Collaboration help the Gondwana Link’s Glendavale Eco-link Project

Green Skills has recently obtained support from a consortium of groups and individuals  to help deliver 8 km of fencing support for an important eco linkage project on Glendavale farm 30km east of Borden. This site sits between the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks and is part of a biological hotspot with some of the most biologically rich bushland in Australia. The project is helping a valuable ecological linkage across 3km of agricultural land.

The linkage creates a bush connection between Bush Heritage’s Monjebup Reserve and the Greaves Road Nature Reserve near the Pallinup River, about 120 km north east of Albany. This allows better movement of native fauna (in particular birds, mammals and reptiles) across one of the critical habitat gaps remaining in this part of Gondwana Link. 

 

 

What will the Ecolink achieve ?

The fencing, installed by the farmer as their contribution to the project, will protect the combined 30 hectares of bio-diverse re-vegetation and 70 hectares of remnant bushland from sheep grazing.

The project will make a contribution to recovery programs for various threatened species. In particular, the more than 45 species of flora to be included in the revegetation mix will provide essential low and dense understorey.

The eco-link will benefit specific fauna species including the Malleefowl, a range of other birds that are limited by excessive gaps between remnants, and a range of marsupial species such as honey possums. In addition, threatened reptile species such as carpet snake will also benefit. Specific attention has been placed on including a range of Banksia and other proteaceous species into the revegetation mix to provide future extended feeding habitat for both Red tailed and Carnaby’s Cockatoos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collaboration and Support

The project is a collaboration between the landowners, Stuart and Ali Hocking, Greening Australia, who are implementing the bio-diverse direct seedin

g revegetation and Green Skills who have raised the funds for part of the fencing material costs.

Landmark Farm Supplies, in Mt Barker, provided discounted pricing for the fencing materials. Other organisations that have provided in kind support include Gondwana Link Ltd, Bush Heritage Australia, the Oyster Harbour Catchment Committee and others.

Money has been raised through the Denmark based Koorabup Trust

and crowdfunding through Chuffed.org. Many individual donors provided contributions as did the Great Walk Networking.  Bill and Jane Thompson, owners of neighbouring Yarraweyah Falls property, have supported the project by providing seed for a variety of local proteaceous species.

Next steps

Fenced bushland and revegetation areas are being closely monitored over coming months, with appropriate weed and pest control actions planned if needed.   Now that Stage 1 of the Glendavale Eco-Link project is established, planning has commenced for Stage 2. 

Stage 2 of the Eco-link project 2018 comprising installation of a further 7.6 km of fencing, protecting 30.6 ha of revegetation/waterway foreshores and 92 hectares of dieback-free proteaceous-rich remnants from stock grazing.

We look forward to further community support to keep the momentum going!

Acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Australian Government’s 20 Million Trees Programme (part of the National Landcare Programme) and Greening Australia. Green Skills has received financial support from the Koorabup Trust, Great Walk Networking Inc, many individual donors, and in kind support from a range of organisations and businesses. We also thank Stuart and Ali Hocking of Glendavale Farms for their willingness to support and become involved in this eco-linkage project.