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 ofGurruwiling 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. it you never get out of it – it's a bit like actions we should be taking to help Bush Heritage: the Hotel California. The more you find What can everyday those species adapt? out, the more of a moral imperative it people do to make a difference? becomes to stay. I got into it more than Lesley: I'm a great advocate of Lesley: We can think about our own 25 years ago and I’ve never left because seriously considering moving many individual footprint and be aware that it is, for me, the most important issue species to new places, especially everything we do has an impact on the that I could be working on. Morally, I species that are clearly going to go planet, and try to minimise that impact don't see I have a choice. extinct if they stay where they are as much as possible. There's a lot of now. But there's a lot of resistance Bush Heritage: You once said your environmental tokenism around. People to that idea. main fear for the future was ‘species think: ‘well, as long as I put my recycling extinctions’. What did you mean by that? in the recycling bin, that's enough.’ And then they'll get into their four-wheel-

4 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 Above: Boolcoomatta Station Reserve, SA. Photo by Peter Ashton Below: Prof. Lesley Hughes, as photographed for the 'Scared Scientists' photo exhibition. Photo by Nick Bowers/ nickbowers.com drive and roar off to the shops. We need to start thinking holistically about the net impact of living on the planet and trying to minimise that. There are also lots of things individuals can do for little or no money. Actions like installing solar panels or buying green power are great, but they’re not within the capacity of many individuals financially. We all just have to do what we can. For people who want to do more, my best suggestion is to join a network of like-minded people and draw strength from others, because I think it can be a pretty lonely and frustrating path just trying to do it all by yourself. For the full conversation with Lesley, see our website: www.bushheritage.org.au/blog

Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 5 Eye in the sky

On Charles Darwin and Eurardy reserves in Western Australia, the innovative use of a remote sensing technology is marking the start of a new era in Malleefowl monitoring.

For Dr Vanessa Westcott, spotting an LiDAR technology itself isn’t new – it the thick scrub provides the birds with elusive Malleefowl bird is matched has long been used for everything from cover and protection, it also makes only by the prospect of contributing to mapping the ocean floor to assisting in finding and monitoring their mounds the development of a technology that emergency response situations – but its a difficult and somewhat scratchy could improve the conservation of this application for ecological monitoring is task. ’s York Gum threatened species. an emerging field. woodlands and thick acacia scrub present a similar problem. Vanessa, a Bush Heritage ecologist, To monitor for Malleefowl, LiDAR is the heart and brains behind a is attached to the underside of a light “We used to search for mounds by monitoring project using Light plane which is then flown over areas of getting a large group of people together, Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to Malleefowl habitat. During flight, light in putting them in a line and walking identify Malleefowl nesting mounds on the form of pulsed laser is used to map through the bush,” says Ben Parkhurst, Bush Heritage reserves. the Earth’s surface. That information is Bush Heritage ecologist for the Western “You have this device that then passed through an algorithm which Rangelands. “It was hot and time- identifies the distinctive profiles of intensive work in scratchy, thick scrub, allows you to navigate right Malleefowl mounds. and there was no guarantee you’d to a possible Malleefowl find anything.” The GPS coordinates of those potential mound,” says Vanessa. mounds are then downloaded onto The use of LiDAR has led to “As you get closer the a smart phone, which Bush Heritage collaborative work between Bush anticipation builds: ‘will it be volunteers and staff can use to verify, or Heritage and many of its regional active? Maybe I’ll even see a ‘ground-truth’, the mounds on foot. neighbours, as well as local organisations like the North-Central bird’. It’s kind of addictive.” The technology has dramatically Malleefowl Preservation Group. improved both the efficiency and Thanks to LiDAR, Bush Heritage has effectiveness of Bush Heritage’s It is also contributing data to a National identified 82 new mounds on Charles Malleefowl monitoring. Charles Adaptive Management Project, Darwin Reserve and 20 new mounds on Darwin Reserve, tucked away on the developed by the National Malleefowl Eurardy Reserve, in Western Australia. northern edge of the West Australian Recovery Team and University of It will now monitor those mounds wheatbelt, contains the dense, long , which is assessing the annually for signs of activity, helping unburnt shrublands that Malleefowl impact of feral predator control to inform both regional and Australia- prefer, making it something of methods on these unusual birds. wide Malleefowl population records. aMalleefowl hotspot. But while

6 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 Opposite: A Malleefowl on its mound. Above: A Malleefowl mound in Western Photo by Jiri Lochman/Lochman Australia. Photo by Jiri Lochman/ Transparencies Lochman Transparencies Below: 3D images of a Malleefowl mound generated through LiDAR.

Malleefowl are ground-dwelling birds that are known for building mounds up to five metres wide and one metre high. They fill these mounds with leaf litter, which decomposes and creates heat to incubate the eggs. Once born, chicks push through the leaf litter and head out into the world on their own, making them an easy target for foxes and feral cats. Land clearing, altered fire regimes, competition from introduced herbivores and habitat fragmentation are also major threats to the species, which is listed nationally as vulnerable. Due in large part to their elusive nature, relatively little is known about Malleefowl populations in Australia, aside from that they’ve broadly declined. But projects like this one are beginning to change that. “We’re now collecting information that will tell us whether or not we are doing the right thing, and how we can improve our management of Malleefowl,” says Vanessa. “Unless you collect all the right information, you can’t be adaptive and smart in your management. Bush Heritage is leading the way in using new techniques to be more efficient and effective on the ground so that we can continue to make good decisions.” Bush Heritage’s use of LiDAR on was supported by the Gunduwa Regional Conservation Association. LiDAR on Eurardy has been completed thanks to support from the WA Department of , Conservation and Attractions, as well as the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council and National Landcare Program.

Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 7 Creatures of the night

On Pullen Pullen Reserve, the age-old adage of ‘cat vs dog’ is playing out to the benefit of Night Parrots and other native species.

In 19th century France, a physician The nose knows The bigger picture by the name of Paul Broca divided the world’s animals into two categories: the Over five days and nights, Shane In many ways, managing for feral cats is smellers and the non-smellers. Dogs, and Annie patrolled Pullen Pullen’s the same as managing for a threatened along with most other mammals, fell border fences, watercourses, sandstone species: before you begin, you need to into the former category, and humans plateaus and spinifex plains looking for have a good understanding of where the into the latter. cats. At 56,000 hectares, there’s a lot of species lives, what habitat it prefers, how space for cats to hide from Shane’s keen it uses the landscape and which other Today, much of Paul’s thinking has eyes, but avoiding Annie’s sensitive species it is interacting with. Without been debunked, but what has held true snout is not so easy. that knowledge, your management is the extraordinary smelling ability could have unintended consequences. of dogs. With around 50 times more “Cats are stealthy, and if disturbed smell receptors and 40 times more brain they will go into hiding and disappear,” “What we don’t want to do at Pullen space devoted to processing scents than says Bush Heritage Healthy Landscape Pullen is to go in there willy-nilly and humans, they are natural-born sniffers. Manager Dr Alex Kutt. “But with a dog shoot cats for the sake of it,” says Alex. like Annie you’re conducting a scent- “We know cats are there and “A dog’s sense of smell is so incredibly based search, so you’re not relying on acute that they can pick up on the visual clues.” we know predation is a threat minutest of scent particles,” says Bush to Night Parrots, but we need Heritage volunteer Shane Jackson. Annie, a two-year-old Catahoula, has been trained not to kill feral cats, but a much better understanding “They’ll find things we don’t even of the nature of that threat, know exist.” rather to track them and hold them in one spot, much like a sheepdog and how cats interact with Recently, Shane and his feral cat corrals sheep. other predators, like dingoes.” detection dog Annie ventured out to Pullen Pullen Reserve in western “That’s the other advantage For that reason, Bush Heritage is Queensland, where feral cats are of using a dog – it means embarking on a project that will see thought to pose a dangerous threat to we can find, catch and collar us track and map feral cat activity on the resident population of endangered cats to track their movements Pullen Pullen, with support from the Night Parrots, as well as many other around Night Parrot habitat, Threatened Species Recovery (TSR) native animals. Hub of the Australian Government's which is what we want to do,” National Environmental Science says Alex. Program. And when that project

8 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 Opposite: Bush Heritage volunteer Above left: Annie bails up a feral cat on Below: Creeklines on Pullen Pullen Shane Jackson and his Catahoula dog Pullen Pullen Reserve. Photo by Shane Reserve, Qld. Photo by Wild Vista Digital Annie. Photo by Leanne Hales Jackson Productions Above right: A feral cat caught on a motion-sensor camera. starts, cat detection dogs such as 100 years, leading most scientists more about the Night Parrot’s biology Annie will be vital to its success. to presume the species extinct. So, and threats to its survival, while also when the population on what is now protecting other native species that call “We want to find out what parts of Pullen Pullen was discovered in 2013, the reserve home. the reserve feral cats show a preference Bush Heritage immediately began for: are they staying near creek lines The upcoming project with the TSR negotiating with the Queensland and in the timber? Or do they prefer Hub will help to fill critical gaps in our government to transfer the land’s spinifex country? Are they active knowledge of the species, ensuring pastoral lease into its own name. near Night Parrot nests or the feeding our management strategies give these grounds?” he says. Today, Bush Heritage is working with mysterious birds the best chance at the Night Parrot Recovery Team, the survival and recovery. Following the collection of a live University of Queensland’s Green Fire specimen in 1912, no live Night Science Lab, and the TSR Hub to learn Parrots were sighted for almost

Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 9 Above: A young Night Parrot photographed on Pullen Pullen Reserve in December 2017. Opportunistic breeders Photo by Nick Leseberg

The Smithsonian Institution has described the Night Parrot as ‘one of the world’s most elusive birds’, but researchers are slowly beginning to piece the Night Parrot puzzle together.

In December last year, one of those Then, in 2013, naturalist John Young researchers captured photographs of a discovered the population on what is Bush Heritage Australia young Night Parrot on Bush Heritage’s now known as Pullen Pullen Reserve. acknowledges the Traditional Pullen Pullen Reserve in western Bush Heritage immediately set about Owners of the places in which Queensland. University of Queensland purchasing the land with support from we live, work and play. PhD student Nick Leseberg estimated the Pullen Pullen Founders Circle and Contributors: Jane Lyons, Amelia the parrot was two-to three-months-old the Queensland government. Caddy, Gerard O’Neill at the time, meaning it likely hatched Nick Leseberg, whose Night Parrot Design by violadesign.com.au around early September. research is funded by Bush Heritage, “This suggests that Night Parrots were is helping to uncover the conditions in Bush Heritage Australia still breeding at least seven months after which Night Parrots are likely to breed, PO Box 329 Flinders Lane the last substantial rain had fallen, and and where they’re likely to be found. Melbourne, Vic. 8009 following a very dry year,” says Nick. “We need to ensure that whenever the T: 1300 NATURE (1300 628 873) “This recent sighting is a really birds are breeding, we are giving their E: [email protected] important discovery. It means young the best chance of survival. W: www.bushheritage.org.au that even when conditions Ongoing management, particularly of potential predators like cats, is critical don’t seem that good, the to achieving that,” he says. birds might be trying to breed.” This publication uses 100% Nick’s research builds upon that of post-consumer waste recycled Pullen Pullen, named after the Maiawali Dr Steve Murphy, Australia’s foremost fibre, made with a carbon neutral Traditional Owners’ word for Night expert on the Night Parrot. “When Steve manufacturing process, using Parrot, is a 56,000 hectare property started his research we knew almost vegetable-based inks. identified as being home to one of the nothing about Night Parrots; it was only known Night Parrot populations arguably the world’s most mysterious in the world. species. He spent three years generating a way to go about researching these These nocturnal, ground-dwelling birds birds, and I’m just trying to build on are famous for avoiding detection. From that foundation,” says Nick. 1912, there were no confirmed sightings of live Night Parrots for nearly 100 years.

10 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 Bush Heritage online

You don’t have to wait for the next edition of Bush Tracks to hear stories from the field about the work you’re helping to make possible. Access daily updates, articles, videos and images on our blog and on social media. www.bushheritage.org.au/blog

The residents of Fan Palm Chereninup Creek reveals Being part of the solution its secrets Motion-sensor cameras were In December last year, over recently put out for the first Botanist Libby Sandiford and 15,000 scientists from 184 time on Fan Palm Reserve Bush Heritage ecologist Angela countries signed an ominous in the Daintree area of far Sanders recorded 562 native World Scientists’ Warning to north Queensland. Retrieved plant species during 2017 Humanity: A Second Notice, a after one month in situ, the surveys of Chereninup Creek follow-up to their first letter cameras gave a clear and at reserve, including two possible published in 1992. Included in times comical insight into the new species. As part of the this letter were 13 suggested residents of this rainforest Fitz-Stirling group of reserves strategies for restoring Earth’s paradise. Species recorded in the south-west of Western balance and transitioning to a include a young Southern Australia, Chereninup Creek more sustainable way of life. Cassowary, Orange-footed sits in one of the world’s 35 In this blog post, Bush Scrubfowl, Dingo, Musky ‘biodiversity hotspots’ – areas Heritage Chief Executive Rat-kangaroo and Long- with large numbers of species Gerard O’Neill reflects on nosed Bandicoot. found nowhere else, and which how, thanks to your ongoing are heavily threatened. Seventy- and generous support, Bush seven of the species recorded Heritage is already actively in the most recent surveys have implementing six of those not been observed on any of strategies, in particular: the other Fitz-Stirling reserves ‘prioritizing the enactment of in the region, while at least two well-funded and well managed areas qualify as threatened reserves’ and ‘restoring ecological communities. native plant communities at large scales’.

Lazy Spider Orchid (Caledenia multiclavia). A volunteer helps to revegetate Scottsdale Photo by Libby Sandiford Reserve, NSW. Photo by Annette Ruzicka

Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018 11

Above: Whistling Ducks on the billabong, Visit a Bush Heritage reserve Arafura Swamp. Photo by Daniel Hartley-Allen

This year, give yourself a holiday like no other and take a trip to one of our many reserves across the country. For a full list of 2018 visitation opportunities, Thank you please visit our website www.bushheritage.org.au/places-we-protect/visit. Thank you to the many supporters Self-guided day visits Station Stay who have generously donated to our work. A full list of those who All year round, weather dependent Various accommodations, have recently given in memory booking recommended • Kojonup, WA and in celebration is available • Chereninup Creek, WA • Hamelin Station, WA, on our website. mid-March to mid-October • Liffey Valley reserves, Tas. We gratefully acknowledge the • Reedy Creek, Qld Guided tours following estates, whose lasting • Currumbin Valley, Qld legacies will help ensure that both Bush Heritage and third parties current and future generations can Camping operate tours on our reserves continue to experience the bush as Booking required throughout the year. Please check we know it: our website for up-to-date details. • Charles Darwin, WA, April to October Kwok Paul Lee, Sheila Brown, Gretel • Carnarvon Station, Qld, Woodward, Elizabeth Constance May to September Carr, Donald Blair Mackay, Jane Please note that Boolcoomatta Scragg, Patricia Naylor and Dr Ann campground will be closed in 2018 Monica Murphy. for management reasons.

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12 Bush Tracks | Autumn 2018