Projects

 

Frahn’s Farm, Monarto habitat restoration

BioR has a Memorandum of Understanding to work collaboratively with Natural Resources SAMDB to undertake restoration works on Frahn’s Farm, a 550ha property on Crown land in the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges. The property has considerable value for grassy woodland restoration and as habitat for declining woodland birds.

BioR will help develop a shared vision for the property, a long-term restoration plan, an investment plan, and determine and implement annual working plans. We have pledged $10,000 per annum for restoration of Frahn’s Farm over the next 5 years.

Kangaroo Island habitat restoration

Habitat restoration on Kangaroo Island focuses on re-establishing:

• populations of rare and threatened plant species; and
• populations of Drooping Sheoak – a key seed source for the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo.

This includes planting habitats on four properties, including 200 hectares on Cygnet Park. In a typical year between 50,000 and 120,000 seedlings from more than 100 plant species have been grown at the plant nursery at Cygnet Park. These seedlings are planted on properties by volunteers in winter. Between 20 and 40 hectares are usually planted each year.

These restoration works are delivered in partnership with the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, the Kangaroo Island Natural Resource Management Board, and Nature Foundation South Australia with funding from State and Federal Governments.

Mt Lofty region – Woodland Recovery

The Mt Lofty region is one of fifteen national biodiversity hotspots in Australia. This reflects the unique biodiversity and the likely imminent loss of species particularly woodland birds from this region. These losses will occur because less than 10% of the original woodland vegetation remains. Around 30% of the region needs to be native vegetation to have a reasonable chance of preventing losses of species. To meet this target around 150,000 hectares of additional woodland habitats need to be re-established.

Bio^R will contribute in three ways:

1. re-establishing grey box and mallee box woodlands on the University of Adelaide’s property at Glenthorne;
2. managing and re-constructing woodlands in the Monarto region (in partnership with state government agencies)
3. re-constructing habitats on other properties in the Mt Lofty region (in partnership with state government agencies)