WLT newsletter issue 7 201

ISSUE 7 2010

What you’ll find inside:

Promising signs with new memberships aside, it has been a busy few months for the Wildlife Land Trust. Presentations at the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference in Adelaide and a Private Landholder Conservation Information Day hosted by Wildlife Land Trust member Mikla Lewis in Crowther, as well as a radio interview on Sydney’s 2SER have seen promotion of the program more actively pursued — while articles in several environmental and wildlife magazines have supported this effort. We also managed to visit the HSI owned WLT sanctuary Warriwillah to accompany and assist the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service with some ecological surveying required under the property’s Voluntary Conservation Agreement.

Some great news has been received with regard to a number of previously pending decisions relating to our affiliated Threatened Ecological Communities nomination program, under both State and Commonwealth law — head to pages 9 and 10 for more details and to read about what we have recently achieved.

Continued on page 2

WildlifELANDS

THE NEWSLETTER OF HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL’S WildlifE lANd TRUST

SanctuariesSince last edition:

It has been an extremely rewarding period for the staff at the WLT and HSI, as the commitment of so many people to the protection of Australia’s precious wildlife and their habitats becomes clearer and clearer. It’s been just 5 months since the last edition of Wildlife Lands was published and yet the number of applicants wanting to join the Wildlife Land Trust network has rocketed, to the point where at the time of writing, there were 88 member sanctuaries covering a total of 14,187.1 hectares (35,057 acres) — an increase in membership of approximately 70% and area by almost 60% since our last issue! We are certainly optimistic about this trend continuing and hope to see the number of Australian sanctuaries pass the 100 milestone before the end of the year. The more committed sanctuary owners the better for Australian wildlife, and we thank all those new members for climbing aboard the network!

This recent membership boom has been comprised of 14 new sanctuaries in New South Wales, 9 in Queensland, 5 in each of Victoria and Western Australia, and 3 in South Australia. Since the tradition of listing the details of these 36 new Wildlife Land Trust members on the front page would see little room for anything else, we’ve moved them to a table alongside a national map highlighting these latest wildlife havens — flick through to pages 8 and 9 to take a look. You can also find some messages from and introductions to several of the new members on the following few pages of this newsletter — thanks to Denise Driver (Tas), Buddy Kent (WA), Trish Kelly (Qld), Pat and John Edwards (NSW), Paula Rooney and Yalmambirra (Vic), and Jan Virgo (SA) for putting these articles together.

1

Burgeoning timesFOR THE WlT

Suzanne & John Brandenberger’s Wingura

Superb fairywren on WLT sanctuary Taringa — Galena Debney

WLT newsletter issue 7 2010.indd 1 21/11/10 5:46 PM

2

OwnersMessages fromWlT SANcTUARy OWNERS

Continued from page 1

We also have an interesting piece on the endangered green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) written by new Wildlife Land Trust member Lance Jurd, who runs an incredibly successful breeding program for the species at his home in Riverstone, New South Wales — an interesting connection, with Humane Society International being involved in the original and successful nomination to have the species listed as nationally threatened, effective since mid 2000. Read more on pages 6 and 7.

Turn to pages 11 and 12 for a feature article on the Wildlife Land Trust supported Great Eastern Ranges conservation corridor initiative. As might be expected with such a large proportion of our network sanctuaries located along the East coast, many Wildlife Land Trust member properties fall within the boundaries of this connectivity program and thus contribute to its growing success. The WLT also contributes to the connectivity process through our various habitat legal nomination programs.

And for a more international flavour pages 6 and 7 are a must — here you will find a short news update about our project partner in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as well as a sanctuary profile for the newest sanctuary to join the Wildlife Land Trust in the United States. We hope you enjoy Wildlife Lands Issue 7 and look forward to reporting on progress in our next WLT e-mail bulletin. The masthead in this issue is of Suzanne and John Brandenberger’s Wingura in Victoria.

TippaburraValley

Buddy Kent “Tippaburra Valley” Western Australia

Tippaburra Valley farm started off as a 400 acre scrub block in the year 1958. There was lots of bush in those days. I always loved the trees and scrub, and only cleared small paddocks — never big areas at one time, and in this way I was able to leave natural vegetation around most paddocks.

I was married in 1963 and had four children, we all worked very hard as most people do when starting off on new land. I did many years shearing to help with the bills, and by the year 1990 our farm had been expanded to 6,100 acres, 1,700 acres of which was made up of native vegetation shelter belts and corridors, which felt really good.

Because of our low rainfall, which is only about 300 ml a year, we don’t have a big variety of native animals. However there are lots of different birds, some being migratory species. Tippaburra Valley features just over 1500 olive trees (for the oil), 33,000 oil mallees, and 6,500 acacias hosts with sandalwood. All the bush and rehabilitated vegetation is covenanted to the National Trust in an attempt to ensure that whoever owns the property in the future cares for it.

The bush is all fenced to keep the stock from destroying it, as well as the new growth. My project for next year is to plant approximately 50 acres of native seedlings, plus direct native seeding, the main purpose being to protect a patch of high ground from wind erosion. We have had a few dry years; it makes it hard to get a successful germination, but we must, and will, keep trying.

denise driver “White Wallaby Walk” South Australia

I moved from South Australia to Bruny Island in May 2010. I’ve always loved islands but this place is just magical. It was named after a French explorer although his name was spelled ‘Bruni’. The island is really two islands joined by a narrow isthmus known as ‘The Neck’. Here fairy penguins come in at night from both sides of the island to their rookery, which is shared with numerous mutton birds. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen black swans foraging in the sea. The North Island is dry with vegetation like South Australia, but heading south through the neck it’s like a separate country, as the landscape changes to rainforest and the rainfall is significantly higher.

There are no Tasmanian devils or wombats on the island so rabbits are plentiful. Quolls were introduced to North Bruny for rabbit control but they ended up preferring people’s chickens and have gradually spread to South Bruny as well. Wallabies were apparently also introduced and with few predators there are now quite a few white wallabies. There are huge bumblebees down here, their hum is so loud you can hear them coming from a fair distance! The echidnas down here are more fluffy than spiky, and the brush-tailed possums are a chocolate brown instead of grey, as they are in South Australia.

Paula Rooney and yalmambirra “Girragirra Ganya” Victoria

Girragirra Ganya is just outside the center of town in Bethanga, 27 kilometres outside of Albury on the Victoria/New South Wales border. Bethanga was historically a big mining town and was later used for farming. Today it has a population of approximately 250.

We became aware of the Wildlife Land Trust through our membership of Humane Society International, and the decision to apply to join was an easy one. The core values are our values — protect and provide habitat for native flora and fauna. It’s great to be able to be part of a network of like minded people who share our passion for the environment and our native flora and fauna.

Girrgagirra Ganya is Wiradjuri for happy place or dwelling and we feel very fortunate to share our 20 acre home with a huge range of different birdlife, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Waking up each morning to the sound of nothing but the birds singing is a great way to start the day. With the history of the area, the land has been altered significantly and habitat fragmented. We have spent a lot of time planting native trees and grasses to build corridors between those fragmented areas and also to provide more habitat. We are fortunate to have a natural wetland area at the back of the property and we have planted 1,200 trees in the region to encourage fauna back in, and it has worked — grey kangaroos often come in of a morning to drink. I think people’s awareness of environmental issues is ever increasing and subsequently a lot of people are wanting to make real changes for the better. Being part of the Wildlife Land Trust is for us, just another way of doing that.

Emu on Tippaburra Valley — Buddy Kent


WildlifELANDSISSUE 7 2010

3

Messages from

TippaburraValley

Buddy Kent “Tippaburra Valley” Western Australia

Tippaburra Valley farm started off as a 400 acre scrub block in the year 1958. There was lots of bush in those days. I always loved the trees and scrub, and only cleared small paddocks — never big areas at one time, and in this way I was able to leave natural vegetation around most paddocks.

I was married in 1963 and had four children, we all worked very hard as most people do when starting off on new land. I did many years shearing to help with the bills, and by the year 1990 our farm had been expanded to 6,100 acres, 1,700 acres of which was made up of native vegetation shelter belts and corridors, which felt really good.

Because of our low rainfall, which is only about 300 ml a year, we don’t have a big variety of native animals. However there are lots of different birds, some being migratory species. Tippaburra Valley features just over 1500 olive trees (for the oil), 33,000 oil mallees, and 6,500 acacias hosts with sandalwood. All the bush and rehabilitated vegetation is covenanted to the National Trust in an attempt to ensure that whoever owns the property in the future cares for it.

The bush is all fenced to keep the stock from destroying it, as well as the new growth. My project for next year is to plant approximately 50 acres of native seedlings, plus direct native seeding, the main purpose being to protect a patch of high ground from wind erosion. We have had a few dry years; it makes it hard to get a successful germination, but we must, and will, keep trying.

White Wallaby Walk

denise driver “White Wallaby Walk” South Australia

I moved from South Australia to Bruny Island in May 2010. I’ve always loved islands but this place is just magical. It was named after a French explorer although his name was spelled ‘Bruni’. The island is really two islands joined by a narrow isthmus known as ‘The Neck’. Here fairy penguins come in at night from both sides of the island to their rookery, which is shared with numerous mutton birds. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen black swans foraging in the sea. The North Island is dry with vegetation like South Australia, but heading south through the neck it’s like a separate country, as the landscape changes to rainforest and the rainfall is significantly higher.

There are no Tasmanian devils or wombats on the island so rabbits are plentiful. Quolls were introduced to North Bruny for rabbit control but they ended up preferring people’s chickens and have gradually spread to South Bruny as well. Wallabies were apparently also introduced and with few predators there are now quite a few white wallabies. There are huge bumblebees down here, their hum is so loud you can hear them coming from a fair distance! The echidnas down here are more fluffy than spiky, and the brush-tailed possums are a chocolate brown instead of grey, as they are in South Australia.

Girragirra GanyaPaula Rooney and yalmambirra “Girragirra Ganya” Victoria

Girragirra Ganya is just outside the center of town in Bethanga, 27 kilometres outside of Albury on the Victoria/New South Wales border. Bethanga was historically a big mining town and was later used for farming. Today it has a population of approximately 250.

We became aware of the Wildlife Land Trust through our membership of Humane Society International, and the decision to apply to join was an easy one. The core values are our values — protect and provide habitat for native flora and fauna. It’s great to be able to be part of a network of like minded people who share our passion for the environment and our native flora and fauna.

Girrgagirra Ganya is Wiradjuri for happy place or dwelling and we feel very fortunate to share our 20 acre home with a huge range of different birdlife, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Waking up each morning to the sound of nothing but the birds singing is a great way to start the day. With the history of the area, the land has been altered significantly and habitat fragmented. We have spent a lot of time planting native trees and grasses to build corridors between those fragmented areas and also to provide more habitat. We are fortunate to have a natural wetland area at the back of the property and we have planted 1,200 trees in the region to encourage fauna back in, and it has worked — grey kangaroos often come in of a morning to drink. I think people’s awareness of environmental issues is ever increasing and subsequently a lot of people are wanting to make real changes for the better. Being part of the Wildlife Land Trust is for us, just another way of doing that.

Bruny Island echidna — Denise Driver

There are spectacular dolomite cliffs (Australia’s highest sea cliffs), the water is beautifully clear, and the beaches have white sand and fascinating rock pools where there are starfish in wonderful colours, as if someone has painted them. There is a whale that visits Adventure Bay with her calf every year and cheeky seals who occasionally breach the fish farms in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and go on a feeding frenzy! There are crayfish three times as big as the expensive ones we buy in South Australia and you can gather oysters and mussels from the rocks. There are 650 permanent residents apart from the ‘shackies’, and the sense of community is similar to 40 years ago. Make a lot of noise and the snakes will give you a wide berth and Aerogard Tropical will protect from big black mossies (leeches). Everyone either fences the wallabies out or grows their veggies in large aviaries. I have tadpoles in my pond and many varied fungi and wildflowers in the bush. If not for my children and grandchildren living in South Australia I would never leave this place — I count myself the most fortunate of people to have found this paradise on Earth.

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Owners

4

Over future generations, our wish is that Dilladerri gets passed onto people with similar values and that it remains a safe haven for our wildlife for all time. I believe ordinary people can make a difference — all we need do is take action.

MirraBooka

Dilladerri

Patricia Edwards “Pat and John’s Refuge” New South Wales

Our 100 acre home lies 23 kilometers south of Grafton in the beautiful Clarence Valley, directly on the join between the Grafton and Kangaroo Creek sandstone geological formations. In its position in the heart of the sub-tropical and tropical zone’s overlap, and featuring amazing sandstone formations, the Clarence Valley supports a treasure-trove of flora and fauna species.

This was not the case with our property when we bought it in 1979, when 50% had been cleared for subdivision and sale. The cleared half was a sea of speargrass (Aristida queenslandica), while the remaining half was dry sclerophyll forest that had been regularly logged. It wasn’t long before we noticed that an isolated tree clump in one corner held a surprising number of eucalypt species. We learned their names, and recorded no less than 11 species of stringybark, blackbutt, ironbark and spotted gum, as well as bloodwood (Corymbia) and Angophora species, in that less than one acre patch of trampled, degraded land.

An ephemeral creek dissects the land, and our dawning interest in our new property led to the discovery that the soil on the slope west of this narrow drainage line is deep sandy silt, entirely different to the east, where the hill is capped by broken ironstone, with a skeletal topsoil layer above a deposit of shale. The sand layer, we learned, was formed by aeons of erosive flow weathered from steep sandstone ridges 4 kilometers to the west, and the creek marked the quite astonishing almost precise line between the two geological formations.

As a pair of ex-Kenyans our interest in wildlife was ingrained, and a record of birds and animals was started almost as soon as we arrived. Our land management then was not aimed purely at wildlife protection, but we assumed this would be automatic as the animals were already present and we were not about the change things. Today, hundreds of trees and shrubs later, things have certainly changed. 142 bird species are now on our list, which includes 13 classified as threatened under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995; one Endangered under the Federal EPBC Act, and two protected under the migratory Camba and Jamba treaties.

One thing we quickly learned was that 100 acres could not be kept ‘tidy’, and it wasn’t long before the 50:50 bush to cleared ratio had reverted closer to 60:40. The creek flows naturally through the endangered coastal freshwater wetlands ecological community, dominated by Melaleucas, with swamp box, forest red gum and swamp mahogany, and delightfully favoured by a small koala population that inhabits the small catchment. The creek is now fully fenced, and a dedicated wildlife dam, complete with island, ensures a constant water supply for the animals.

Jan Virgo “Mirra Booka” South Australia

A name inherited from its previous owners, Mirra Booka means “lands under the southern cross”. The sanctuary is situated approximately 10 kilometres northwest of the township of Blanchetown and 60 kilometres east of the Barossa Valley. I have only recently purchased this 75 acre property and it is quite a harsh environment, consisting of mainly saltbush, mulga and mallee scrub. It was originally sheep country, although since subdivision some 20 odd years ago nobody has lived on it, and as a result it seems not to have regenerated as much as other nearby properties.

I am a wildlife carer and lover of wildlife, although in South Australia wildlife can’t be legally released. There are resident wombats and I have seen a few western brown and red kangaroos hopping through, there’s quite a lot of birdlife considering the amount of trees and a wide variety of reptiles, but unfortunately lots of rabbits and a few foxes as well.

I am intending to keep Mirra Booka as a dedicated wildlife friendly sanctuary and revegetate gradually, growing local species through a group called “Trees for Life”, who supply seeds and growing material. Growing will start in December and the seedlings should be mature enough to plant by about May, in time for the winter rains.

When I heard about the Wildlife Land Trust I knew that I wanted to become part of this great program. I am very proud to display the signs given to me, which have created an interest with locals when they pass by. I am sure now that some of my neighbours, even those that don’t live on their properties, will also become part of the WLT.

Trish Kelly “dilladerri” (place of many trees) Queensland

My passion, along with so many inspirational members of the Wildlife Land Trust, is to provide and build a network of safe, protected habitats and corridors for our wildlife. Development will always be with us, but it should never proceed without thoughtful consideration for wildlife habitats and corridors.

My family and I purchased Dilladerri in 2007 after considering a number of properties in Southern Queensland. Dilladerri had been the least “improved” (one of my main criteria) and contained over 2/3 remnant vegetation (which was a negative to nearly every other prospective purchaser). There are a number of initiatives we are looking to undertake on the property to improve its value for our wildlife and native flora. These include improving the existing tracks, thereby enabling us to gain access to repair external fences and fire control, naturally revegetate the cleared areas, and remove and eradicate weeds and feral animals. We have also signed up with the State Government to declare Dilladerri a Nature Refuge under one of Queensland’s conservation agreements.

Dilladerri is situated approximately 25 kilometres northeast of Texas in Queensland and protects around 1,847 hectares of largely intact remnant vegetation in the Borders Rivers Catchment, within the New England Tableland Bioregion. Most importantly, Dilladerri lies at a junction of two bioregional corridors and is at the heart of a large tract of remnant vegetation of State significance. It contains primarily Eucalypt woodland communities and includes five ‘of concern’ regional ecosystems with low to medium representation in the protected area estate.

Mirra Booka — Jan Virgo

Wattle pollination on Dilladerri — Trish Kelly


OwnersWildlifELANDS

ISSUE 7 2010

5

Over future generations, our wish is that Dilladerri gets passed onto people with similar values and that it remains a safe haven for our wildlife for all time. I believe ordinary people can make a difference — all we need do is take action.

Pat & John’sRefuge

Patricia Edwards “Pat and John’s Refuge” New South Wales

Our 100 acre home lies 23 kilometers south of Grafton in the beautiful Clarence Valley, directly on the join between the Grafton and Kangaroo Creek sandstone geological formations. In its position in the heart of the sub-tropical and tropical zone’s overlap, and featuring amazing sandstone formations, the Clarence Valley supports a treasure-trove of flora and fauna species.

This was not the case with our property when we bought it in 1979, when 50% had been cleared for subdivision and sale. The cleared half was a sea of speargrass (Aristida queenslandica), while the remaining half was dry sclerophyll forest that had been regularly logged. It wasn’t long before we noticed that an isolated tree clump in one corner held a surprising number of eucalypt species. We learned their names, and recorded no less than 11 species of stringybark, blackbutt, ironbark and spotted gum, as well as bloodwood (Corymbia) and Angophora species, in that less than one acre patch of trampled, degraded land.

An ephemeral creek dissects the land, and our dawning interest in our new property led to the discovery that the soil on the slope west of this narrow drainage line is deep sandy silt, entirely different to the east, where the hill is capped by broken ironstone, with a skeletal topsoil layer above a deposit of shale. The sand layer, we learned, was formed by aeons of erosive flow weathered from steep sandstone ridges 4 kilometers to the west, and the creek marked the quite astonishing almost precise line between the two geological formations.

As a pair of ex-Kenyans our interest in wildlife was ingrained, and a record of birds and animals was started almost as soon as we arrived. Our land management then was not aimed purely at wildlife protection, but we assumed this would be automatic as the animals were already present and we were not about the change things. Today, hundreds of trees and shrubs later, things have certainly changed. 142 bird species are now on our list, which includes 13 classified as threatened under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995; one Endangered under the Federal EPBC Act, and two protected under the migratory Camba and Jamba treaties.

One thing we quickly learned was that 100 acres could not be kept ‘tidy’, and it wasn’t long before the 50:50 bush to cleared ratio had reverted closer to 60:40. The creek flows naturally through the endangered coastal freshwater wetlands ecological community, dominated by Melaleucas, with swamp box, forest red gum and swamp mahogany, and delightfully favoured by a small koala population that inhabits the small catchment. The creek is now fully fenced, and a dedicated wildlife dam, complete with island, ensures a constant water supply for the animals.

The little creek also supports a large she-oak (Allocasuarina littoralis) population, where vulnerable rufous bettongs regularly forage into the needle litter for fungus and insects. The trees themselves provide habitat for ringtail possums, and the seeds are the sole food of endangered glossy black cockatoo, which visit on a regular basis.

Other threatened species on the property include swift parrot, long-nosed potoroo, brown tree-creeper, grey-headed flying-fox; eastern quoll; barking owl; yellow-bellied glider; squirrel glider; black-chinned honey-eater; hooded robin; grey-crowned babbler, and tree species sandstone apple (Angophora robur), and square-fruited ironbark (Eucalyptus tetrapleura). In our time here we have also nominated the species Rotala tripartita as threatened, and this now endangered herb lives a precarious existence along the rising and falling edges of our main home dam.

As a long-term member of our local wildlife care group, the property has become an important release site for rehabilitated animals. Our collection of pens and aviaries now include temporary homes for a range of small birds, possums and gliders, a 50m x 50m macropod pen, a covered planted pen for smaller bandicoots, bettongs and larger birds such as tawny frogmouths, and recently a huge triple complex for koalas and injured flying-foxes in long-term care.

The property is also registered with Land for Wildlife, and once our bid to buy a 2 kilometer section of Crown road reserve along the southern boundary is finalised, the next important step will be a permanent Voluntary Conservation Agreement attached to the land title. In the meantime it seemed fitting to strengthen the property’s status by placing it under the international banner of HSI as an important part of the Wildlife Land Trust.

Jan Virgo “Mirra Booka” South Australia

A name inherited from its previous owners, Mirra Booka means “lands under the southern cross”. The sanctuary is situated approximately 10 kilometres northwest of the township of Blanchetown and 60 kilometres east of the Barossa Valley. I have only recently purchased this 75 acre property and it is quite a harsh environment, consisting of mainly saltbush, mulga and mallee scrub. It was originally sheep country, although since subdivision some 20 odd years ago nobody has lived on it, and as a result it seems not to have regenerated as much as other nearby properties.

I am a wildlife carer and lover of wildlife, although in South Australia wildlife can’t be legally released. There are resident wombats and I have seen a few western brown and red kangaroos hopping through, there’s quite a lot of birdlife considering the amount of trees and a wide variety of reptiles, but unfortunately lots of rabbits and a few foxes as well.

I am intending to keep Mirra Booka as a dedicated wildlife friendly sanctuary and revegetate gradually, growing local species through a group called “Trees for Life”, who supply seeds and growing material. Growing will start in December and the seedlings should be mature enough to plant by about May, in time for the winter rains.

When I heard about the Wildlife Land Trust I knew that I wanted to become part of this great program. I am very proud to display the signs given to me, which have created an interest with locals when they pass by. I am sure now that some of my neighbours, even those that don’t live on their properties, will also become part of the WLT.

Tea-tree in ephemeral drainage line — Patricia Edwards


Green & Golden

6

The males begin breeding calls from September until January and the females, which are the larger of the sexes, can lay between 2,000 and 11,000 eggs, which are found in a clear gelatinous mass that is laid in vegetation near the waters edge and sinks after 2 hours.

My first encounter with the bell frog was 44 years ago when I was just 10 years old. Whilst going under a railway water canal near the entrance to Riverstone meatworks, I found a large population of green and golden bell frogs. Many were sitting on the bulrushes sun baking and if you moved the cumbungi they would jump off into all directions. At this point in time they were in enormous numbers and there was plenty of insect food in the surrounding grass to keep them satisfied. The water was about 60cm deep with plenty of mosquitoes, which are an important food for juveniles. I would catch some of the frogs and tadpoles, take them home and keep them in disused large outdoor bird cages with ponds, where I would watch them develop and learn their needs.

There are a number of factors which have lead to the demise of the green and golden bell frog. Habitat destruction has played a major part, and even though they have the ability to move on, if there is no suitable habitat with permanent water they will die out, leading to fragmented extinction — this is what has occurred across its distribution. Predation on tadpoles by the introduced mosquito fish, Gambusia holbrooki, is the cause of the majority of the tadpoles being eaten and has broken the chain in their life cycle. This fish has spread to many ponds, dams, creeks and rivers. Eventually the adult frogs die off with no juveniles to carry on and therefore local extinction occurs.

The green and golden bell frog, litoria aurea, has gone from being one of the most commonly encountered frogs on the eastern side of Australia to one of the most threatened. It was first discovered in Botany Bay in 1770 by members of Captain Cook’s party, but over the last 30 years numbers have declined significantly. It is now listed as Endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995, and Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999.

The green and golden bell frog’s distribution is from East Gippsland in Victoria to Brunswick Heads in the north, and as far west as Bathurst (including the southern tablelands, but these occurrences are now very fragmented, with only 43 remaining populations).

Green & GoldenBEll fROG

By lance Jurd “Maganda Peppermint forest”

WLT member Lance Jurd runs a breeding program for the green and golden bell frog at his residential property in Riverstone, New South Wales — the fact that his home is recognised as a key population by the State Government indicates the program’s high level of success.

As tadpoles, the species is prey for fish, tortoises, eels, birds, dragonfly larva and other water insects, while once matured they are preyed upon by birds, snakes, lizards, rats and foxes — so they have a struggle for life right from the beginning. This, combined with anthropogenic intervention and infrastructure, has seen a huge decline in frog numbers. The clearing of native vegetation, fragmentation of vegetation and degradation of riparian zones have also contributed, as grasses provide habitat for both the frogs and their insect food. A new and real threat to the golden bell frog and other species of frog is chytrid fungus, a parasite which clogs the skin pores of frogs until they die of dehydration. This is called amphibian chytridiomycosis and can wipe out entire populations. Starvation is a real threat to the newly emerged juvenile frogs, especially during the first 3 months of life. They must find small food fast to survive including mosquitoes, moths, crickets, beetles and grass hoppers. I’ve seen many emaciated juveniles in the wild who cannot find food and when considering the amount of insecticide that is used in agriculture and domestic-ally, it is little wonder why insects are also disappearing. In the wild the frog’s preferred habitat is large open permanant ponds lacking trees with river club rush and cumbungi at the waters edge, followed by carax, juncus and poa grasses around the pond. It helps if there are ephemeral ponds nearby that fill up after heavy rain, as bell frogs are inclined to spawn in these ponds where there are fewer predators.

If we are to save any species we must give them a helping hand beyond just expecting them to fend for themselves. I proved that in feeding and caring for them, I can produce

Wildlife inThe Wildlife Land Trust continues to flourish in its founder nation, the United States, with the 154 acre Greensprings Wildlife Sanctuary being the most recent property to join the representative ranks. Faye Weisler has donated the conservation easement on her property in Ashland, Oregon, and her property is now a permanently protected wildlife habitat.

“It was very important to me to know that the animals who had lived here for generations would be protected in perpetuity to continue to live free from hunting. Due to the proximity to a highway, and easy access through the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, I feared it would become prime hunting territory,” said Ms. Weisler. Under the conservation easement with the WLT, recreational and commercial hunting and trapping will always be prohibited — Greensprings Wildlife Sanctuary will forever be a safe haven for wildlife.

Land PurchaseWlT SUPPORTS CRITICAL LANd pURCHASEThe Wildlife Land Trust has recently made a modest financial contribution to the establishment of the new Tompotika Forest Preserve in the Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia, working through The Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo). The entire Tompotika Forest Preserve, when completed, will protect most of Mt. Tompotika and its pristine tropical rainforests, through an area of approximately 10,000 hectares.

AlTo is a local organisation dedicated to conserving the unparalleled natural and cultural heritage of the lands and waters surrounding Mt. Tompotika — a place so special that new species to science are still being discovered. We will bring you a fuller story about this fantastic forest in the WLT section of Humane Society International’s next Technical Bulletin in early 2011.

Photo by AlTo



7

Bell FrogThe males begin breeding calls from September until January and the females, which are the larger of the sexes, can lay between 2,000 and 11,000 eggs, which are found in a clear gelatinous mass that is laid in vegetation near the waters edge and sinks after 2 hours.

My first encounter with the bell frog was 44 years ago when I was just 10 years old. Whilst going under a railway water canal near the entrance to Riverstone meatworks, I found a large population of green and golden bell frogs. Many were sitting on the bulrushes sun baking and if you moved the cumbungi they would jump off into all directions. At this point in time they were in enormous numbers and there was plenty of insect food in the surrounding grass to keep them satisfied. The water was about 60cm deep with plenty of mosquitoes, which are an important food for juveniles. I would catch some of the frogs and tadpoles, take them home and keep them in disused large outdoor bird cages with ponds, where I would watch them develop and learn their needs.

There are a number of factors which have lead to the demise of the green and golden bell frog. Habitat destruction has played a major part, and even though they have the ability to move on, if there is no suitable habitat with permanent water they will die out, leading to fragmented extinction — this is what has occurred across its distribution. Predation on tadpoles by the introduced mosquito fish, Gambusia holbrooki, is the cause of the majority of the tadpoles being eaten and has broken the chain in their life cycle. This fish has spread to many ponds, dams, creeks and rivers. Eventually the adult frogs die off with no juveniles to carry on and therefore local extinction occurs. Sanctuary

did you know?The green and golden bell frog was initially listed as a nationally threatened species thanks to a nomination in which HSI played a large part. It’s fantastic to see a WLT member being so involved in the successful rehabilitation of the species.

As tadpoles, the species is prey for fish, tortoises, eels, birds, dragonfly larva and other water insects, while once matured they are preyed upon by birds, snakes, lizards, rats and foxes — so they have a struggle for life right from the beginning. This, combined with anthropogenic intervention and infrastructure, has seen a huge decline in frog numbers. The clearing of native vegetation, fragmentation of vegetation and degradation of riparian zones have also contributed, as grasses provide habitat for both the frogs and their insect food. A new and real threat to the golden bell frog and other species of frog is chytrid fungus, a parasite which clogs the skin pores of frogs until they die of dehydration. This is called amphibian chytridiomycosis and can wipe out entire populations. Starvation is a real threat to the newly emerged juvenile frogs, especially during the first 3 months of life. They must find small food fast to survive including mosquitoes, moths, crickets, beetles and grass hoppers. I’ve seen many emaciated juveniles in the wild who cannot find food and when considering the amount of insecticide that is used in agriculture and domestic-ally, it is little wonder why insects are also disappearing. In the wild the frog’s preferred habitat is large open permanant ponds lacking trees with river club rush and cumbungi at the waters edge, followed by carax, juncus and poa grasses around the pond. It helps if there are ephemeral ponds nearby that fill up after heavy rain, as bell frogs are inclined to spawn in these ponds where there are fewer predators.

If we are to save any species we must give them a helping hand beyond just expecting them to fend for themselves. I proved that in feeding and caring for them, I can produce

10,000 frogs if need be. They only need a place in which to live and survive and the opportunity to do so. These species have been here for millions of years evolving slowly, but they can’t adapt to man’s progress and needs. All the things that have lead to this species becoming endangered are all related to our own intervention and all the causative factors are from what we have done. In conclusion I will say that in being involved in native animals I have become rich, not in terms of money but in terms of life’s experiences.

Wildlife in OREGON RECEIVE A NEW SANCTUARYThe Wildlife Land Trust continues to flourish in its founder nation, the United States, with the 154 acre Greensprings Wildlife Sanctuary being the most recent property to join the representative ranks. Faye Weisler has donated the conservation easement on her property in Ashland, Oregon, and her property is now a permanently protected wildlife habitat.

“It was very important to me to know that the animals who had lived here for generations would be protected in perpetuity to continue to live free from hunting. Due to the proximity to a highway, and easy access through the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, I feared it would become prime hunting territory,” said Ms. Weisler. Under the conservation easement with the WLT, recreational and commercial hunting and trapping will always be prohibited — Greensprings Wildlife Sanctuary will forever be a safe haven for wildlife.

Greensprings is a forested sanctuary that includes a riparian zone, and has a small artificial pond that is used by the area’s wildlife. One mile of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses the property, which lies within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. Numerous wildlife species are known to inhabit the property, some of the more notable examples include elk, coyote, black bear, cougar and bobcat. A wide variety of birds, including a great grey owl, nest on the sanctuary all year, and even more pass through on migration.

In America the Wildlife Land Trust has 104 wildlife sanctuaries in 32 different states, of which 47 are title properties and 57 conservation easement properties.

WlT SUPPORTS CRITICAL LANd pURCHASEThe Wildlife Land Trust has recently made a modest financial contribution to the establishment of the new Tompotika Forest Preserve in the Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia, working through The Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo). The entire Tompotika Forest Preserve, when completed, will protect most of Mt. Tompotika and its pristine tropical rainforests, through an area of approximately 10,000 hectares.

AlTo is a local organisation dedicated to conserving the unparalleled natural and cultural heritage of the lands and waters surrounding Mt. Tompotika — a place so special that new species to science are still being discovered. We will bring you a fuller story about this fantastic forest in the WLT section of Humane Society International’s next Technical Bulletin in early 2011.

Green and golden bell frog — Lance Jurd


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MemberWith 36 new Australian Wildlife Land Trust sanctuaries joining the ranks in the last 5 months, we thought it was time for another national representative map already. This map shows the continuing spread and increasing density of Wildlife Land Trust member sanctuaries across the country, with these new sanctuaries highlighted in green. We’ve zoomed in on South East Queensland and the Hawkesbury Nepean — Hunter / Central Rivers Regions of New South Wales for a closer look, as the large number of sanctuaries in these areas makes it a little difficult to differentiate individual sanctuaries at the national level.

New South Wales

Queensland

Victoria

Western Australia

South Australia

Owners

Narelle Jensz and Luke TyrrellDr Mary WhiteElizabeth and Chris NevilleKaye JacobPeter and Shirley LackDianna BissetPatricia and John EdwardsPeter and Sue StewartFlorence WhyteHamish MacDonaldWilsie OwerLance JurdMichele PooleLinda Mayer

14 new sanctuaries

Roy and Wendy AdamsTrish KellySally JenynsTrish KellyRo LondonPetrus HeyligersLynne TurpieElaine CharlesRochelle and David Meyrick

9 new sanctuaries

Jock McGintySuzanne and John BrandenbergerGalena DebneyDenise and Glenn TwittPaula Rooney and Yalmambirra

5 new sanctuaries

Julie SheridanRichard and Tricia TurnerBuddy KentCheryll and Rob BettridgeBuddy Kent

5 new sanctuaries

Di CarterJan VirgoViv and Brigitte Pitman

3 new sanctuaries

Size (ha)

7780

10.558.57

64141

10.212.46.07

40.4522.556

41.7503.39

48.61847

2540

0.5060.607128

0.40516

2106.12

4.042.5284.28.1

46.84

21.6404

24702517.6

0.730.352.02

33.07

Sanctuary Name

KinaboFalls Forest RetreatJoey’s RetreatHabitat AbbeyKarmaRocklilyPatricia and John’s RefugeGrowwildThe Spinney Wildlife RefugeStringybarkSpringvaleMaganda Peppermint ForestGreenacresSummersea

WaarnaDilladerriKabulLockhartRo’s RefugePetrus’ RefugeAdvaita WayMi FelicidadCoorain

Amwell CottageWinguraTaringaMurragambaGirragirra Ganya

Possum’s PerchThe FarmJiulianaCheryl and Rob’s RefugeTippaburra Valley

Di’s RefugeMirra BookaViv and Brigitte’s Refuge

location

GundarooJohns RiverBulgaAshbyTomerongWombeyan CavesShannondaleAlpineFalls CreekMantonBig SpringsTeralgaMullumbimbyPyree

SeptimusWarrooBurbankTaromeTallaiCurramoreNatural BridgeMalenyKobble Creek

Kalimna WestWalkervilleGlenlyonEildonBethanga

OakfordForrestfieldMerredinMartinBodallin

AldgateBlanchetownInglewood

New MembersWildlifE lANd TRUST SANCTUARIESNew



9

EcologicalEcOlOGicAl cOMMUNiTiES NOMINATION pROgRAM

Threatened

PropertiesMemberPROPERTiES

With 36 new Australian Wildlife Land Trust sanctuaries joining the ranks in the last 5 months, we thought it was time for another national representative map already. This map shows the continuing spread and increasing density of Wildlife Land Trust member sanctuaries across the country, with these new sanctuaries highlighted in green. We’ve zoomed in on South East Queensland and the Hawkesbury Nepean — Hunter / Central Rivers Regions of New South Wales for a closer look, as the large number of sanctuaries in these areas makes it a little difficult to differentiate individual sanctuaries at the national level.

Humane Society International’s Threat-ened Ecological Communities nomination program, now running under the wing of the Wildlife Land Trust, is in full force at the moment with several nominations currently under preparation for submission to both State and Commonwealth legislation. An ecological community is a naturally occurring group of plants, animals and other organisms that interact in a unique habitat. Their structure, composition and distribution are determined by environmental factors such as soil type, position in the landscape, climate and water availability.

Last issue, we reported that we’d just received notice from the NSW Scientific Committee that preliminary determinations had been made to list four nominations under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995. We were thrilled to find that three of these, in ‘Marsh Club-rush sedgeland in the Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion’; ‘Mallee & Mallee-Broombrush dominated woodland and shrubland in the NSW South-western Slopes Bioregion’; and ‘Porcupine Grass – Red Mallee – Gum Coolabah hummock grassland / low sparse woodland in the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion’ have been officially listed under this legislation as Critically Endangered Ecological Communities. This listing indicates and recognises that there is an extremely high risk of these communities becoming extinct in the immediate future and triggers the application of several other pieces of legislation, affording the communities legal protection and allowing Government intervention in developments and activities that may impact upon them.

Continued on page 10

South East Queensland

Hawkesbury Nepean — Hunter / Central Rivers

New MembersWildlifE lANd TRUST SANCTUARIES


10

Southern cassowary facts:

Name:The name is of Papuan origin, derived from kasu (horned) and weri (head)

Lifespan: Approximately 40-50 years

Height: Most are within the 127-170cm range, with a maximum of around 190cm

Weight:Some could weigh up to 85kg, with an average of 58kg for females and 32kg for males

Running Speed:Up to 50 km/hr

Ecological CommunityHSi / WlT Threatened Ecological community Profile:

An HSI/WLT nomination saw Coolibah – Black Box Woodland in the northern riverine plains of the Darling Riverine Plains and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions protected as an Endangered Ecological Community under the NSW TSC Act in 2003. The community is threatened by land clearing and habitat fragmentation, heavy grazing, exotic weed species, and structural changes associated with ring-barking, poisoning and removal of trees.

The physical and biotic processes of Coolibah – Black Box Woodland are also highly dependent on adequate flooding regimes, and the community has suffered an extensive decrease in ecological function as a result of hydrological changes to floodplains from the development of river regulation infrastructure, the construction of diversion banks, channels, levees, and drains, and the upstream extraction of water.

HSI has also nominated this community for protection at the national level through the EPBC Act, with the decision due on the 30th of December 2010.

Continued from page 9

Regarding our Federal nominations, of our three most recent submissions for listings under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conserv-ation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act), we were pleased to find that both ‘Lowland Grassy Woodland & Forest of the NSW Southeast Corner Bioregion’ and ‘Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh’ have been incl-uded on the Commonwealth Finalised Priority Assessment List (FPAL) 2010.

These nominations will now be consid-ered during the assessment period that commenced on October 1, 2010, with decisions being due on December 31, 2012 and June 30, 2013 respectively.

Cassowary

SpeciesSpeciesprofile: SOUTHERN cASSOWARy (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii)

Found in the rainforests of north Queensland and associated vegetation mosaics, the southern cassowary is an iconic flightless bird that is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999, with the Wet Tropics population also being classed as Endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act, 1992. They belong to the ratite family of birds and are most closely related to the emu, ostrich, kiwi, and South American rhea. Other relations include the now extinct moas of New Zealand and the elephant bird of Madagascar — urgent action is required to ensure that cassowaries don’t go the same way!

Cassowaries are one of only a few frugivores that can disperse large rainforest fruits and are the only long distance dispersal vector for many large seeded fruits. A vast majority of seeds ingested by the birds retain their viability and are passed whole. The passage of some seeds through cassowaries can improve germination rates, and correspondingly its conservation is crucial to other species and ecosystems; meaning the cassowary is considered a “keystone” species.

It is estimated that fewer than 1500 individuals of this ancient species remain in Australia today, and given that cassowaries are long-lived, slow-reproducing animals with lengthy parental care and low juvenile survival, each death of an adult bird has the potential to influence population dynamics and the population’s reproductive fitness. The most prominent threat to the long-term survival of Wet Tropics cassowaries is the clearing and fragmentation of habitat, while other notable (and often associated) mentions include roads and traffic, dog attacks, hand feeding and avian diseases.

Some of these threats have greater impact on certain age classes — with dog attacks most common on the vulnerable subadults and chicks, for example. Factors such as habitat fragmentation may cause birds, particularly dispersing adults, to travel further to access food and new habitat, and as a result increase the risk of road mortality for that age class. Cassowaries have been known to congregate in areas when fed on a regular basis — hand-feeding along the roadside results in the birds becoming attracted to roads and less wary of humans, and consequently more vulnerable to threats such as dog attacks and being struck by vehicles.

The cassowary is territorial, solitary and has independent but overlapping home ranges, with female territories encompassing those of anywhere from one to several males. It is the male’s duty not only to incubate the eggs, but also to care for the chicks in their first year or so. The chicks are striped until they reach the age of approximately 6-9 months, and develop glossy black feathers and brightly coloured skin on their necks and heads when they are about 3 years old — changes which signify breeding capability.

With the breeding season over for the year, freshly hatched chicks have emerged and are in urgent need of protection from the aforementioned threats. We contacted the Federal and State Governments, Cairns Regional Council and the Wet Tropics Management Authority in an attempt to get greater traffic calming measures in the area of WLT member properties Cooper Creek Wilderness and Licuala Rainforest Refuge, and were pleased to receive notice that new warning signs were to be erected along-side a speed bump. Disappointingly, we are now more than 9 months down the track and there is still no sign of any progress.

Southern cassowary on WLT sanctuary Cooper Creek Wilderness— Prue Hewett



11

Ecological CommunityHSi / WlT Threatened Ecological community Profile:

An HSI/WLT nomination saw Coolibah – Black Box Woodland in the northern riverine plains of the Darling Riverine Plains and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions protected as an Endangered Ecological Community under the NSW TSC Act in 2003. The community is threatened by land clearing and habitat fragmentation, heavy grazing, exotic weed species, and structural changes associated with ring-barking, poisoning and removal of trees.

The physical and biotic processes of Coolibah – Black Box Woodland are also highly dependent on adequate flooding regimes, and the community has suffered an extensive decrease in ecological function as a result of hydrological changes to floodplains from the development of river regulation infrastructure, the construction of diversion banks, channels, levees, and drains, and the upstream extraction of water.

HSI has also nominated this community for protection at the national level through the EPBC Act, with the decision due on the 30th of December 2010.

Great Eastern

Ranges

GREAT EASTERN RANgES

Australia’s

Cassowary

Found in the rainforests of north Queensland and associated vegetation mosaics, the southern cassowary is an iconic flightless bird that is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999, with the Wet Tropics population also being classed as Endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act, 1992. They belong to the ratite family of birds and are most closely related to the emu, ostrich, kiwi, and South American rhea. Other relations include the now extinct moas of New Zealand and the elephant bird of Madagascar — urgent action is required to ensure that cassowaries don’t go the same way!

Cassowaries are one of only a few frugivores that can disperse large rainforest fruits and are the only long distance dispersal vector for many large seeded fruits. A vast majority of seeds ingested by the birds retain their viability and are passed whole. The passage of some seeds through cassowaries can improve germination rates, and correspondingly its conservation is crucial to other species and ecosystems; meaning the cassowary is considered a “keystone” species.

It is estimated that fewer than 1500 individuals of this ancient species remain in Australia today, and given that cassowaries are long-lived, slow-reproducing animals with lengthy parental care and low juvenile survival, each death of an adult bird has the potential to influence population dynamics and the population’s reproductive fitness. The most prominent threat to the long-term survival of Wet Tropics cassowaries is the clearing and fragmentation of habitat, while other notable (and often associated) mentions include roads and traffic, dog attacks, hand feeding and avian diseases.

Some of these threats have greater impact on certain age classes — with dog attacks most common on the vulnerable subadults and chicks, for example. Factors such as habitat fragmentation may cause birds, particularly dispersing adults, to travel further to access food and new habitat, and as a result increase the risk of road mortality for that age class. Cassowaries have been known to congregate in areas when fed on a regular basis — hand-feeding along the roadside results in the birds becoming attracted to roads and less wary of humans, and consequently more vulnerable to threats such as dog attacks and being struck by vehicles.

The cassowary is territorial, solitary and has independent but overlapping home ranges, with female territories encompassing those of anywhere from one to several males. It is the male’s duty not only to incubate the eggs, but also to care for the chicks in their first year or so. The chicks are striped until they reach the age of approximately 6-9 months, and develop glossy black feathers and brightly coloured skin on their necks and heads when they are about 3 years old — changes which signify breeding capability.

With the breeding season over for the year, freshly hatched chicks have emerged and are in urgent need of protection from the aforementioned threats. We contacted the Federal and State Governments, Cairns Regional Council and the Wet Tropics Management Authority in an attempt to get greater traffic calming measures in the area of WLT member properties Cooper Creek Wilderness and Licuala Rainforest Refuge, and were pleased to receive notice that new warning signs were to be erected along-side a speed bump. Disappointingly, we are now more than 9 months down the track and there is still no sign of any progress.

The Wildlife Land Trust is proud to be a supporter of the Great Eastern Ranges (GER) Initiative. Without the contrib-ution to habitat conservation provided by the WLT network and private landholders such as yourselves, programs like this would not be able to achieve their ambitious but incredibly important goals. The GER stretch from the Australian Alps in southern Victoria to the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland. These mountainous ranges and escarpments include the Great Diving Range and the Great Escarpment of Eastern Australia and contain the longest adjoining mountain forests and woodland systems in Australia.

The Great Eastern Ranges initiative

The GER Initiative brings people and organisations together to focus efforts on establishing a connectivity conservation corridor along the continent’s eastern ranges across all land tenures. There is a major emphasis on buffering and linking the existing protected areas network. This recognises that we cannot restrict nature to isolated parks — things need to move and adapt to change. The off-park landscape has a vital role to play in maintaining the ecological processes on which nature depends. The Initiative is currently being progressed through five regional partnerships: Kosciusko to Coast; Slopes to Summit; Southern Highlands; Hunter Valley; and Border Ranges, each of which have a common goal — to support biodiversity by restoring and improving the management of vegetation and to provide the best available opportunities for species to move and adapt as the climate changes.

The importance of a conservation corridor

Nature is not static, and as the climate continues to change more plants and animals will be forced to adapt in order to survive. Species that rely on snow cover, such as the mountain pygmy-possum, are most at risk as their habitat contracts. Koala’s are very territorial and will travel hundreds of kilo-metres in their 10 year life span in search of new territories and mates — they cannot do this in a fragmented landscape and need conservation corridors to maintain healthy, more resilient populations. But the importance of corridors does not apply to wildlife alone — Araluen gum trees are only found in a tiny area south of Braidwood in NSW, these 30 metre tall trees need to be cross pollinated to produce healthy seedlings, but pollinating insects are only able to travel a maximum of five kilometres.

Continued on page 12

Coolibah – Black Box Woodland — John Benson



Mission

Goals

JoinOur Mission:

Wildlife Land Trust Australia protects wildlife by preserving natural habitats and permanent sanctuaries.

Our Goals:

To see the protection of one million acres of wildlife habitat across Australia in the Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary network.

To seek the expansion of Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary partnerships throughout Africa, India and south-east Asia.

Wildlife Land TrustPO Box 439 Avalon NSW 2107 AustraliaTelephone +61 2 9973 1728 Facsimile +61 2 9973 1729Email [email protected]/wltwww.wildlifelandtrust.org

12

Become part of the Wildlife land Trust!If you would like to register your property with the Wildlife Land Trust, head to www.hsi.org.au/wlt where you can complete an online application, or access a down-loadable PDF application form which can be sent directly to us in Sydney. If you don’t have internet access, call 1800 333 737 to arrange for an application to be mailed out.

We invite you to join Australia’s contribution to an international wildlife sanctuary network.The primary focus of the Wildlife Land Trust is to encourage private land holders with an interest in habitat protection to join with like-minded people in a national and global effort for wildlife conservation. Member benefits include: becoming part of a continually growing national and international network of sanctuaries promoting best conservation practices; the facilitation of useful communication between sanctuary members and HSI staff; help and advice regarding both the legal and ecological integrity of the property should it be required; the opportunity to talk about the invaluable work undertaken to protect important wildlife habitats through feature pages on our website; and Wildlife Land Trust signs to erect on your property.

The Wildlife Land Trust is a very inclusive initiative, a feature exemplified by the wide range of sizes, uses and locations of our current members — whether your property is 1 or 1000 acres, a working farm, family home or dedicated purely to conservation, a positive difference for native wildlife and habitat conservation can be made through the declaration of intent that Wildlife Land Trust membership signifies.

The program is completely voluntary and there are no costs or legal obligations involved — the WLT is designed to complement any existing or future agreements you might enter into to protect your land, the non-binding nature of our agreements means there is no interference with the legal status of your property in the slightest. This makes the Wildlife Land Trust a risk and cost free opportunity to get involved in a worldwide conservation initiative.

The WLT site at www.wlt.org provides details of the Trust’s international activities, while our own site at www.hsi.org.au/wlt provides information on the Australian WLT program. If you have any queries regarding the application process or the Wildlife Land Trust in general, please do not hesitate to contact Evan Quartermain on 1800 333 737 or email him at [email protected].

pRINTEd ON RECYCLEd pApER

RangesContinued from page 11

The land has become fragmented due to land clearing for fruit orchards and grazing, and a healthy conservation corridor is required to help reconnect isolated pockets of this unique eucalypt.

Building a biodiversity highway

Accommodating for the specific needs of all species is the challenge facing the GER Initiative and its increasing number of partners. The Initiative aims to build a conservation corridor on a continental-scale to provide many species with a realistic chance of survival in our ever-changing landscape and climate. The ranges offer the greatest altitudinal and latitudinal variations in the continent, and thus offer opportunities for species to move further north and south along their length and to higher elevations, and so adapt as the climate changes — but this can only happen if we build and maintain this vital conserv-ation corridor! Conservation action plans have been developed in the focus areas and on-ground action is well underway to fill in the gaps in habitat and our knowledge to maintain and expand this vital biodiversity highway.

For more information head to http://www.greateasternranges.org.au.


Documents

WLT newsletter issue 7 201