BUSH TRACKS Bush Heritage Australia’S Quarterly Magazine for Active Conservation
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BUSH TRACKS Bush Heritage Australia’s quarterly magazine for active conservation The Arafura Swamp Rangers Bush Heritage and Traditional freshwater supply, and the classroom in the new world now, we see Owners are proudly working in which they learn lessons passed down everyone in town.” partnership to return the Arafura from their ancestors. In return, they Solomon is part of a partnership Swamp region to good health. keep this country healthy: controlling that’s helping to return people weeds and feral animals, minimising to country, while also building Stretching across 70,000 hectares the threat of damaging wildfires, and environmental, cultural and socio- of Arnhem Land is one of northern working to mitigate saltwater intrusion. economic sustainability across the Australia’s largest freshwater ecosystems, But just as those threats are becoming Gurruwiling region. Recently, that partnership the Arafura Swamp or . more pressing, there are fewer people resulted in the Arafura Swamp Rangers Here, you’ll find peeling paperbark trees, on country to control them. glossy green water lilies, Barramundi, Healthy Country Plan 2017-2027. “A long time ago, when the dry season turtles, crocodiles, and, in the wet Incorporating the combined knowledge came, we would be going out to hunt season, as many as 300,000 birds. of 33 Yolngu and Bi clans, the plan for goanna and burning patches here The Yolngu and Bi people of Gurruwiling and there to get our food,” says Arafura Continued on page 3 are intricately tied to this landscape and Swamp senior ranger Solomon O’Ryan. Above: ASRAC sea ranger Florence it to them. It is their supermarket and “That practice collapsed ... If you look at Biridjala. Photo by Daniel Hartley-Allen Autumn 2018 BushHeritage.org.au Left: A Black-necked Stork on Arafura Swamp. Photo by Daniel Hartley-Allen From the CEO Right: Feral buffalo threaten the health of the Arafura Swamp region. Photo by Daniel Hartley-Allen at adapting to climate change. By increasing Australia’s network of In this issue protected areas, reconnecting 04 Weathering the change habitats, and returning the bush to good Ecologist and Climate Councillor health, we’re tipping the odds in the Prof. Lesley Hughes discusses favour of our native species. how many of our native species Equally as important as our on-and will soon find their environments uninhabitable due to our rapidly off-reserve work is the support we changing climate. I’m often asked: What difference will offer to others through our Aboriginal losing one species make in the overall Partnerships program, such as the 06 Eye in the sky Scientists are using a remote scheme of things? But I feel the real Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal sensing technology to monitor questions are: Corporation. Indigenous communities Malleefowl and the impact of have been caring for this land for tens of What value do we place feral predator control methods thousands of years and have developed on their populations. on the diversity of life? solutions to many of the environmental And are we willing to risk problems we face today. Yet, these same 08 Creatures of the night communities will be among the hardest Bringing Night Parrots back losing that diversity because from the brink starts with hit by climate change. It is vital they are of our inaction? understanding the threats they well-resourced and supported to face face, and on Pullen Pullen In this edition, we speak with renowned that threat, and others. Reserve, that means engaging ecologist Prof. Lesley Hughes. The Also in this issue, we head to Pullen the services of a feral cat antithesis of inaction, Lesley was the Pullen Reserve, Qld, (pp. 6-7), where a detection dog. keynote speaker at the Women in new research project promises to give 10 Opportunistic breeders Conservation Breakfast, which we jointly us a greater understanding of the threat A recent photo of a young Night hosted in early March with Trust for that feral cats pose to Night Parrots. The Parrot has given researchers Nature. In Weathering the change (pp. recent sighting of a young Night Parrot clues about their breeding habits. 4-5), her passion is palpable as she warns on Pullen Pullen only emphasises how of a future in which many native species 11 Bush Heritage online vital our continued threat management is will find their environments Southern Cassowaries captured to the survival of these endangered birds. increasingly uninhabitable. on camera at Fan Palm Reserve; 562 native plant species I’m proud that the actions of Bush recorded at Chereninup Creek; Heritage’s conservation community and Bush Heritage Chief are helping to give native plants Executive Gerard O’Neill on being and animals the best possible chance Gerard O’Neill, Chief Executive part of the solution. 2 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 Continued from cover Above: ASRAC sea rangers Brendon Warrinyinba Gaykamangu (L), Florence Biridjala (R), and senior ranger Solomon O’Ryan (C). Photo by Daniel Hartley-Allen Below: The Arafura Swamp Rangers Healthy Country Plan 2017-2027 is a roadmap for the Arafura Swamp “We used to have lots of water funding environment that these Rangers to manage 1.2 million hectares lilies, now it’s just dirty water.” communities are trying to operate in. of land and sea under the auspices of We are providing this corporation with the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Currently, an external party is contracted consistent support, which contributes to Corporation (ASRAC). to carry out regular buffalo mustering the Arafura Swamp rangers' delivery of in the region, but it’s hoped ASRAC will long-standing environmental outcomes.” Formed in 2013, ASRAC has partnered have greater control and input into such with Bush Heritage Australia and Bush Heritage has 24 Aboriginal contracts in coming years. others to build its profile, strengthen its partnerships across Australia. For more governance structures and develop its Another major part of the rangers’ work information about our Aboriginal Healthy Country Plan. involves implementing right-way fire Partnerships program, visit our website. to lessen the impact of late-dry season “Bush Heritage's role in this collaboration wildfires in the September to December is about bringing in additional resources storm season. In doing so, they to strengthen ASRAC and enable its contribute to reductions in Australia’s work,” says Peter Saunders. As Bush carbon emissions, earning them about Heritage Healthy Country Manager $1 million a year in carbon credits through for Arafura Swamp, Peter is based in the Commonwealth Government’s the township of Ramingining, on the carbon abatement program. That money edge of Gurruwiling, where he is now funds vital management activities strengthening ASRAC's capacity to such as consultations, fire control achieve its healthy country goals. and equipment purchases, while also The Arafura Swamp Rangers’ work building the local economy. is focused on reducing threats to the It is a glimpse of what is possible with a One of Australia’s largest key targets identified in their Healthy strong, stable and well-resourced ASRAC. and most valuable freshwater Country Plan. Of those threats, feral ecosystems is at threat. buffalo are one of the most damaging. “Bush Heritage has a long-term Working together, we can commitment to this partnership, and They spread weeds, trample wetlands, help return Arafura Swamp increase erosion, and open up channels we are dedicated to supporting ASRAC to good health. that enable seawater to intrude on as it works towards its healthy country freshwater ecosystems. goals,” says Peter. Please join us in this powerful partnership. Donate now. “There are lots of feral “One of the biggest threats to country www.bushheritage.org.au/ and culture in this region is the ever- animals doing big damage to donate this area,” says Solomon. changing nature of the political and Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 3 Weathering the change Prof. Lesley Hughes is much more than your average climate change expert, for she hails from that ever-so-rare breed of scientists that allow the world to see the passion and emotion driving their work. An ecologist and Pro Vice-Chancellor Lesley: All organisms on the planet We need to be strengthening at Macquarie University, Lesley studies exist in a certain range of physical and extending our protected the impacts of climate change on conditions such as temperature and area system to increase species and ecosystems. In her ‘spare’ water availability. Basically, climate time, she is a councillor for the publicly- determines where everything lives habitat availability and funded Climate Council of Australia, and how everything lives – it's build resilience in species while also contributing her expertise to fundamentally important to all life populations. bodies such as the Wentworth Group on Earth. We know the climate is of Concerned Scientists. changing very rapidly and many We also need to protect places that are species are already being negatively going to be refuges for species in the Speaking to us ahead of the seventh affected. The inevitable upshot of that future, and we need to look at creating annual Women in Conservation rapid change is that many species new habitat in places - sometimes in Breakfast, jointly hosted by Bush Heritage will find themselves in environments places where that particular habitat has and Trust for Nature, Lesley explained that are no longer liveable. If they not existed before. why, after more than 25 years, she is still can't adapt where they are or move deeply rooted in this research area. Business as usual – where we just try to somewhere more suitable, extinctions conserve everything where it has been Lesley: The thing about working in will necessarily follow. historically – is not an adequate approach climate change is that once you get into Bush Heritage: What are the key when our climate is changing so rapidly.