By Jenny Leung (u6018651)

For my volunteer work experience, I participated in a bird survey with Phil, studying the value of mature trees in urban environments. The study is a long-term research conducted around Canberra and investigated the purpose of mature trees, the usage of it by mostly birds. Several papers have been published using the data they have previously collected (Le Roux et al., 2016, Le Roux et al., 2018).

In the morning of the survey, we set off our trip at 6 in the morning. It was a windy day with lots of sunshine and a bit of cloud in the sky; the temperature was 12-14˚C. We went to 4 study sites in Gungahlin and got to observe mature trees of yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora) and Blakely’s red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi).

Log piles near study site.

In the survey, we looked at a few aspects of the bird-and-tree interaction. We observed the species of the bird, the direction the bird came and go, the behaviour of the bird, the duration of the bird interacting with the tree, the branch angles the bird landed in and the thickness of the branch. During the survey, we saw Noisy Miners, Australian Magpies, Striated Pardalotes, and Crimson Rosellas interacting with the trees. We also happened to see some other birds like Australian Ravens, Welcome Swallows, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Magpie Larks, and European Starlings. Some of the birds are nesting on the trees like the picture below.

Australian Magpie nesting on a tree

We even get to see reptiles; we discover a Three-toed Skink underneath a piece of rock. At first, we have mistaken it for the endangered Striped Legless Lizard, as we are so desperate to meet one. However, with further observation, we can see that the reptile has little limbs, and its colouration does not match with the Striped Legless Lizard. Phil later told us that it is a Three-toed Skink (Hemiergis decresiensis) and the species turned out to be quite wide spread in the NSW and the ACT region (ALA, 2018).

The Three-toed skink in ratio with a finger.

It was quite sad to see that sites that have been supervised for over ten years were undergoing development, sites that used to be surrounded with natural environments, were now under development and turned into construction sites. It is good to see that the mature trees are fenced up and being protected; this may be the result from previously published paper with emphasis on the importance of mature trees and recommendations on how to conserve them (Le Roux et al., 2014). However, we estimate that the bird population/traffic at the site was decreased by the noise from construction sites and the change in environment.

Photo of Australian Raven on construction sites. 

References

ALA (Atlas of Living Australia). 2018. Website at https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:b056de1e-b7c7-44ce-902d-7cc0f393d0a0. Accessed 9 October 2018.

Le Roux, D.S., Ikin, K., Lindenmayer, D.B., Bistricer, G., Manning, A.D. and Gibbons, P., 2016. Enriching small trees with artificial nest boxes cannot mimic the value of large trees for hollow‐nesting birds. Restoration ecology, 24(2), pp.252-258.

Le Roux, D.S., Ikin, K., Lindenmayer, D.B., Blanchard, W., Manning, A.D. and Gibbons, P. 2014. Reduced availability of habitat structures in urban landscapes: implications for policy and practice. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125, pp.57-64.

Le Roux, D.S., Ikin, K., Lindenmayer, D.B., Manning, A.D. and Gibbons, P., 2018. The value of scattered trees for wildlife: Contrasting effects of landscape context and tree size. Diversity and Distributions, 24(1), pp.69-81.

The start of Term Four for schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) marks the start of over 1,500 tadpoles’ journeys, as they are handed out to teachers participating in the Frogwatch Tadpole Kits for Schools Program. 

For the past two days, I have assisted Anke Maria Hoefer of the Ginninderra Landcare Group with preparing and issuing tadpole kits to over thirty early learning centres, pre-schools, primary schools and high schools in the Canberra and Queanbeyan region. 

Not all tadpoles will survive this journey, but for the next ten weeks, teachers and students will try their best to raise as many tadpoles as possible through the process of metamorphosis.

One week old tadpoles which I pipetted into ziplock bags.

Kit Preparation

Each kit was carefully prepared to contain all the necessities for keeping a tadpole alive long enough to metamorphose into a frog. Such necessities include a tank with ventilated lid, gravel, water conditioner, native aquatic plants, spirulina (yes, tadpoles eat this superfood too!), and of course, the tadpoles. Approximately 6-10 tadpoles were pipetted from a large container into a ziplock bag for each kit. 

Two tadpoles too slow to escape the pipette!

The Program

Over the next ten weeks, the tadpoles in each kit will grow into Spotted Grass Frogs (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis). This species is widespread across the east of Australia.¹ Eggs and tadpoles are found in many waterways such as dams, ponds, lakes and swamps, while adults are terrestrial and can be found in a range of habitats of varying disturbance levels including woodlands and grasslands.²

Tadpoles are not cared for by their parents and have a low survivorship rate due to predation by larger individuals from the same species, or by other aquatic life.³ It is illegal across most of Australia to collect or release tadpoles and frogs into the wild without a permit. The ACT Frogwatch program allow tadpoles to be legally raised so that they have a greater chance of surviving to ‘froghood’ when they can be released back to their place of origin.

Spotted Grass Frog (Steve Walker)

The Outcome

Frog species across Australia are declining due to habitat loss and degradation, water pollution, introduced species, salinity and climate change.⁴ While the Spotted Grass Frog is not itself threatened, all frogs play an important role in wetland conservation. Frogs have moist, permeable skin that absorb all of the nutrients and the impurities in our waterways.⁵ As such, they detect and provide vital information on ecosystem health. Frogs also control algae and insect levels through feeding, and are an important source of food for other species.⁶ Frogs that are raised in this program are released back to the collection site and provide lasting benefits for its habitat.

The best part of the ACT Frogwatch Program, however, is that it is a powerful community education tool that promotes awareness about the importance of caring for our waterways. Through the exercise, students and teachers gain an appreciation of the life cycle of amphibians, the complexity of our ecosystems and how our actions in daily life affect the environment around us.

– Phoebe Worth u5801333

References

¹ http://www.bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:ac2de3ed-ffb5-4792-b765-0331102d3238

² http://www.frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Limnodynastes/tasmaniensis

³ Wilson, N., Seymour, J. & Williams, C. 2015. Predation of two common native frog species (Litoria ewingi and Crinia signifera) by freshwater invertebrates. Australian Journal of Zoology, 62(6):483-490.

⁴ http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/factsheet-frogs-australia

⁵ Burkhart, J., Ankley, G., Bell, H., Carpenter, H., Fort, D., Gardiner, D., Gardner, H., Hale, R., Helgen, J., Jepson, P. & Johnson, D. 2000. Strategies for assessing the implications of malformed frogs for environmental health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(1): 83.

⁶ Campbell, A. 1999. Declines and disappearances of Australian frogs. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia.

The Impact of Local Environmental Volunteering

By Jonah Morris (u6381040)

For a total of 15 hours over 5 sessions from the 13th of September to the 6th of October on Thursday and Saturday mornings I volunteered at ‘The Pinnacle’ nature reserve. The Pinnacle is my local nature reserve located near Hawker in Belconnen and it is worked on and protected by the Friends of The Pinnacle volunteer organisation (abbreviated as “FOTPIN”). Over this time I assisted in different forms of weed control and relocating native kangaroo grass (aka Themeda triandra or Themeda australis) from a dried riverbank to an allocated restoration zone.

Previous location of kangaroo grass.

Replanting and restoration area.

             Previous location of kangaroo grass and the replanting and restoration area

This relocation was required due to kangaroo grass being a threatened native species that was in the path of development. The upcoming development is a pipeline that is planned to supply water to new suburbs on the opposite side of William Hovell Drive. The kangaroo grass is valued because it is a drought resistant, threatened native species that competes with weeds. Keeping the Pinnacle native is important not only because it is a place where people go to enjoy native Australian scenery and wildlife, but also because it is a site for multiple research projects that are studying native vegetation.

Additionally, the reserve plays a significant role in the broader biodiversity conservation of the entire ACT. Although it started as a restoration project of old farm land that had been degraded from decades of grazing from domestic stock, the Pinnacle is now a large reserve rich with biodiversity.

View from notice board 1991

View from notice board 2011

Transition from farmland to nature reserve
Credit: Hallam, 1991; Bond, 2011
Available at: http://www.fotpin.org.au/pinnacle_changes.html

This results in many of the benefits of large native habitat patches which we discussed in week 3. As a large patch of native vegetation, the Pinnacle allows for species that require large areas and species that require niches only available in large patches to gain a new habitat. Across it’s 138ha the Pinnacle now contains 150 native species of grasses, shrubs and trees, more than 100 species of birds (40% of the species known to be found in the ACT), several hundred eastern grey kangaroos, as well as echidnas and bearded dragons (Bond, 2018).

Bearded Dragon sunbaking as we had lunch

The importance of the Pinnacle’s ecology puts additional pressure on preserving native species and reducing the weeds that threaten the habitat that supports them. As we covered in week 8, weeds are one of the most significant threats to native Australian biodiversity and habitat loss due to the success they have in competing with native species. They do especially well in areas that have been heavily cleared or under the pressure of grazing like the Pinnacle. The majority of work that FOTPIN does is based around weeding and whilst I couldn’t have seen or contributed to any major changes in the few weeks I have been there, they have had great success against the weeds in previous years.

Before weeding 2007

After weeding 2013

Example of successful weed control at the Pinnacle (Verbascum in this example)
Credit: Blemings, 2007; Bond, 2013
Available at: http://www.fotpin.org.au/weeds/verbascum_5ways.html

Before volunteering, I would have considered conservation work on this scale to be difficult to approach, but working with this group has demonstrated how easy, yet influential local volunteer work can be. This experience has shown that small tasks such as spraying weeds with weed wands, marking the locations of large patches of weeds with GPS devices and shovel work relocating native grass can have a major impact on an entire reserve when done consistently by a dedicated group.

Weeding with weed wands

Weeding with weed wands

Spraying weeds with weed wands

References

Bond, W. (2018). about The Pinnacle Nature Reserve. [online] Fotpin.org.au. Available at: http://www.fotpin.org.au/about_pnr.html [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Bond, W. and Blemings, R. (2018). Verbascum control, Friends of The Pinnacle. [online] Fotpin.org.au. Available at: http://www.fotpin.org.au/weeds/verbascum_5ways.html [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

James Rae 2018

What I did

I carried out my work experience over three weeks at Greening Australia in Aranda alongside a fantastic bunch of volunteers led by Donna and Jenny. Greening Australia is a not-for-profit who primarily work to conserve and restore Australia’s natural environments. Their initiatives include reforestation, fencing and fundraising as well as spreading awareness of conservation issues through partnerships with local landholders, schools and their diverse community volunteer base.

James Rae 2018: Weeding in progress

My contribution to this initiative was to help out at one of their nurseries by caring for their enormous number of young plants. Although some of these plants will eventually reach gargantuan heights, at this early stage they can be delicate and require regular weeding, repotting, thinning and sorting to keep them strong and healthy. Eventually, these plants will either be destined for woodland restoration or sold to raise funds for conservation efforts.

James Rae 2018: These healthy young plants are destined for habitat restoration

Why habitat protection matters

Work like this is pivotal to combating habitat loss in Australia. Since colonisation, Australia has lost approximately 40% of its forest cover, and what remains is highly fragmented (Bradshaw, 2012). This has caused major ecological degradation and contributed to the extinction of 35 species on the Australian mainland since European settlement (Woinarski et al., 2015). As developments and deforestation persist, many birds and mammal species reliant on woodland are continuing to decline, with many species, like the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), at risk of extinction (Bradhaw, 2012; Woinarski et al., 2015)   The WWF in 2015 predicted Eastern Australia would be one of the eleven hardest hit areas in the world by deforestation, highlighting the need to take more serious action.

Australian Government, State of the Environment Report: Pink and red areas indicate where native vegetation has been replaced or removed by agriculture and urban areas

Greening Australia, however, take conservation a step further than simple replanting. Only about 17% of Australia’s environment is protected as national reserve, which fail to include almost 13% of Australia’s threatened species (Watson et al., 2011). Greening Australia work with private land holders to provide economically viable methods like paddock restoration that help increase woodland environments and connectivity, which are essential to protecting species like the superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) (Manning and Lindenmayer, 2009). Using Greening Australia fundraising to help landowners increase the environmental value of their land in a commercially workable manner is such an important initiative to bringing more private owners on board. And bringing them on board is critical if we are to effectively conserve and restore Australia’s environment.

© WWF Australia: The impacts of deforestation on private land can be devastating

Final Reflections

This work experience facilitated more than just an opportunity to help the environment. It also allowed me to establish and build connections with other like-minded people, both young and old and from different backgrounds and cultures. I found listening to their stories and learning from their vast pool of experience in conservation both humbling and illuminating. It helped reinforce that conservation is not just about the environment, it’s about people. And perhaps a little more focus on bringing people together to solve this issue might just be the tipping point it needs.

James Rae

u5799198

On a fresh spring morning, I made the early drive out to Bombala in the Monaro region of NSW, 80km south of Cooma. Feeling more at home in my old Bravo Ute than I usually do in Canberra, I arrived at my destination, the Monaro Native Tree Nursery (MNTN). Situated on a property in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, I was met by nursery manager and my guide for the day, Annie Platts. I was instantly impressed by the diverse and extensive level of vegetation on the property, spruced up by the much-needed showers from the days before.

I first heard about MNTN whilst researching the Monaro dieback. Sources had listed the business as being a key provider of Australian native plants for revegetation efforts in the dieback zone. After contacting the nursery, Annie agreed to take me along to a nearby property that had reached out to the nursery for their revegetation service. This caught my interest as being a great opportunity to experience revegetation on agricultural land.

We journeyed to the nearby property where we performed a site assessment for the revegetation corridor that the owners wanted to plant. This included surveying the proposed site, taking soil samples for testing, collecting local provenance seed, and taking cuttings from the native plants. These cuttings and seeds would then be taken back to the nursery and grown in their greenhouse until they reached a certain size. After this they would be grown outside for another period of time in order to harden. This process aims to increase the resistance of the plants before they are placed into the ground.

Annie explained to me the importance of spending time to properly plan for a revegetation effort. It can be of great benefit to the farmers; increasing the quality of their land, providing shade and shelter for livestock, stabilising soil, and reducing soil salinity (Durrough et al., 2008). We discussed all this information with the owners at the end of the assessment, ensuring they were aware of these benefits if they managed the area effectively. This is a very important point as the attitude of farmers entering agri-environmental schemes ultimately decides the outcomes achieved (Ahnström et al., 2009).

Here comes the rain again

Upon returning to MNTN, we spent the afternoon planting trees on the property. Trying to beat the showers rolling in over the hills, we managed to make a good dent in what was a planned forest patch and connecting corridor. It was satisfying work, doing my small part, knowing of the potential increases to biological diversity that could eventuate (Law and Dickman, 1998).

I asked Annie about any future plans on the property and she took me to another paddock where they were planning a new connecting corridor. These have been found to facilitate continuity between populations of small mammals by providing a dispersal pathway between patches and allowing for gene flow between populations (Bennett, 1990). Annie also told me of the abundance of bird species that would eventually utilise this habitat.

Riding shotgun

It was a great experience to see such effort being put into conservation on private land. I would like to thank Annie and the MNTN for sharing this valuable experience with me.

Damon Mudge u5563883

References:

Ahnström, J., Höckert, J., Bergeå, H., Francis, C., Skelton, P. and Hallgren, L. (2009). Farmers and nature conservation: What is known about attitudes, context factors and actions affecting conservation?. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 24(01), pp.38-47.

Bennett, A. (1990). Habitat corridors and the conservation of small mammals in a fragmented forest environment. Landscape Ecology, 4(2), pp.109-122.

Durrough, J., Stol, J. and McIntyre, S., 2008. Biodiversity in the paddock: a land managers guide, Future Farm Industries CRC. Available from https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=procite:dc9b10fe-5405-4ab5-8c5f-ca49c4c5ad87&dsid=DS1. Accessed 21 September 2018.

LAW, B. and DICKMAN, C. (1998). Biodiversity and Conservation, 7(3), pp.323-333.