Mount Burr Swamp – Habitat Restoration Reserve

Introduction

The Mount Burr Swamp Habitat Restoration Reserve is the vision of Nature Glenelg Trust (NGT), a charitable not-for-profit environmental organisation based in south-eastern Australia.

A partnership agreement between NGT, the Native Vegetation Council and OneFortyOne Plantations intially secured over 90 per cent of the funds needed for NGT to establish the reserve and commence restoration works.

And then prior to settlement in September 2016, thanks to an incredible response from the local community, the bulk of the remaining $110,000 required to purchase the site was raised – leaving NGT with only a modest debt to manage going forward.

Origins

Back in February 2012, only a few weeks after Nature Glenelg Trust began, we were alerted to a potential site for purchase and restoration, only half an hour from Mt Gambier in the lower South East of South Australia.

The concept immediately looked like a great idea. After all, the site was situated next door to The Marshes (a nationally recognised wetland complex) and would enable the overall conservation area to be expanded by 50%. The property contains dozens of drained wetlands with excellent restoration potential.

One of these wetlands, Mt Burr Swamp, is a large, former deep freshwater marsh that forms a natural centrepiece for the site. With a secure water supply, all the ingredients for successful restoration are in place…

Outcomes

Mt Burr Swamp is providing a rare demonstration of what sustainable water management, threatened species recovery and large-scale native revegetation actually look like on the ground, while providing an opportunity for the community to actively participate in the exciting journey that lies ahead.

The site provides the opportunity to restore habitat for six nationally threatened species (as shown, in order): Little (formerly Dwarf) Galaxias (fish), Growling Grass Frog, Australasian Bittern, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and Southern Bent-wing Bat, as well as a range of other important or iconic species, such as the Brolga.

The biodiversity of the general area is best illustrated by the adjacent Marshes wetland reserve, known to support at least 36 significant species of flora and fauna, and a host of others which will directly benefit from the restoration of the Mount Burr Swamp property.

• Improving the view at Mt Burr Swamp 27/02/2024
• NGT nursery given a helping hand 27/02/2024
• Roll up, roll up – the show is well underway at Mt Burr Swamp! 29/01/2024
• Wetland restoration updates at a glance – Mt Burr Swamp (SA) and Rowan Swamp (Vic) 21/12/2023
• Satin Flycatcher and more – an exciting bird list at Mt Burr Swamp 21/12/2023
• Native fish expanding to new ground at Mount Burr Swamp 30/10/2023
• Reflecting on NGT’s ‘Grand Tour’ and an epic month of sharing stories of ecological restoration success 30/10/2023
• The sound we were waiting for… the Growlers are calling in the Mt Burr Swamp Stage 2 restoration area! 19/09/2023
• A quick glimpse of the latest works (and early results) in the Mount Burr Swamp Stage II restoration area – completed in the nick of time! 31/07/2023
• Reflections from a massive June for NGT… from Tassie to SA, and beyond, our approach to science-based restoration is making an impact 27/06/2023

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