Five Corridors

Please click on links below to access NatureLinks Corridor projects

Target 3.2 of the State Strategic Plan is to have by 2010, five well-established biodiversity corridors aimed at maximising ecological outcomes particularly in the face of climate change.

What does this target mean? It is becoming apparent that long term survival and recovery of our native biodiversity (genes, species and ecosystems) will require strategic planning at large scales over extended timeframes. The five corridors will provide a vision and framework for this recovery at broad landscape scales, with the management activities of groups and individuals strategically planned to work towards common outcomes.

The long term intention is that in a hundred years South Australia will have five landscape-scale areas of connected habitat comprising a comprehensive system of core protected areas buffered and linked by areas of land and sea managed for conservation. Within these areas South Australian species and ecosystems will be able to move, survive, evolve and adapt to environmental changes such as climate change.

Three corridors have been identified so far and the detail is being clarified through planning processes involving local communities and stakeholders.

East meets West - stretching from the WA border to northern Eyre Peninsula. Protection of significant core areas has been improved by declaring Yellabinna, Hincks and Hambidge Wilderness Protection Areas. Indigenous people's involvement in the management of 2.1 million hectares has been improved through the joint management agreement with Maralinga Tjaratja and Pila Nguru people over the Unnamed National Park.

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Flinders Olary Ranges Bounceback - stretching from the Gammon Ranges to the Flinders Ranges and including the Olary Ranges. The Bounceback program provides a successful pilot in managing total grazing pressure and predators on public and private lands. Numbers of the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, an icon species for the program have improved significantly.

Cape Borda to Barossa - the Yurebilla/Greater Mount Lofty Parklands provides a basis for this corridor and ensures consistent conservation planning across Government landholdings. The Encounter Marine Park provides a further dimension.

River Murray Coorong
The River Murray Coorong Corridor includes the River Murray from the eastern border to the Coorong. Planning for this corridor will commence in 2007-08. The $5.7 million River Murray Forest project is a critical on-ground component.

Arid Lands
Identification of the Arid Lands Corridor will commence in 2006-07.

In conjunction with the local community and stakeholders plans will be developed for each corridor, East meets West and Flinders Olary Ranges Bounceback are expected to be finalised in 2006-07 with plans for the other three in 2007-08.

The East meets West NatureLinks Plan (1.64Mb PDF) is available for download.

The Departments for Environment and Heritage, Water Land and Biodiversity and Primary Industries and Resources SA are also investigating ways to package components of the corridors into products of interest to industry and medium to large business.

This target builds upon and implements actions for the South Australia Strategic Plan targets of Lose no species (T3.1), By developing partnerships with industry, this target will also assist in achieving the Kyoto target by limiting the state's greenhouse gas emissions to 108% of 1990 levels during 2008-2012, as a first step towards reducing emissions by 60% (to 40% of 1990 levels) by 2050 (T3.5).