Across the south-west region of Victoria a decline in condition of River Red Gums has been observed, in part by overabundant psyllids. In 2019 many trees were stripped of their foliage by late December. Psyllids are small insects that feed by sucking sap from the...
Nature Glenelg Trust has been nationally recognised for its successful cooperative approach to wetland restoration on the Wannon River Floodplain, winning the ‘Involving Community in Waterway Management Award’ at the River Basin Management Society biannual awards recently. [caption id="attachment_35695" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Greg receiving the ‘Involving Community...
It has brought much joy, and I have had such fun, during the busy months of transformation across the Walker Swamp Restoration Reserve (WSRR); the changes in the last fifteen months have to be seen to be believed! Positive environmental changes usually take a long...
'Many hands make light-ish work', so we are very thankful, and very impressed, by everyone who lent a helpful hand (or two) sandbagging the new regulator at Walker Swamp. The filling and placement of 2500 sand bags may have set a new NGT record! But...
Twelve months into the Walker Swamp project and we are nearly ready to install the regulator on the outlet of the northern Bunnugal Drain and restore the wetland permanently.Works to prepare the ground at Walker Swamp have been gathering pace and a suite of projects...
In 2017 and 2018 I spent eight weeks working as part of a small team of scientists to carry out the first baseline flora and fauna surveys on a project aiming to establish the first large National Park in Fiji. While reptile and amphibian numbers...
I've recently returned from my second stint in Fiji working with Operation Wallacea (OpWall), which is aiming to establish the first large National Park in Fiji. [caption id="attachment_30639" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Orange-breasted Myzomela[/caption] OpWall (www.opwall.com) is an environmental research and conservation expedition organisation, who design and implement biodiversity surveys...
European settlement of Fiji started a wave of change with long term impacts on the regions biodiversity. Introduced to control rats the omnivorous small Indian mongoose placed natural ecosystems under intense sustained pressure. Effective mongoose control across Natewa Peninsula underpins local initiatives to recognise local...
‘Why would you try and grow Blue Gums in a wetland?’ is a question often asked by visitors to Walker Swamp. During its boom-time in the middle of last decade, which also corresponded with a period of prolonged drought, the hardwood forestry industry expanded into some...
Thirteen kilometres of fencing, twenty years of neglect, a large kangaroo population, senescing Blackwood trees and a rapidly approaching end of financial year add up to a potent mix. Following a two-day audit of the boundary fences it was evident that we had a challenge...
