2005044 hills forest magpaper - Department of Environment and ...

Rich flora display makes hills a biodiversity hotspotThe bush of the Darling Range comes alive in asea of colour as a multitude of native shrubsand trees burst into flower from late winter toearly spring.This is a great time to use the network of bushtracks and trails to get up close to the floweringplants.In all, there are believed to be between 1700and 2000 native species growing in the hills.Between 40 and 50 of these are endemic to thearea (they don’t grow anywhere else).You might see Darling Range ghost gumsgrowing five to 10 m tall from the cracks of thegranite outcrops, the beautiful granite pixie mopshrub (Petrophile biloba) with heads of pinkflowers in late spring or the candle cranberryshrub (Astroloma foliosum) with bursts of red,black and green flowers in late winter.Those wanting tall timber can head to LanePoole Reserve where the wetter climate seestaller jarrah and blackbutt trees proliferate. Thenthere are the gnarled wandoo trees that providea haven for birds in Wandoo National Park andin other areas east of the Darling Scarp.The people of Perth are fortunate to have suchrich biodiversity on their doorstep.The entire area west of an imaginary linebetween Geraldton and Esperance has beenrecognised internationally as one of 34biodiversity hotspots in the world.More recently, the Perth hills area, encompassingthe Darling Scarp and adjoining Darling Rangesurrounding jarrah forests, has been recognisednationally as a hotspot within a hotspot. Thisreflects the enormous plant diversity found here,arising from a unique combination of soils andclimates.The escarpment is an overlap area betweenthe sandy coastal plain and thelaterites that support the jarrahforests. It is common to find 50 or60 plant species in a 100 squaremetre area, then many differentplants in a block nearby.Rainfall is higher near the scarp,increasing as you go south in thePerth hills, but drops awayrapidly as you head northand east. So, the hillsrepresent the southern,northern or eastern reachesof many species.Surprisingly, many Wheatbelt speciessuch as ferns encroach onto the scarp, beingable to endure arid summers on the numerousgranite outcrops.Tuning in to the forest‘Listening’ to the land as you movethrough the hills area can help you gainappreciation for Aboriginal culture.Aboriginal people believe the land canguide those who ‘listen’ to the land andconnect with it by taking the time tostop, relax and soak in the environment.To the Nyoongar people, the Perth hillsarea is of deep cultural significance andcontains many sites that must not bedisturbed.The granite outcrops you will see dottedthroughout the hills and valleys are ofparticular significance, with some listedas Aboriginal Heritage Sites. Many ofthese have deep spiritual significance tothe Nyoongar people. Not all of themare heritage sites, but they are allconnected in Aboriginal culture.There are also many places in thenational parks where Nyoongar peopletraditionally made tools. The removal ofartifacts such as spearheads andgrinding stones from such places, or anyother form of damage to designatedAboriginal Heritage Sites, can exposeyou to heavy penalties.There are many opportunities for you tolearn more about Aboriginal culture.The Hills Forest Discovery Centre inMundaring houses CALM’s Nearer toNature and EcoEducation programs.Phone 9295 2244 or emailn2n@calm.wa.gov.au for details.CALM's Indigenous Heritage Unit alsoruns Sharing the Dreaming indoor andoutdoor courses for groups. Bookingscan be made on 9334 0564 or by email(deniseg@calm.wa.gov.au).Indigenous cultural programs fortourists and students are also run inother parts of the State, including atYanchep National Park.Western Shieldoutfoxes predatorsWoylies, quendas, chuditch, quokkas, western brushwallabies and brush-tailed phascogales…these are all unique WA marsupialsthat are being given a better thanfighting chance in the Perth hillsarea through CALM's world-classWestern Shield program.Pioneered in 1994, Western Shieldis an aggressive native faunarecovery strategy involving aerial andground baiting to control introducedpredators such as European red foxes and feral cats.It also involves breeding endangered species in captivityand translocating animals to areas where their numbershave dwindled.The baits are laced with 1080 poison, a substance that occursnaturally in the native poison pea plant and to which ournative animals are highly tolerant, unlike the predators.Western Shield is a direct response to the enormous decline innative mammals across Australia since European arrival.Foxes and cats have already contributed to the extinction of10 native mammal species and many others are threatened.Brush tailed phascogaleThe program extends across 3.7 million haof conservation land from WA'sSouth Coast to the BurrupPeninsula in the north, and hasdelivered significant successwith the woylie, quenda andthe tammar wallaby, which havebeen removed from the endangeredspecies list in recent years.Tammar wallabyWestern Shield is most effectivein protecting animals in the 35gm to 8 kg weight range — thosehunted by foxes. However, the battle isongoing and always difficult.3