of the bluegrass downs threatened vine forests are safeguarded. Bush Heritage has seen the return of many species of grassland birds and also manages adjacent land and contributes to the local small mammals. conservation effort for loggerhead and green turtles that 7 Goonderoo Reserve, Qld – purchased 1998 breed on adjacent beaches. This 593 ha reserve lies in a region that has been 11 Currumbin Valley Reserve, Qld – donated 1999 heavily cleared. It protects nine plant communities Although only 4 ha, this regenerating rainforest reserve including brigalow woodlands and native grasslands, is highly diverse. Together with the adjoining Nicholl Scrub both of which are classified as endangered. Over 140 bird National Park, the reserve contributes to the protection species, many snakes and a wide variety of other wildlife of a significant area of habitat and at least seven are protected here. threatened species. 4 Brogo Reserve, NSW – purchased 1995 At 120 ha, Brogo is one of the largest viable remnants Gulf of Carpentaria to Lake Eyre of bushland in the Bega Valley in south-east NSW. It is a haven for native mammals including the sugar glider and 21 Cravens Peak Reserve, Qld – purchased 2005 long-nosed bandicoot, and many bird species including the This vast property of 233 000 ha lies north of Ethabuka powerful owl. Reserve and the Simpson Desert National Park. It encompasses the transition from the Simpson Desert 3 Fan Palm Reserve, Qld – purchased 1993 dune fields through the rocky Toko and Toomba Ranges Lowland tropical rainforest is one of the most threatened to the broad grasslands of the Mulligan River headwaters. habitats in Australia. This 8.17 ha of fan palm forest Its nine ecosystems are home to an abundant and diverse adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area was fauna including threatened species such as the mulgara threatened by subdivision. It provides habitat for the and ampurta. cassowary and threatened plant species. 16 Ethabuka Reserve, Qld – purchased 2004 At 213 300 ha this reserve protects river flood plains, dune 1, 2 & 15 Liffey Valley reserves, Tas – acquired 1990 systems, clay pans and ephemeral and semi-permanent and 2003 wetland systems of national significance adjacent to the Combined, the Liffey River, Drys Bluff and Coalmine Creek Simpson Desert National Park. Most of these ecosystems reserves protect 261 ha of fern gully, rainforest and wet and are not protected in the adjoining park. Ethabuka has a dry sclerophyll forest. The reserves lie beneath the Great remarkable diversity of mammals, birds and reptiles. Western Tiers on the edge of the World Heritage Area and are a haven for wildlife, including the pygmy possum and Tasmanian devil. They support the threatened Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle and white goshawk.

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 23 continued from page 21 have eaten their favoured food plants and, as their preferred At Eurardy Reserve about 200 baits are laid each year as habitat is shrubland that has not been burnt for decades, part of a tactical regional baiting program organised with wildﬁre is a serious threat. neighbouring properties.

Management goals The results so far We have two key management goals for the york gum There is anecdotal information that the soil crust is starting woodlands on both reserves. These are to: to recover in many areas. Plants that are typically heavily ■ restore the biological soil crust browsed, including sandalwood Santalum spicatum and ■ restore the vegetation structure and bird community. pixiebush Eremophila oldfieldii, are showing signs of recovery Improvement will be evident as the browse lines caused on Eurardy and seedlings are reappearing on both reserves. by sheep and goats disappear from individual tall shrubs, and as the proper structure and balance of species are There is also evidence that the york gum woodlands are acting re-established within the vegetation communities. This will as refuges for birds that are struggling to survive elsewhere encourage the full range and abundance of birds to return in the landscape. On Eurardy these species are moving in, to the york gum woodland. particularly from the teatree and banksia heaths on deep sands in the west of the property that have been in severe The one key management goal for malleefowl is to restore drought for two years. the viability and health of their populations. As we repair and expand areas of suitable habitat, we improve the viability of the The reserve managers and visitors have regularly spotted population by boosting the density of the birds and the area malleefowl in and around key areas of habitat. The absence they can occupy. of wildfire for a number of years is a further encouraging sign, but accurately counting malleefowl is challenging. Western What we are doing to achieve these goals Australian Malleefowl Network surveys conducted over 300 On both Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves, sheep and feral hectares of Eurardy found many old, and two active, breeding goats cause the most damage to the soil crust. With domestic mounds. Eurardy Reserve is the most northerly site in Western stock removed from the time the land was purchased, reserve Australia to have confirmed records of the species. managers have focused on mustering stray stock and These improving trends in the soil, vegetation and some animal controlling goats. A total of 353 goats have been removed populations are being tracked across both reserves through from the two reserves in the last financial year. At Eurardy our Ecological Outcomes Monitoring program. Reserve, goat control has been organised with nearby Kalbarri National Park. At Charles Darwin Reserve, a collaborative control program is likely to start this summer with neighbouring Kojonup Reserve Mt Gibson Sanctuary. Kojonup Reserve was the first Bush Heritage reserve Extensive firebreaks have been prepared to minimise the established in Western Australia. It was purchased risk of intense and widespread fires that can sweep through principally to protect its extensive wandoo woodlands these unfragmented landscapes and remove prime habitat (dominated by Eucalyptus wandoo), which have been for malleefowl. heavily cleared in the region. The reserve has significant Foxes are being controlled via a strategic baiting program, with populations of rare plants (including species of Ptilotus, 1400 baits laid each three months at Charles Darwin Reserve. Conostylis and Verticordia), animals and invertebrates.

From left: Malleefowl. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES New shoots emerge on shrubs that are no longer heavily grazed at Eurardy Reserve, WA. PHOTO: PAUL AND LEANNE HALES Setting up pitfall traps at Eurardy Reserve. PHOTO: BUSH HERITAGE

24 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia It lies low in the landscape and is therefore more The results so far productive than elevated country, but is also susceptible Overall, the land is responding in a way that reflects both to the rising of saline watertables. The south-western the changes in seasonal conditions and our management corner of the reserve is already salt-affected, particularly activities. Since stock have been excluded and rabbits along the main north-west drainage lines. controlled, there has been a noticeable improvement in the Management goals ground-storey vegetation. Previously unrecorded species of both plants and animals continue to be identified and may well The key goals for the management of Kojonup Reserve be re-establishing as a result of reduced grazing pressure. are to: ■ restore the ecological systems so that they can operate Anecdotal information suggests that a reduction in the effectively again. If we achieve this, one of the things we number of foxes has improved the survival of brushtail will see is an improvement in the depth of the watertable possums and small reptiles, which are prey for these feral and a reduction in its salinity predators. Brushtail possums are thriving and breeding in ■ restore the health of vegetation communities. Our success the reserve. will see palatable understorey plant species return to their Bridal creeper was successfully treated at nine locations former abundance in 2006 and new plants had appeared at only one of these ■ restore the health of populations of key woodland species locations by the end of June 2007. No other new infestations by re-establishing high-quality habitats. A measure of have been identified despite systematic searches. However, our success will be an increase in the populations of key we will maintain our close surveillance of this invader as species such as the rufous treecreeper, western yellow there are still untreated populations occurring just outside robin and yellow-plumed honeyeater. the reserve. What we are doing to achieve these goals Salinity caused by the rising watertable seems to have Baseline assessments of soils and vegetation were completed stabilised, but some low-lying wandoos still appear to be in mid-2007. Trial plantings of locally sourced sheoaks stressed. Interestingly, over the duration of the drought, the Casuarina obesa have been undertaken to help lower the watertable has dropped and the quality of surface water watertable and restore the vigour of low-lying wandoo trees improved. Our plantings of sheoak seedlings did not establish that are currently stressed by salinity. A neighbouring farmer well during the drought and we will consider more plantings of samples the watertable and salinity levels every quarter, using sheoak and other suitable species in the salt-affected areas long-established piezometres. when weather conditions are suitable. Grazing stock has been excluded by maintaining fences. Reserve Manager Mal Graham has developed excellent Programs to control rabbits and foxes are under way using relationships with neighbouring farmers who generously 1080 poison, a toxin which has minimal, if any, effect on provide significant support. He also works closely with the native species in the south-west of Western Australia due West Australian departments of Agriculture and Food, and to its natural occurrence in native plants. The invasive weed Environment and Conservation. bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides is being controlled and monitored. A program to monitor vertebrate animal populations was established in 2002 and the monitoring of bird populations began in 2005.

From left: Kojonup Reserve Manager Mal Graham checks a pitfall line. Donkey orchids Diuris sp., Kojonup Reserve, WA. PHOTOS: BUSH HERITAGE Wandoo trees, Kojonup Reserve. Flooded paperbarks, Kojonup Reserve. PHOTOS: SIMON NEVILLE

Gondwana Link is an ambitious and exciting partnership between Bush Heritage and five other environmental organisations: Greening Australia (WA), The Nature Conservancy, The Society, the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group and Friends of the Fitzgerald River National Park. Together, our visionary aim is to repair some of the ecological damage inflicted by land clearing and unsustainable land management practices that have occurred particularly during the past 50 years. Ultimately, Gondwana Link will create an extensive belt of ecologically linked native vegetation from the karri forests of the south-west to the Great Western Woodlands around Kalgoorlie. It will allow wildlife, some of which is now trapped in small, isolated pockets of habitat, to repopulate the land and move in response to habitat changes caused by disturbances such as fire and climate change. There are two key strategies being employed. The first is to build patches of habitat that are self-sustaining and viable for the long term and restore connections between them, and the second is to work towards restoring the health of degraded key habitats. The two strategies are inextricably linked and will involve the wider community of rural landholders.

From left: Nuts of the marri Corymbia calophylla, Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve, WA. PHOTO: CHINCH GRYNIEWICZ Monjebup Reserve, WA. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES

26 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia The 70 kilometre stretch of land between the Stirling Management goals Range and Fitzgerald River national parks is the current Our main long-term management goals on these reserves focus of our land acquisition and revegetation work. The are to: Noongar Traditional Owners of this region are also involved in ■ restore the ecological systems so that they can operate the project and are re-establishing cultural connections with effectively again. Our success will be apparent as the their country. watertable and salinity levels drop in the creeks and as the Since Gondwana Link’s inception in 2002, four reserves have health of stream-side vegetation improves been acquired by Bush Heritage: Chereninup Creek, ■ restore the health of vegetation communities to the point Monjebup, Yarrabee Wesfarmers and, most recently, where we see the restoration of the natural abundance of Peniup Creek. The latter two reserves have been purchased plant species in the landscape. jointly with Greening Australia (WA). An additional property, Our short-term goal is to: Nowanup, has been purchased by Greening Australia (WA). On these ﬁve properties, more than 6000 hectares of ■ re-establish native habitats across the ‘farmland’ areas remnant habitats have been protected and about in order to expand the area of viable habitat for a range 1250 hectares replanted with native species, using a of species, such as the southern scrub-robin and black- combination of innovative conservation strategies and the best gloved wallaby, in an effort to reduce local extinctions. land restoration techniques. There are also a number of public What we are doing to achieve these goals reserves and covenanted private properties that contribute to the Gondwana Link network of land. On Chereninup Creek Reserve, the 60 hectares that had been cleared for cropping in the late 1980s was revegetated during Gondwana Link properties the spring of 2003. The four properties purchased so far by Bush Heritage In 2007, 600 hectares of Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve was protect remnants of mallee shrublands, marri and yate replanted using about 100 000 seedlings and seed from over woodlands, and banksia and teatree heaths. All include some 420 local species. Three different methods of preparing the land that has been cleared and cropped, with Monjebup ground were trialled by the contract revegetation specialist. Reserve being the most intact and diverse of the properties. Different mixes of seeds and seedlings were planted in The creeks and waterways are some of the most endangered different soil types to reﬂect the natural occurrence of these ecological communities in the region and are important plant species. This was the largest multi-species revegetation natural corridors for the movement of animals. The health of project ever attempted in Australia. the remaining yate Eucalyptus occidentalis woodland, which On Monjebup, sandalwood plantations, together with a mix occurs along the creek lines, is an important barometer of native perennial species, have been planted on the valley of the hydrological health of the landscape. Most of the slopes. This should contribute to improving the hydrological creek systems on Monjebup and Peniup Creek reserves health of degraded stream-side habitats. are in excellent health, but sections of yate woodland along Ecological outcomes monitoring sites have been established Chereninup Creek are suffering from the effects of salinity. throughout all the reserves. Three years’ data are now available The restoration and revegetation of habitats on the reserves, and on the surrounding farmland, are critical to the long-term conservation of the waterways. continued overleaf

From left: Students from Christ Church Grammar School setting up monitoring points on Chereninup Creek Reserve, WA. PHOTO: MARK MORRISEY Peniup Creek Reserve, WA. PHOTO: CHINCH GRYNIEWICZ Christ Church Grammar students putting in pitfall traps at Chereninup Creek Reserve. PHOTO: MARK MORRISEY

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 27 continued from previous page for Chereninup Creek Reserve. At Yarrabee Wesfarmers land as part of a community effort to fix the widespread Reserve, formal ecological monitoring commenced with bird problems that threaten key habitats such as creeks and surveys in 2005. Birds have been a particular focus of our freshwater wetlands. monitoring because they are quick to respond to changes in On Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve the drought has resulted habitats. Baseline monitoring data was collected immediately in a lower than expected germination rate in the revegetation, after the seeding and planting of the areas that were and winged hoppers have eaten some of the young plants. revegetated in 2007. However, germination of resilient species has been widespread Routine fire management and control of pest animals and and some follow-up seeding will replace those species that plants are under way across the reserves, and neighbouring have perished. stock has being excluded by maintaining fences. Management On Peniup Creek Reserve about 220 hectares that was planning on the newer reserves has also begun. recently cleared is regenerating naturally. Major revegetation work has begun on about 1100 hectares that had been The results so far cropped for many years. This area is being replanted with a The revegetation on Chereninup Creek Reserve has been wide variety of local seed and, of the 203 hectares that has very successful and some plants are now over two metres been allocated to sandalwood plantings, 42 hectares has tall. Many plant species not in the original seed mix are also already been established. becoming established in the revegetated areas, probably The purchase of both Monjebup and Peniup Creek brought in by the many animal species moving in from adjacent reserves was completed in 2007 and so no results are yet remnants. One of our key target species, the black-gloved available from the monitoring of our management work on wallaby, has been recorded moving through the revegetated these reserves. area. Bird monitoring is showing a dramatic recovery in the species typically found in this habitat type, while species such as the Australian pipit, which is adapted to open, grassy and often degraded environments, are now less conspicuous. It is heartening to see many shrubland nectar-feeding birds, such as honeyeaters, replacing the more opportunist species. Tawny-crowned honeyeaters have bred in the revegetation and the southern scrub-robin, a rare and declining species, is moving into the improving habitat. A healthy cover of litter and a ‘living skin’ of mosses, lichens, liverworts and algae indicate that the soil is now bouncing back to life as an ecosystem in its own right. Raised, salty watertables continue to be a cause for concern. As yet, the revegetation work has brought no measurable benefits to the yate woodlands along Chereninup Creek, but we expect some lowering of the watertable with time. The salinity issue illustrates the importance of a multi- faceted approach to land protection in Gondwana Link. Such an approach includes helping our neighbours to restore their

From left: Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve, WA. PHOTO: CHINCH GRYNIEWICZ Standing in the revegetation at Chereninup Creek Reserve, WA. PHOTO: AMANDA KEESING Reserve Manager Mal Graham with a python captured in a pitfall trap at Chereninup Creek Reserve. PHOTO: MARK MORRISEY

28 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia VegMachine: tracking changes in the vegetation over time At Peniup Creek Reserve, and on new properties we are with salinity. VegMachine will also be used more broadly to assessing for purchase, we are using landsat images, assess changes in the productivity of the vegetation as part together with a computer program called VegMachine of our monitoring work. (developed by Jeremy Wallace of CSIRO), to track changes in the vegetation cover from 1988 to the present. VegMachine compares the series of satellite images from a particular location over time and plots and classiﬁes the changes in vegetation cover that have occurred. Ground assessments can then help to explain or suggest causes for the changes detected and to determine what management responses are required. Assessments can be made of where threats such as salinity are active, when and where land clearing has occurred, and also where land has recovered under different management regimes. At Peniup Creek Reserve, information from VegMachine shows that: A B ■ land in the south-east of the property was cleared between 1992 and 1994 (seen as the brightly coloured Figure 3 VegMachine image of Peniup Creek Reserve (A) generated patches in Figure 3A, and illustrated by the steep rise from original Landsat images (B). The colours in the VegMachine in the red and blue lines on the graph [Figure 4]). From image represent the degree of change in the vegetation over time. this point natural regeneration began (illustrated by the The dark patch represents the most stable vegetation, and the brightly coloured patches are those areas that have seen the most descending lines on the graph). In 2002 some of the land change, including having been cleared was again cleared (represented by the sharp incline on the graph). This record of events differs from what had been learnt from oral history. �� ■ cover has been lost along the drainage lines (seen in ��

Figure 3A as brilliant red and yellow areas through the ��

surrounding darker brown), probably as a result of stress �� caused by grazing and drought. This is an area that will �� need extra protection. ■ most of the property has vegetation that is dense and �� stable, the desired state for this woodland. This provides ��

something of a benchmark for areas currently being ��

revegetated (illustrated in Figure 4 by the steady tracking ��

of the brown line over the years). �� In the future we will use VegMachine information to track �� the recovery over time of the vegetation throughout Gondwana Link and to alert us to potential developing issues Figure 4 Changes in the vegetation cover over time

From left: Ecologist Hugh Pringle measuring revegetation at Chereninup Creek Reserve, WA. PHOTO: CHINCH GRYNIEWICZ Monjebup Reserve, WA. PHOTO: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES Reserve Manager Leanne Hales measures vegetation, Eurardy Reserve, WA. PHOTO: PAUL HALES

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 29 The Midlands of Tasmania is one of Australia’s fifteen biodiversity hotspots and a Bush Heritage anchor region. The Midlands region is and always has been a relatively dry, grassy, open landscape and it has been used by people and grazing animals for millennia. Currently, the Midlands region is home to 180 species that are listed as threatened, with the richest variety of small mammals in Tasmania. It contains 30 per cent of Tasmania’s plants and supports a profusion of native daisies, peas, lilies and orchids. Its deep, productive soils allow plants to produce plentiful flowers, nectar and seeds, thus providing a rich habitat for animals. The stream-side and wetland areas are also vital refuges for species during drought and over summer. These ecological values are still present but are now significantly damaged as a consequence of over 200 years of farming and, more recently, the intensification of agricultural practices, increased use of irrigation and a lack of official protection for remnant ecosystems. This makes the Midlands arguably the most important landscape in Australia for conservation action.

A cooperative approach to protecting the Midlands A cooperative project between Bush Heritage, the Australian Government’s National Reserve System Program, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, a private philanthropic foundation, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water and a growing number of landholders, is working to protect the values of the region. Together we are developing a common vision and plan to manage this threatened landscape into the next century. The involvement of land-owners is critical because most of the land is privately owned.

Planning and management goals Midlands of Tasmania We are working with conservation scientists and land-owners anchor region to produce a conservation action plan that will be used to

From top: Beaufort Valley grassland, Tas. Wanstead Themeda grassland, Tas. PHOTOS: MATT APPLEBY

30 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia guide our actions on the land into the future. One of our ■ where conservation management is the secondary goals is to restore the health of key vegetation communities purpose of land management, for example, where including lowland grasslands and their associated woodlands; properties are operated primarily for ‘bush-run grazing’ or native vegetation on alluvial valley ﬂoors; ephemeral and native forestry. permanent wetlands, streams and marshes in mid to upper All these approaches will be needed, and within each there will catchments; dry heathy forests; and areas with a high be a diversity of management styles. diversity of native mammals.

The results so far South Esk Pine and The conservation action plan is progressing well. Many of Friendly Beaches reserves the region’s key ecological communities and species have been identified and their distributions mapped. Options On South Esk Pine and Friendly Beaches reserves, rare for encouraging investment in conservation have been and poorly reserved vegetation communities are the put forward by land-owners and are being discussed and focus of our conservation work. evaluated as part of the business plan. These land-owners South Esk Pine Reserve protects one of the last remaining are keen to see the project succeed. stands of the endangered South Esk Pine Callitris oblonga spp. oblonga. Friendly Beaches Reserve supports eight What will happen next distinct plant communities, two of which, Gompholobium/ Conservation planning workshops will begin in early 2008 and Epacris heath and sedgy Eucalyptus amygdalina low closed the conservation action plan should be completed by mid- forest, are poorly reserved in Tasmania. In addition there are 2008. The workshops will involve the project partners and key three E. ovata communities of high conservation value. Forests land-owners from a selected pilot area. The workshops will dominated by E. ovata have suffered from extensive clearing help to steer the direction of the conservation and business in Tasmania. plans, and the ideas developed for this first pilot area will be The greatest threats to both reserves are from fire, the soil tested before being rolled out across the rest of the region. fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi and the invasion of weeds. Over the next five to ten years, land management practices will be implemented to protect the biodiversity of the Management goals Midlands region while also recognising that land-owners need Our main management goals on both reserves are to maintain conservation to contribute to their farm enterprise. the health of the key vegetation communities. Our success will Land will be protected in a variety of ways, including through be seen in restricting the spread of Phytophthora on Friendly the creation of reserves. We will establish areas: Beaches Reserve and in maintaining the health of the South Esk Pine communities through fire management on South Esk ■ that are protected with legally binding conservation covenants Pine Reserve. Controlled burning will be used to encourage regeneration of the South Esk pine and other species, thus ■ that are gazetted as public or private conservation reserves maintaining the overall diversity of the ecosystem. ■ where conservation management is carried out on a voluntary basis or under a time-limited covenant continued overleaf

From left: Waxlip orchid Glossodia sp. Common sunray Triptilodiscus sp. PHOTOS: MATT APPLEBY Falls at Coalmine Creek Reserve, Tas. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

What we are doing to achieve these goals As a part of controlling Phytophthora on Friendly Beaches Reserve, access to the reserve is restricted and visitors are asked to observe hygiene procedures when they are on foot and using hand tools or when they are using machinery. Walking trails are not being maintained or established. The extent and spread of Phytophthora infections and their impact on plant communities are being monitored. On South Esk Pine Reserve a weed control strategy and a ﬁre management plan are being implemented. Fences prevent incursions by wandering stock and have successfully reduced the arrival of weed species. In addition, public access is limited and hygiene measures have been implemented to control the spread of Phytophthora. Fire plans for the reserves are in place and are being periodically reviewed and updated. At Friendly Beaches Reserve, when seasonal conditions improve, controlled burns will be undertaken in cooperation with the neighbouring Freycinet National Park.

The results so far The ecosystems on these two reserves are mostly healthy and operating as they should. They need little intervention other than planned controlled burns and the implementation of the hygiene procedures for containing the spread of Phytophthora. Occasional outbreaks of weeds at South Esk Pine Reserve have been controlled.

Reserves outside the Bush Heritage anchor regions

Clockwise from top: Staghorn ferns, Currumbin Valley Reserve, Qld. South Esk Pine Reserve, Tas. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

32 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Liffey Valley reserves Fan Palm and Currumbin Valley reserves The Liffey Valley in north-central Tasmania is the site of Fan Palm Reserve, adjacent to the Wet Tropics World three reserves: Liffey River, Drys Bluff and Coalmine Heritage Area, and Currumbin Valley Reserve, in the Creek reserves. They protect wet forests and streams on Gold Coast hinterland, both protect remnants of lowland the steep slopes below the Great Western Tiers of the rainforest in landscapes at risk of further development. World Heritage Area and habitats for species such as the Between them these reserves provide habitat for more endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle. The three than 300 rainforest plant species, ﬁve of which are reserves lie close together and are managed as a nationally threatened and 21 of which are considered rare single unit. in Queensland. Fan Palm Reserve in particular is also a Management goals haven for endemic animals, including the iconic southern cassowary and three possum species, the Herbert River Our main management goal on these reserves is to maintain ringtail, green ringtail and lemuroid ringtail. the health of the key vegetation communities including temperate rainforest, stands of Eucalyptus viminalis and The position of each of these reserves in the surrounding Poa-dominated grassland. landscape greatly increases their conservation value. Both reserves abut other nature reserves or protected In the future we hope to establish partnerships with land- areas, thereby increasing the amount of continuous owners throughout the valley and develop a regional approach rainforest in each area. Currumbin Valley Reserve forms part to managing key areas of the valley for conservation. of a continuum of habitat that extends through increasing altitudes in the Currumbin/Tallebudgera Valley landform. Such What we are doing to achieve these goals connectivity, particularly along altitudinal gradients, is critical for Regular work to control weeds is our main activity and is local animal movements but will also be important for migration undertaken mostly by volunteers. We maintain the fences to as species respond to the impacts of climate change. keep wandering stock out of the reserves and maintain the tracks to ensure that there is access in case of any unplanned Management goals ﬁre. Fire plans for the reserves are in place and are being Bush Heritage seeks to maintain and enhance the nature periodically reviewed and updated. A controlled burn will conservation values of both reserves by maintaining the health be undertaken at Liffey River Reserve when the seasonal and integrity of the native vegetation and animal communities, conditions improve. and populations of rare and threatened species. The results so far What we are doing to achieve these goals The ecosystems on these reserves are healthy and operating as they should. They need little intervention other than Regular monitoring of weeds, particularly lantana Lantana planned controlled burns. Weeds, particularly foxgloves and camara, is our predominant management task. Both reserves blackberries at Liffey River Reserve, will continue to require are small and therefore susceptible to weed invasion from control for some years. surrounding land, particularly along boundaries and tracks.

continued overleaf

From left: Mixed woodlands, South Esk Pine Reserve, Tas. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Planting a buffer zone at the edge of Fan Palm Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: SIGGY HEISE-PAVLOV

To reduce the likelihood of weeds encroaching onto Fan Palm environmentally sustainable housing, an estate Reserve from a neighbouring tea plantation, a buffer zone called ‘Sunrise at 1770’. The residents of Sunrise at along the western boundary has been revegetated with native 1770 contribute financially to the ongoing conservation rainforest species. management of the adjacent Reedy Creek Reserve, as well as to the management of the ‘common lands’ Feral pigs are a major threat at Fan Palm Reserve. By digging surrounding the housing lots. in the soil surface, they disrupt the forest-floor communities and compact the soil, preventing the growth of young plants Managing land adjacent to such a development creates unique and the natural regeneration of the forest. Feral pigs also management issues, particularly when it comes to ecological compete with cassowaries for fallen fruit and actively prey burning. Burning continues to be a major focus of the work on their eggs and young. With funding from the Sidney Myer program at Reedy Creek Reserve. Water is being extracted Fund, Bush Heritage has established three permanent from the aquifer beneath Reedy Creek Reserve for use by the pig traps on Fan Palm Reserve, which are set as required nearby township of Agnes Water and the Sunrise development. by local staff. The water extraction has long-term implications for the health of the creek and its stream-side vegetation communities. The results so far Management goals The rainforest on both reserves is regenerating well now that the impact of past human activities, such as logging, has Beyond protecting life and property by keeping fuel loads low ceased, and following natural disturbances such as cyclones. on the reserve and the common lands, our management goals Over time, the vegetation structure and species composition are to: of the rainforest changes as the natural succession of plants ■ create a mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas on the continues. However, the pattern of succession depends on reserve to mimic the natural order of fire and enhance ecological processes like pollination, seed dispersal and the health of the local vegetation communities germination, which are facilitated by myriad invertebrates, ■ work with local authorities to maintain the health of the birds, bats, frogs, reptiles and mammals. At Fan Palm Reserve creek and stream-side vegetation. the cassowary is particularly pivotal in these processes, and integral to the dispersal and germination of many rainforest What we are doing to achieve these goals species. The continued presence of this magnificent bird is not Over the wet season of 2006/07, which was unseasonably only good news for the survival of the cassowary but also for dry, we maintained and widened the firebreaks in preparation the health of the rainforest itself. for the autumn burns. This was necessary for the safety of our staff and to increase our efficiency when using fire as a management tool. Reedy Creek Reserve The burns began with the onset of the calmer autumn In 2004 Bush Heritage received a gift of 452 hectares weather. We carried out ‘cool burning’ over a total of about of remnant bushland, with a variety of habitat types, in 164 hectares in five different sections of the reserve and on one of central Queensland’s prime coastal development the residential development. Bush Heritage also assisted the zones. The land was originally part of a larger title Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service with burns in of which 148 hectares was to be developed for the neighbouring Deepwater National Park.

From left: Grasstree recovering after ﬁre, Reedy Creek Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: STEVE HEGGIE Southern cassowary. PHOTO: FRITHPHOTO Controlled burning, Reedy Creek Reserve. PHOTO: STEVE HEGGIE

34 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia Monitoring sites have been established to record the condition of the vegetation around the aquifer. The data collected will help to support our requests to local authorities for the extraction of water to be maintained at sustainable levels. We have devoted considerable effort to informing our neighbours about how Bush Heritage is using ﬁre to achieve a balance between ﬁre protection and biodiversity conservation.

The results so far The last big fire at this location occurred in 1997 and, under our management, the risk of a large-scale wildfire is now minimal. All our fuel-reduction burns have remained within the control lines. Using fire, we have achieved structural variability in the vegetation of both the reserve and the residential development, and now have different areas at different stages of regrowth. The patches are between two and eight years of age. This variability ensures that future fires will not develop into hot, destructive wildfires. The most recently burnt sites will be surveyed again in 2008 to assess the consequences of the fire on the vegetation communities.

Figure 5 Areas in which annual fuel-reduction burns were carried out from 2005 to 2007 at Reedy Creek Reserve, Qld Boolcoomatta Reserve

Boolcoomatta Reserve in South Australia protects Once the burns were completed we mapped the burnt areas a number of previously unreserved ecosystems and using Geographic Positioning System equipment, and the data provides a significant area of habitat for threatened were added to the Geographic Information System database to species. One of the key conservation values of this produce detailed digital maps of the reserve’s fire history. This property is the low saltbush shrubland. Across the region information will guide the selection of sites for next season’s these shrublands have been grazed by sheep for over 150 burning, required as part of the fire management plan. years and, until recently, were excluded from conservation Photographs and other data were collected at our monitoring reserves because of their use by pastoralists. sites to enable us to track changes in the fuel load and Decades of grazing has changed the structure of the vegetation structure over time. Sampling of the fuel load in shrublands, damaged the soils and reduced the productivity of October showed that we had achieved a very low level of the land. Some species of plants that are favoured by sheep fine fuel, which was well within the range specified in the fire management plan. continued overleaf

From left: The controlled burn under way, Reedy Creek Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: STEVE HEGGIE Dome Rock, Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia 35 continued from previous page �� have been eliminated, and some animals that depend on �� these shrublands, such as the thick-billed grasswren, are �� now threatened. �� Management goals ��

We have three specific management goals for these significant �� shrublands on Boolcoomatta Reserve. These are to: � ■ restore the soil crust, the lichens, leaf litter and soil � invertebrates that together protect the soil surface and �� increase the soil’s permeability to water �� ■ �� restore the viability and health of populations of key �� species, including the thick-billed grasswren. As we �� repair and expand the areas of suitable habitats, we improve the viability of key species by boosting their Figure 6 Relative abundance of birds in the saltbush shrublands of population density as well as the area they occupy Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA ■ restore the vegetation structure. The results so far What we are doing to achieve these goals It is still very early days but there are already encouraging The most effective action taken to repair the soil crust was signs of improvement in the natural ecosystems. So far we to remove the sheep in January 2006. In addition, in have anecdotal information that bladder salt bush Atriplex collaboration with Operation Bounceback (a state government vesicaria and low bluebush Maireana astrotricha, species initiative that involves many local land-owners, including often eliminated from the shrubland by grazing, are starting to neighbouring Bimbowrie Conservation Park), we have removed increase in numbers. There are also visible signs of recovery on over 200 goats from the reserve in the past 18 months. individual plants that have been stunted by persistent grazing. Rabbits also dig up the soil crust and active measures are in The presence of seeding grasses and fruiting saltbush also place to control them. indicates that grazing pressure has been significantly reduced. As part of managing total grazing pressure on the property, Our monitoring of birdlife has already shown quantitative we have also undertaken some control of kangaroos, increases in the number of birds in the saltbush shrubland, in collaboration with neighbours and the Department of including 19 species recorded for the first time. These include Environment and Heritage in South Australia. In the long term migratory species such as the orange chat, and sedentary we will close artificial water points, which help to maintain species such as the cinnamon quail-thrush. kangaroo numbers beyond the carrying capacity of the land. Birds are also occupying areas of the reserve from which Volunteer rangers and volunteers who have attended they were previously absent. With no stock grazing the native working bees have played a vital role at the reserve, working vegetation, and in the absence of improved seasonal conditions, on all areas of its management. In particular they have it is likely that increasing amounts of grass seed, fruit, insects focused on weed control, feral animal control, removing and shelter have improved breeding success and encouraged internal fencing and helping to repair and upgrade the birds back into the reserve. There is also some early anecdotal infrastructure of the reserve. information that the condition of the soil crust is improving.

From left: Red kangaroo and joey, Boolcoomatta Reserve, SA. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX Orange chat. PHOTO: COURTESY GRAEME CHAPMAN

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, 2006/07 was

a year of signiﬁcant growth, innovation and achievement �� both on our reserves and on neighbouring land beyond our reserve boundaries.

�� Income and expenditure Nearly $11 million ($10.949 m) was raised in donations

and bequests, an increase of 27.2 per cent on the previous �� year. A further $1.213 million was contributed in grants from governments. Total revenue for the year closed at $13.145 million and, after setting aside endowment funds �� to support the long-term management of the new reserves, we finished the year with a healthy cash operating surplus of $1.7 million. �� The percentage of Bush Heritage’s income coming from each of four main sources is illustrated in Figure 7. Total expenditure for the financial year was $9 905 154, and 76 cents in �� every dollar was spent on land acquisition and conservation management activities (see Figure 8, opposite). A detailed analysis of the financial results for the 2006/07 financial year �� is available on our website or on request from Bush Heritage. ��

Volunteers �� Our growing number of volunteers provided support valued at Figure 7 Income from donations more than $684 000. This was double the contribution made by volunteers in the previous year. They assisted in both the New reserves and innovations management of reserves and in administrative tasks at the Conservation Support Centre in Melbourne. Once again we The continued growth in the number of supporters and have received outstanding pro bono support from our legal the high value of donations and bequests received enabled advisors Allens Arthur Robinson, whose staff contributed their us to purchase more land of great importance for conservation. time and expertise to the value of $187 000. This land provides habitat for a rich diversity of native plants

From left: Black duck on Pulchera Waterhole, Ethabuka Reserve, Qld. Butterﬂy rests on sedge, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

38 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia �� A number of other key achievements were made possible by the support of our donors over the 2006/07 ﬁnancial year. �� These included the development of a system that uses spatial �� and satellite data to identify critical areas of land for potential �� acquisition (see page 7 for more information about BioPrEP).

�� At this stage we are applying this system only to land that falls within our anchor regions. The system was developed in �� association with the Australian National University in Canberra. Figure 8 Distribution of expenditure 2006–07 We have also implemented our Ecological Outcomes Monitoring program on the larger reserves to track the improvements in the quality of the habitats being achieved as a and animals and also contributes to much broader landscape result of our land management work. recovery programs. We added ﬁve new properties to our portfolio, bringing the total landholding in our care to Working beyond our boundaries 676 000 hectares by the end of June 2007. The subsequent purchase of Yourka Station in Queensland increased the The Beyond the Boundaries program staff have continued to area under our protection to more than 720 000 hectares. build partnerships with a broad range of landholders, including Traditional Owners, reserve neighbours and other pastoralists. The following reserves were acquired: We support the efforts of these partners as they undertake ■ Scottsdale Reserve in New South Wales and a third block conservation work on their land. We have also assisted in the Nardoo Hills, Victoria, both in our South-East Grassy Indigenous communities to acquire land for conservation. Box Woodlands anchor region We look forward to another year of growth with tangible ■ Monjebup and Peniup Creek reserves in Western Australia’s South-West Botanical Province anchor region. gains for Australia’s unique biodiversity. With the continued These reserves form part of our Gondwana Link program, help of our supporters, we will be able to raise sufﬁcient an ambitious landscape reconnection program running funds to acquire and manage more land of high conservation from the karri forests of the South West to Kalgoorlie value, continue to develop partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders and see whole landscapes repaired. We will also ■ ‘Nameless’ Sylvan Reserve in New South Wales, gifted be able to improve our methods to maximise the effectiveness to Bush Heritage and protecting an area of Illawarra of the precious conservation dollar and measure and report subtropical rainforest. back on the effectiveness of our work. Ecological management plans were initiated for each of these new reserves, as were plans to modify each property’s infrastructure to support conservation rather than pastoral activities.

From left: Waterfall, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. Grasstrees, Yourka Reserve, Qld. Red-browed ﬁretails take a drink, Yourka Reserve. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Environment in the public consciousness This includes individuals and families, companies and corporations, trusts and foundations and a growing number Concern about the state of the environment is no longer just of employees who give regularly through pre-tax payroll the domain of dedicated ‘greens’. It is a concern for everyone. deductions. Both state and federal governments have provided Our growing understanding of the impacts of climate change, significant financial support. the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, and the realities of drought, water shortages and increased energy and food The number of individuals who have made very significant gifts costs are affecting our society in ways we have not seen has also increased. They have made this year one of our most before. The damage to river systems such as the Murray– successful and helped us to reach the $20 million target for Darling Basin is unprecedented. the Anchors in the Landscape fundraising campaign, a target The impact of environmental degradation on our native species reached in only two and a half years. is less well understood in the broader community but the time The number of supporters who have committed to giving is ripe for getting that message out. Bush Heritage offers the a bequest has risen by nearly 30 per cent in the last Australian community a way to safeguard its own future by financial year. helping to protect our land, water and wildlife. Through the Bush Heritage Conservation Partnerships This year we have been developing a marketing strategy to Program, 339 people have helped as volunteers. This is an complement the communications strategy developed last increase of 48 per cent on the number who participated during year. It will raise Bush Heritage’s profile and encourage others the previous year. to work with us. Now, more than ever, individuals as well as corporations are looking to support organisations that use their Our sincere thanks to all those who have helped so generously donations to make real and tangible impacts on our natural this year. world, including its biodiversity. Building the Bush Heritage profile Thank you to our supporters To continue this growth, Bush Heritage is taking an integrated In the 2006/07 financial year, Bush Heritage has seen approach to marketing and communications, building a a significant increase in support from all sectors of the targeted strategy to build our public profile, further expand our community, up by 12.5 per cent on the previous year. Over supporter base and tell the community about our effective, 17 600 people have now financially supported Bush Heritage. practical approach to protecting the environment.

From left: Temperate rainforest, Liffey River Reserve, Tas. Tawny frogmouth, Liffey River Reserve. PHOTOS: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

40 Annual Conservation Report | © 2008 Bush Heritage Australia We revitalised the organisation’s ‘look’ in March with The launches of Scottsdale Reserve in March and the introduction of a new logo and trading name, which Gondwana Link, Western Australia, in April provided encapsulate conservation at a landscape-scale and reflect our opportunities to acknowledge Traditional Owners and thank 20-year vision. The Bush Heritage website was rebuilt and members of the local communities and supporters who worked now captures the remarkable beauty of the diverse reserves to protect these areas. These events, and the announcement that we own and manage. of the inaugural Rick Farley Memorial Scholarship, attracted significant media attention, including in the daily newspapers More traditional forms of marketing have also helped of state capital cities and on commercial television and us to make contact with a wider and more diverse audience radio, where they were covered by the ABC, SBS and 2GB. and we have reached over 1.5 million people. Over the This coverage can be viewed on the Bush Heritage website next twelve months we will further extend this program to www.bushheritage.org.au take our message out in new ways, particularly through the World Wide Web. In 2005/06, Bush Heritage featured in 156 media stories. This year we have had nearly double that amount of media exposure. Green Philanthropy attracted a lot of interest and Bush Heritage in the media Cravens Peak and Ethabuka reserves continued to capture the Bush Heritage’s increasing media exposure has boosted our public’s imagination. Ethabuka formed the backdrop for a profile and we have featured in many forms of media this year. half-hour episode of ABC TV’s Painting Australia. A six-page cover story in the Good Weekend magazine of The We hope to encourage greater involvement from Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in January 2007 was our supporters in the coming year by providing opportunities to participate in qualitative research, volunteer and visit the media highlight of the year. It featured our Simpson Desert the reserves. Overall, the future looks very bright for reserves, generated a strong public response and led to the Bush Heritage Australia. formation of new partnerships. A front-page article in The Sydney Morning Herald in February featured Scottsdale Reserve and its role in the New South Wales Government’s Alps to Atherton landscape reconnection project. This provided a springboard for widespread interest from the national and international media.

From left: York gum woodland, Charles Darwin Reserve, WA. Sugar glider, Scottsdale Reserve, NSW. PHOTOS: JIRI LOCHMAN/LOCHMAN TRANSPARENCIES

Doug Humann Chief Executive Officer Projects. Sarah Eccles Indigenous Partnership Officer, Linda Thomas Executive Assistant Eastern Region. Ken Hayward Indigenous Partnership Officer, Western Region. Matt Appleby Ecologist. Angela Operations and reserves Ray O’Halloran National Sanders Ecologist, Gondwana Link. Lauren Van Dyke Operations Manager. Glen Norris National Operations Kosciuszko to Coast Project Facilitator. James Fitzsimons Officer. Chantal Fowler National Operations Coordinator. Project Officer. Geoff Nevard Occupational Health, Safety & Environment Manager. Mel Sheppard Projects Officer (part time). Darren Communications Alexandra de Blas Communications Larcombe Reserve Manager, Carnarvon Station Reserve. Strategist. Stephanie Lavau Communications Officer (part Matt Warnock Field Officer, Carnarvon Station Reserve. time). Peter Houghton Web Producer (part time). Richard Mailman Indigenous Trainee, Carnarvon Station Fundraising and development Pamela Sutton Reserve. Steve Heggie Reserve Manager, Reedy Creek Development Director. Roewen Wishart Philanthropy Reserve. Sajidah Abdullah & Scott Morrison reserve Manager, Sydney. Lea-Anne Bradley Philanthropy managers, Ethabuka Reserve. Jo & Len Rule reserve Executive. Andrew Helm Campaign Director. Jodie Fraser managers, Cravens Peak Reserve. Andrea & Kurt Tschirner Campaign Assistant. Melissa Postma Campaign Assistant reserve managers, Charles Darwin Reserve. Leanne & Paul (part time). Mavis Rennie Marketing Manager (part time). Hales reserve managers, Eurardy Reserve. Leanne Hales Paul Evans Donor Relations Coordinator. Merrilyn Julian Visitation & Tourism Coordinator, Eurardy Reserve. Bec & Bequests Team Leader. Anne Peedom Bequests Officer, Paul O’Leary reserve managers, Boolcoomatta Reserve. Sydney (part time). Liz Balogh Bequests Administrative Dr David Baker-Gabb Contract Reserve Manager, Victoria. Officer (part time). Ivars Draguns Direct Marketing Mal Graham Contract Reserve Manager, South-West Coordinator. Dr Kate Fitzherbert Publications Coordinator Western Australia. Dr Siggy Heise-Pavlov Contract Reserve (part time). Ellie Bock Direct Marketing Assistant. Manager, North Queensland. Thornton Kerr Contract Bev McLennan Supporter Services Manager. Kate Jennings Reserve Manager, Goonderoo Reserve. Owen Whitaker Supporter Services Assistant. Yee Huynh Supporter Contract Reserve Manager, South-East New South Wales. Services Officer. Katrina Blake Conservation Partnerships Applied ecology Paul Foreman Applied Ecology Coordinator. Joelle Metcalf Volunteer Coordinator. Manager. Clair Dougherty Planning Coordinator. Belinda Coutts Reserve Visitation Officer. Dr Jim Radford Ecological Outcomes Monitoring Administration Annette Stewart General Manager. Lucky Coordinator. Richard MacNeill GIS & Data Coordinator. Hewagama Finance Manager (part time). Gopi Jeyakody Murray Haseler Ecologist, Northern Australia. Sandy Accounts Administrator (part time). Fiona Hann People & Gilmore Ecologist, Southern Australia. Dr Hugh Pringle Organisational Development Manager (part time). Richard Ecologist, Western Australia. Alcorn Technology Consultant (part time). Beyond the Boundaries Ben Carr Acting ‘Beyond the Boundaries’ Manager. Stuart Cowell Manager, Special

Bee on bottlebrush Callistemon sp., Yourka Reserve, Qld. PHOTO: WAYNE LAWLER/ECOPIX

Leading benefactors Australian Government, National Reserve System Program; Macquarie Group Foundation; David Rickards, in memory of Helen Rickards; Louise Sylvan, in memory of Richard Sylvan; The Nature Conservancy; The Thomas Foundation; Keith Tufﬂey; Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation; Wesfarmers Ltd

Key partners Allens Arthur Robinson; Jo-Anne & Greg Beirne; Geoff Giles; John T Reid Charitable Trusts; Tony Maxwell; New South Wales Government, Environmental Trust; The RE Ross Trust; Graham Turner

Major partners Consolidated Minerals Limited; Stan & Irene Johanson; Mordant family; Geoff Penney; Various trusts managed by Perpetual Philanthropic Services; Sara Halvedene Foundation; The George Alexander Foundation; The Miller Foundation; Thyne Reid Foundation

Supporting partners Andyinc Foundation; Australian Government, Envirofund; Australian Government, Indigenous Heritage Program; Vernon & Estelle Bailey; Barbara Baird; Roger Barsony; Terry & Caroline Bellair; Bluescope Steel Ltd & staff; Robyn Brady; Jane Castle, in memory of Lilias Eve Fraser; Herbert Compton; Margaret M Cowper; Dr Philippa H Currie; George Dalton & Annelie Holden; Caro Davis, in memory of Daniel and Rollo Davis; Peter Edwards; Margaret Erskine; Fitzroy Basin Association; Flight Centre Ltd; Henry Foster; Gemma Gagne; Kerry Gardner; Richard & Carolyn Green; Chris & Gina Grubb; David Higgins; Hunter Hall International Ltd; John Hutchinson; Ian & Nan Landon-Smith; Robert Lawrence Lewis; Lotterywest; Macquarie Bank Ltd; David Martin & family; Graham Matheson; Ian Munro; Gwynneth Anna Oxnam; Perpetual Limited and staff; Protect Australian Wildlife Fund; David Robb; Margaret S Ross AM; Christopher Rowe; Luke & Maree Saraceni; The Scully Fund; Brian & Diana Snape; South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board; South West Natural Resource Management Ltd; Craig Steddy & Fiorina Gabba; Colin Telfer & Alison McDougall; Cornelis & Kay van Dalsen; Olga White; Fred Woollard; Elizabeth Xipell

Bequests The Estate of Daniel Bogut; The Estate of Ivor Neville Jones; The Estate of Mary Dene Layton

Donors to The Rick Farley Memorial Scholarship Caro Davis, in memory of Daniel and Rollo Davis; Rio Tinto Service Limited; The Thomas Foundation; and an individual who wishes to remain anonymous

Bush Heritage especially wishes to thank The Thomas Foundation and The Nature Conservancy for their support of our expanding Beyond the Boundaries, Conservation on Country and Gondwana Link programs. These organisations have also helped us to acquire several key reserves, including Yourka Reserve in north Queensland, and have funded important conservation work on a number of existing reserves in northern Australia. The innovative matching of donations as part of the David Thomas Challenge has pioneered new directions in conservation-based fundraising in Australia. We hope it will provide a wonderful stimulus for the philanthropic community to continue its support of the conservation of our natural environment in coming years.