‘REMNANT’ VEGETATION AND THE GREATER LANDSCAPE
by Mark Evans
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This article looks at the remaining patches of native vegetation in our area and how they fit into the wider (very degraded) natural landscape.
Remnant vegetation could be defined as remaining patches of native vegetation after initial and continual land settlement and clearing. Remnants can come in many sizes and include all types of vegetation communities including Sclerophyll forest, woodland, native grasslands, mallee, coastal heathland and rainforest (to name a few). Remnants can occur on all land tenures both privately and publicly owned.
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One of the most common forms of remnant vegetation in this area is rainforest ie. ‘islands’ of remaining patches of the original "Big Scrub" area. You may have seen or heard of some of these remnants being protected under conservation agreements and possibly worked on by "Green Corps" and other similar programmes.
The values of these remnants are numerous;
* remaining ‘genetic’ pools of plant and animal species that otherwise have been lost
* they are home (habitat) to mobile species, mainly birds and flying foxes which use the remnants as stepping stones to other areas.
* they help protect against salinity and soil erosion and assist in maintaining water quality
* they are a haven not only for plant and animals but also humans if you are lucky enough to have some remnant vegetation on your property, if not you may visit a nature reserve etc to get some peace and self nurturing.
The long term goals for these remnants should be to repair their health as much as possible and then help them to expand, hopefully to even join up eventually providing corridors for the movement of native species.
To achieve these goals we need to continue the good work that is being done by groups such as National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Department of Land and Water Conservation (DLWC), Environmental Training and Employment (ENVITE, Green Corps), Bush Regenerators and planting contractors.
If you would like to know more about remnant vegetation in your area and what you can do to help protect it you could contact NPWS, DLWC or your local Landcare Co-ordinator to name only a few.
# Information sourced from NPWS and Australian Nature Conservation Agency
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LOGGING RESULTS IN ANIMAL EXTINCTIONS
Three of the nations leading biodiversity experts have made a public statement warning that current forestry practices are unsustainable, contravene state and federal policies about maintaining species and that the continued loss of local plant and animal populations can lead to global extinctions of species.
Professor Harry Recher, the head of the National Biodiversity Council, Professor Tony Norton of RMIT University and Professor Hugh Possingham of University of Adelaide said that there was now evidence of localised extinctions in extensive areas of timber production forests. They said that the yellow-bellied glider was "virtually absent" from mountain ash forests in central Victoria that had been subject to intensive timber felling.
"The failure of biologists to document extinctions is more likely a consequence of our limited knowledge of most forest organisms than it is evidence that logging does not lead to extinctions," they said in their statement.
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Environmental Training and Employment (Northern Rivers) Inc. (EnviTE) was established as a not-for-profit community organisation in 1993 to provide assistance with community projects in environmental restoration. Though the main office is in Lismore, EnviTE operates throughout the entire North Coast region, from the Queensland border to Bellingen. |
EnviTE operations are overseen by a Board of Directors that contains representatives of the Nature Conservation Council, North Coast Environment Council, Landcare, Greening Australia, Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sub-tropical Farm Forestry Association, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the community. EnviTE staff have experience and expertise in bush regeneration, horticulture, nursery operation, natural resource management, light construction, revegetation, landscaping, coastal rehabilitation, project planning and management, team leadership and training.
EnviTE assists the community in a numbers of ways and offers professional services on a tender or contractual basis. EnviTE has also been successful in receiving a number of state and federal grants for environmental projects throughout the region.
WORK FOR THE DOLE
Work for the Dole aims to give unemployed people new opportunities for building confidence, developing social and work networks, and getting work experience in their community. Participants are usually 18 to 34 years old and most Newstart recipients can volunteer, although there are some restrictions. EnviTE is contracted by the Department of Education, Work Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) to manage regional projects, carried out at a range of locations between Byron Bay and Bellingen. In addition to funding from DEWRSB, EnviTE receives funds from councils and community groups (such as Landcare and Dunecare) for Work for the Dole projects. Participants normally work on a part time basis (usually two days a week) for six months. Tasks include rainforest restoration, coastal rehabilitation, riparian revegetation, enhancement of community facilities, development of eco-tourism attractions, construction of walking tracks and access steps, landscaping and horticultural activities, as well as clerical and administrative support to other community organisations.
TRAINING
EnviTE can provide accredited training from Certificate 11 in Australian Land Conservation and Restoration, which includes modules on Occupational Health and Safety, First Aid, Vegetation Restoration Techniques, Weed Recognition, Introduction to Plant Propagation, and Fencing of Conservation Areas. Training can be provided for community groups, government authorities, councils and industry. EnviTE has also designed and conducted workshops in plant propagation, weed control techniques and plant identification for community groups. A number of information manuals, on plant propagation, weed identification and training, have also been published by EnviTE.
PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
EnviTE has expertise in management plan preparation, site assessment, species selection, bush regeneration and weed control. Clients include private landowners, businesses, local government, and state government departments and authorities.
.If you would like to help EnviTE help our environment, or for more information on EnviTE or it’s projects, contact the Lismore office on 6621 9588.
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