Habitat Management and Restoration

Some of the documents on this page are provided as downloadable PDF files. To view these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, freely available from the Adobe website.

In the SAMDB the DEH is working to help guide landowners and others wanting to conserve biodiversity by planning or undertaking habitat management or restoration.  The aim is to assist people to establish goals for restoration that are specific to the areas where their properties are located.  To do this, the sorts of questions DEH is seeking to answer are:

• Which species and habitats require restoration efforts to maintain them?
• What can you do to help maintain the local species and habitats within your area of interest?

DEH gratefully acknowledges funding from the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board for many of the following projects.

Information for land owners and managers

Bush Management Advisors

Bush Management Advisors (BMA's) should be your first port of call for any questions relating to protection, management and restoration of vegetation in your area.

There are two BMA's that service parts of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin.

See map (500Kb PDF).

Murraylands (and Murray Mallee)

The Murraylands BMA is based in Berri, and encompasses Renmark, Waikerie, Morgan, Swan Reach, Walkers Flat, Lameroo and Pinnaroo.

Contact details:
Chris Grant - Murraylands BMA
Phone: (61 8)8595 2174
Mobile: 0427 604 254
PO Box 231
Berri SA 5343
Australia

Lower Murraylands and Upper SE

This position is based on Hindmarsh Island. The Lower Murraylands and Upper Southeast BMA area encompasses Karoonda, Coonalpyn, Tintinara, Goolwa, Murray Bridge, Mannum, Tailem Bend, Parrakie, Meningie and Salt Creek.

Contact details:
Kym Rumbelow - Lower Murraylands & Upper Southeast BMA
Phone: (61 8) 8555 3177
Mobile: 0428 114 216
PO Box 314
Goolwa SA 5214
Australia

Heritage Agreements

Scrub blocks in the Murraylands, Murray Mallee and Upper Southeast play a crucial role in conserving habitat for the flora and fauna of the region. A Heritage Agreement gives lasting formal protection to your block of scrub. If you are interested in establishing a Heritage Agreement over your block of scrub, contact the Bush Management Advisor in your area.

Visit the Department for Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation website to find out more information about Heritage Agreements.

Management of scrub

In order to maintain the habitat value of a Heritage Agreementor scrub block, land managers may need to undertake a range of management actions. In the mallee, controlling rabbits, hares and weeds are most likely to be important. In some cases, controlling excessive numbers of native animals may also benefit the scrub. If you would like more information on how to manage your scrub to maintain its habitat values contact the Bush Management Advisor in your area. Your local NRM Board Authorised Officers (previously known as Animal and Plant Control Board officers) can also provide you with information on controlling pest animals and plants.

Fencing and fence maintenance

Your Heritage Agreementor scrub block may benefit from being fenced to maintain its habitat values, particularly if it is at risk of being grazed by stock. Contact the Bush Management Advisor in your area to discuss funding opportunities.

Bushland condition toolkit

The Nature Conservation Society of South Australia has developed the Bushland Condition Monitoring Manual for landowners to measure the values of their scrub and to enable landowners to monitor changes in those values over time. This manual is available from the Bush Management Advisor in your area, who may also help you use it.

Dieback

Dieback of native vegetation is a concern in many areas, including the mallee. DEH have produced a booklet outlining the different sorts of dieback and provide recommendations on managing the different types. Copies of the booklet can be obtained from the Bush Management Advisor in your local area or from this link.

How to manage native vegetation in the Murray Mallee

The Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association and DEH have put together information on managing scrub blocks in the Mallee. This information is available from the Bush Management Advisor in your local area.

Seed collection

Revegetation, when used appropriately, is a useful tool for maintaining and restoring habitats. There are many issues that need to be considered before undertaking revegetation, including a number relating to seed collection. DEH and Rural Solutions have produced a document outlining the issues to consider when collecting seed for revegetation projects in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin. Copies (on CD) are available from the Bush Management Advisor in your area.

Clearing

The Native Vegetation Council regulates clearance of native vegetation. Heavy fines now apply for illegal clearance. Visit the Department for Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation website to find out more about vegetation clearance laws.

Planning and Research

Contacts

Nigel Willoughby - Habitat Management and Restoration Ecologist
Phone: (61 8) 8222 9221
Mobile: 0428 111 904
Plant Biodiversity Centre, Hackney Road
GPO Box 1047
Adelaide SA 5001
Australia

Jody Gates - Regional Ecologist, Murraylands
Phone: (61 8) 8595 2204
Mobile: 0428 892 751
PO Box 231
Berri SA 5343
Australia

SAMDB Conservation Planning

In 2006 DEH produced the Vegetation Strategy for the Murray Mallee. The Vegetation Strategy provides information on the various tools available to assist in setting restoration goals and provides information relevant to restoration for various sub-regions of the Murray Mallee. Emphasis in the Vegetation Strategy is placed on establishing a process by which sensible restoration goals can be determined.

Copies are available on CD from the Bush Management Advisor in your area or the Habitat Management and Restoration Ecologist. Contact DEH if you are interested in implementing the conservation planning process in your area.

Northern Murray Mallee Landscape Trial

Have you ever wondered?

• What species currently found in your district require restoration efforts to maintain them?
• When putting in revegetation, controlling foxes or fencing scrub, which species might benefit from those efforts?
• Is there any way to tailor efforts to improve outcomes?

DEH along with the Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association and Flinders University, have been working on a project in the northern Murray Mallee that aims to answer these questions.

During the first year (July 2006-June 2007), the primary aims of this project were:

• To generate a biological inventory (ie distribution of species, communities and ecosystems across the study area) with a focus on three landscapes
• From the information collected, to determine appropriate conservation goals for each of the areas
• For each of the conservation goals selected – to determine appropriate conservation actions

Effort to date has focussed on three areas within the northern Murray Mallee: Paruna to Pata; Mantung/Maggea district; and Billiatt to Wanbi. Throughout spring 2006, botanists and ornithologists from DEH, assisted by a number of volunteers, visited 178 sites in the northern Murray Mallee. Information on plants, birds, other large vertebrates and soil function were measured at each site. Over 50 landholders gave permission for their land to be visited.

During the second year of the project, DEH is refining the information available on specific biodiversity assets of the northern Murray Mallee. Fieldwork is initially focussing on defining the distribution of Southern Scrub-robins and Shy Heathwrens. Within the northern Murray Mallee, most of the bird species that use dune areas have disappeared or declined substantially in their distribution. The Southern Scrub-robin and Shy Heathwren are being used as indicators of the best areas of dune vegetation left - around which restoration activities for the dune element of the landscape are most likely to have the best outcomes.

Monarto - Habitat Restoration

DEH is involved with a research project run by Joel Allan from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Adelaide. This project aims to use the bird communities of reconstructed and remnant woodland habitats in the Monarto area to develop recommendations for habitat restoration. There are three objectives to this work:

• to determine the locations in the landscape where reconstructed habitats should be placed to produce the best biodiversity outcomes
• to determine the minimum sizes that a patch of re-established habitat must be to support individuals of a suite of declining bird species
• to determine the key habitat features that are needed in re-established habitats to support a suite of declining bird species

Trialling the use of GPS in guiding spatial arrangement and density of tubestock revegetation

This trial, carried out in 2005 at Rocky Gully (near Monarto) aimed to use information on the precise location of trees and shrubs , collected by GPS, in a reference area of native vegetation to guide the planting design for revegetation work nearby. One common criticism of revegetation is that it fails to adequately mimic natural spatial arrangements and densities. Spatial arrangement and density of plant species are important considerations in revegetation for habitat.  The development of ‘templates’ for different types of vegetation to guide the design of revegetation projects is an area requiring ongoing research.

Copies of the report from this work are available on CD from the Bush Management Advisor in your area or the Habitat Management and Restoration Ecologist.

External Links

South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board
Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association
The University of Adelaide - School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Flinders University - School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management