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Venus Bay Ecological Restoration

Location of Venus bay Ecological Recovery

Venus Bay Conservation Park makes an important contribution to biodiversity conservation on Eyre Peninsula. Through the Venus Bay Ecological Restoration Program, the park protects numerous threatened plant and animal species, assisting in threatened species recovery and reintroduction programs. The Venus Bay Ecological Restoration Program also aims to restore habitat and conserve natural resources for the future.

For more information on threatened species on Eyre Peninsula and the Far West, see Threatened Species Recovery.

Venus Bay Conservation Park, located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula between the towns of Streaky Bay and Elliston, covers an area of 1,460 ha.

The narrow neck of Weyland Peninsula
The narrow neck of Weyland Peninsula makes Venus Bay Conservation Park an ideal location for threatened species conservation and reintroduction

The main part of the conservation park is located on a narrow peninsula of land (Weyland Peninsula) that is bounded on three sides by sea. The park also includes seven islands in Venus Bay. Diverse coastal scenery is a feature of the area with rugged limestone cliffs, protected beaches, sand dunes, and coastal mallee heath.

See map of Venus Bay Conservation Park (700Kb PDF).

Restoration

Through the Venus Bay Ecological Restoration Program we are working with the community to restore the biodiversity of Venus Bay Conservation Park and surrounding areas. Restoration actions undertaken with the assistance of Friends of Parks Groups, land-holders, the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board and other interested individuals include:

A predator exclusion fence
A predator exclusion fence, together with ongoing pest animal control, keeps a large area relatively free from introduced predators

  • threatened species reintroductions and recovery - See A Refuge for Threatened Species.
  • pest animal management - Ongoing control, eradication and monitoring of pest animals is critical to the success of the Venus Bay Ecological Restoration Program. An intensive, continuous baiting and trapping program is in place to ensure that Weyland Peninsula remains free from foxes and that feral cat numbers remain low. A predator exclusion fence isolates the Weyland Peninsula to prevent pest animals re-infesting the area. Regular spotlight surveys for foxes and cats are part of ongoing pest animal monitoring. Herbivores are also managed to reduce grazing pressure, eg intensive rabbit control by poisoning and warren destruction, and kangaroo management. Some of these activities contribute to the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board's Integrated Pest Management Program, which also involves assisting local land-holders with fox baiting and rabbit control as part of a landscape-scale approach to pest management.
  • weed management - Introduced plants, including the environmental weeds Boxthorn and Horehound, are being controlled and, if possible, eradicated. Boxthorn eradication has been carried out to restore shorebird nesting habitats, with all adult Boxthorns now removed from the park's islands. The Plume Moth, a biological control for Horehound, has also been established in the park. For more information on weed control in West Region, see the Environmental Pest Management web page.
  • revegetation by direct seeding and tube-stock planting - An ongoing revegetation program is being undertaken to restore areas previously cleared or impacted, and improve habitat linkages between remnant patches of native vegetation.
  • native animal monitoring - Regular spotlight surveys and annual trapping surveys provide important information about the success of the predator and competitor control programs. Ongoing monitoring of reintroduced threatened species is also carried out. A diverse range of small mammals, reptiles, and birds, including several species of conservation significance, is found in the park.
  • vegetation monitoring - Selective grazing exclosure plots have been installed to regularly monitor the impact of various herbivore species, including Western Grey Kangaroos, Euros and Rabbits, on native vegetation. Of particular interest is the impact of grazing on the nationally vulnerable West Coast Mintbush, an endemic plant found nowhere else in the world but on Eyre Peninsula.

A Refuge for Threatened Species

Venus Bay Conservation Park is an ideal location for the conservation and reintroduction of threatened wildlife species. The narrow neck of the peninsula provides an opportunity for a large area of the park (Weyland Peninsula) to be relatively free from introduced predators and grazing animals, through the maintenance of a predator exclusion fence. The 2.5 metre high predator exclusion fence was built in 1996. In addition to Weyland Peninsula, the islands within Venus Bay itself also provide unique places to shelter animal species that are either threatened with extinction on mainland South Australia or are already extinct there.

See map of Venus Bay Conservation Park (700Kb PDF).

Sub-fossil vertebrate deposits collected in and near Venus Bay Conservation Park have shown that in relatively recent times the area was home to:

This sub-fossil information provides a useful guide for carrying out the Venus Bay Ecological Restoration Program.

Reintroducing Native Animals

Venus Bay Conservation Park has been a focus for threatened animal reintroductions and is now an important mainland site for Brush-tailed Bettong and Bilby conservation. The threatened species that have been reintroduced into the park including the following:

  • Brush-tailed Bettong - Brush-tailed Bettongs were first released onto Island 'A' in Venus Bay in 1980. In April 1994, six animals were successfully released onto the mainland at Black's Point. Following the sucess of this trial release, another 61 Brush-tailed Bettongs were reintroduced into the park between September 1994 and January 1995 from Dryandra Forest Reserve in Western Australia. Intensive baiting, trapping and spotlight shooting of introduced predators in the area allowed the increasing bettong population to expand and in 1996 the predator exclusion fence was built. By early 2003, Brush-tailed Bettongs inhabited most areas within the predator exclusion fence. The bettongs are now well established in the park, though actual population size is difficult to determine. Small numbers of bettongs from the Venus Bay population have been translocated to other suitable locations in South Australia (eg Lincoln National Park) and interstate.
    Bush Stone-curlew
    Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius
  • Greater Stick-nest Rat - Between September 1995 and May 1996, 102 Greater Stick-nest Rats were released into the park. Some of the animals came from a captive breeding program at Monarto Zoo, while the others were moved from a previously established population on Reevesby Island. Despite some early losses, most animals survived well for the first 6 months and breeding commenced. Soon after however, predation by feral cats caused the population to crash and it was determined that the release of stick-nest rats had failed. If feral cats can be eradicated from within the fenced area, then another attempt to reintroduce Greater Stick-nests Rats could be made.
  • Bilby - Since 2001, 19 Bilbys have been released into the park from a breeding colony at Monarto Zoo. Animals were initially placed in a small, fenced enclosure with supplementary feeding, before being allowed access to the rest of the park. Bilbys have since spread from the northern section of Weyland Peninsula, with two individuals sighted at the southern tip. Spotlight surveys now indicate that Bilby numbers are increasing within the regenerating farmland immediately inside the predator exclusion fence. The population is expected to continue to increase in numbers and eventually disperse throughout suitable habitat across Weyland Peninsula.
  • Bush Stone-curlew - Eleven captive-bred Bush Stone-curlews were released into the park in late 2001 at a location where an individual Bush Stone-curlew was observed 2 years previously. All released birds were fitted with radio transmitters and leg bands, and were monitored closely, but by May 2002 only two were known to be alive. In August 2004 an individual bird with a leg band was observed in the park. The current status of the curlews is unclear.

Greater Stick-nest Rat
  
Bilby
Greater Stick-nest Rat Leporillus conditor
  
Bilby Macrotis lagotis

A Diversity of Birds

Venus bay cliffs
The cliffs of Venus Bay are important nesting
sites for Ospreys and White-bellied Sea-Eagles
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster

Venus Bay Conservation Park has a high diversity of native birds, in part due to the bay's complex marine ecosystem, a wide range of vegetation types, and good landscape linkages with large areas of remnant vegetation. Of particular significance are a number of shorebird and coastal raptor (bird of prey) species, some of which are threatened with extinction.

The islands in the park provide secure nesting sites for large breeding colonies of shorebirds, including Sooty and Pied Oystercatchers. The sand-flats, sheltered bays and beach ridges are ideal feeding grounds for many migratory wading birds (eg the Eastern Curlew, listed as Vulnerable to extinction under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972).

The cliffs of Venus Bay provide important nesting sites for the following threatened coastal raptor species:

These species are susceptible to disturbance from increased human activity along the coast. For example, at nesting time, disturbance by humans may cause adult birds to abandon nests. Over time this leads to fewer offspring and a decline in the species. In Venus Bay Conservation Park, the nests of coastal raptors are monitored, and human activity is restricted around nests, particularly during breeding seasons.