Caring for country - Northern and Yorke Natural Resources ...

4ground work
upper north
lower north
Walk on the wild
orchids side
Above: Ecologist Dr Eri Mulder with a couple of sleepy lizards at Buckaringa Sanctuary in Quorn. Photo: Kaz Bowland
It is easy to be captivated by the natural beauty of
Spring Gully Conservation Park - spanning rocky
sandstone outcrops, steep-sided valleys and flowing
cascades following heavy rain.
Situated south-west of Clare, this picturesque park of 400
hectares was set aside to conserve the State’s westernmost
population of red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha).
It is the only reserve in South Australia featuring this species.
However, the area that once provided an abundance of food
for the Ngadjuri people prior to European settlement, is also a
showcase of diverse grassy woodland with a tapestry of native
orchids that flower in Spring.
It was on an orchid trail walk about 15 years ago that Elaine
van Dijk and her husband, Charlie, fell in love with the park
that embraces the meanderings of the Spring Gully Creek and
Iron Pot Creek.
“I have a passion for preserving our natural resources, and the
unique features of the park had an immediate impact on me,”
said Elaine, who is now president of the Friends of Spring
Gully volunteer group.
Rock stars
Spotting a yellow-footed rock wallaby is the highlight
of the famous ridge-top tours of the spectacular
scenery of Arkaroola in the northern Flinders Ranges.
Turning off the engine of the Toyota and quietly watching
a family of the strikingly beautiful yellow-footed rock
wallabies interact with each other, and stare back at you
serenely, is a moment you won’t forget.
The yellow-footed rock wallaby is now listed as ‘vulnerable
to extinction’ by the Australian and South Australian
Governments. Getting a glimpse of these macropods that
call the mountain ridges of northern South Australia home, is
becoming a rare event.
But at the Buckaringa Wildlife Sanctuary near Quorn, the
Australian Wildlife Conservancy is playing a vital role in
helping the colorful wallabies to survive and prosper in
semi-arid areas where they live among the steep cliffs, rocky
outcrops and nearby caves.
The once abundant yellow-footed rock-wallabies have been
decimated by intense hunting for the fur trade in the past,
their habitats destroyed by goats, sheep and rabbits and fatal
attacks from feral cats and foxes.
Low numbers and competition from goats are the two most
significant ongoing threats that have reduced the species to
dangerously low numbers.
Colonies once healthy and vigorous, are down to a handful
and the little family groups are so isolated from each other
that they are extremely vulnerable to regional catastrophic
events, loss of genetic diversity and any habitat loss or
disturbance.
Buckaringa Sanctuary, 30km north of Quorn, covers
2000 ha of the southern Flinders Ranges. It is owned
by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), a non-profit
organisation dedicated to the conservation of Australia’s
threatened wildlife.
Since being acquired by the AWC, Buckaringa has been
cleared of feral plants and animals with the help of
volunteers and the results are being assessed – with two
baseline studies into the flora and fauna.
The surveys are being carried out with funding support
from Northern and Yorke NRM Board and with the help of
dozens of volunteers.
Buckaringa wildlife ecologist, Keith Bellchambers said two
surveys had been carried out in the past 12 months –
the first on fauna and the second on the flora of the
wildlife sanctuary.
He said the survey results would help AWC come up with
better conservation and land management practices.
The first fauna survey was completed in late spring 2009 by
AWC staff and local volunteers. The survey covered 18 sites
and recorded 18 mammal species, 73 bird species,
29 reptiles and a single frog species.
The second baseline biodiversity study established a series
of vegetation survey and monitoring sites in a range of
plant communities that occur on the sanctuary. Native
plants were measured for re-growth following the culling
of more than 1000 goats.
Another important part of the survey was to find out the
rate of recovery of areas of the former sheep station that
had been contour-furrowed in the past.
“Vegetation recovery in these semi-arid areas is a
slow process dependent on seasonal conditions and
ongoing management of total grazing pressure,”
Mr Bellchambers said.
AWC owns and manages 21 properties covering more
than 2.5 million hectares around the county. Volunteering
opportunities for Buckaringa as well as some of its
other sanctuaries are outlined on its website at: www.
australianwildlife.org
Above: White beauty spider-orchid (Caladenia argocalla). Its range is
limited to the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills regions,
and is listed as Endangered under the Australian EPBC Act and the SA
National Parks and Wildlife Act. Photo: Mick Higgins.
6 Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board