Mallee

27 July 2023 by

Partnering to protect the critically endangered Plains-wanderer

One of Australia’s most endangered birds has a brighter future thanks to a new partnership between Victorian conservation organisation Trust for Nature and Country Road.

Trust for Nature has been awarded a $200,000 grant through the Country Road Climate Fund to protect native grasslands for Plains-wanderers.

The critically endangered Plains-wanderer is a unique bird found in inland eastern Australia. There are only between 250 and 1,000 left in the wild, and it will likely become extinct without a concerted effort to safeguard its habitat.

Thanks to the Country Road Climate Fund, Trust for Nature will work with landholders across the grasslands of northern Victoria, one of the birds’ last strongholds, to protect native grassland forever. More than 90 per cent of the native grassland has already been destroyed, mainly due to cropping and cultivation.

Trust for Nature CEO Corinne Proske said she was thrilled by the partnership.

“Country Road’s approach to sustainability and mitigating the impact of climate change makes them a natural partner in our work to protect the Plains-wanderer. One of the great things about native grasslands is that managing habitat for conservation can also benefit primary producers, whether through grazing or through Indigenous cultural practices such as traditional fire management. It’s a win-win,” Corinne said.

Through the partnership project, Trust for Nature will permanently protect critically endangered Plains-wanderer habitat on a property that is also used to support primary production. Trust for Nature will also support existing covenantors with Plains-wanderer habitat to manage their land for conservation, partner with Traditional Owners, and engage the local and broader community about conservation of this habitat.

“Trust for Nature works alongside landholders to support the management of remnant grassland habitat. By building relationships with landholders, we can explain what’s so special about the Plains-wanderer and how lucky they are to have this species in their backyards,” said Trust for Nature Senior Conservation Officer Kirsten Hutchison.

Elle Roseby, managing director of Country Road, said the brand is excited to support this round of Climate Fund grant recipients in driving positive change.

“We believe that partnerships are key to tackling industry-wide challenges and driving deep, long-term change. We are thrilled to be able to support those driving innovation at the grassroots level, and look forward to working alongside the three finalists,” Elle said.

About the Climate Fund

Launched in 2022, the Country Road Climate Fund is an annual grants program that drives climate solutions in the Australian fashion industry. The Fund aims to accelerate and incubate grassroots projects that mitigate climate change and build climate resilience across four key pillars; Biodiversity, Innovation, Circularity and First Nations-led projects.

More news

Back to all news

29 June 2023 by

A neighbour you mightn’t know yet: the Plains-wanderer

Image: Julian Teh

Plains-wanderers are one of the animals that make Birchip and the cropping country unique and special.

These birds are only about 12 cm high, with long yellow legs and a yellow bill, and look a little bit like a quail. They are the sole surviving species of an ancient family of birds, the Pedionomidae, and are a very high priority for conservation. They are such a high priority that four zoos in Australia are undertaking breeding programs to try to increase their numbers.

Plains-wanderers need the native grassland paddocks that have been least disturbed by cropping for habitat. These grasslands will often have Wallaby, Spear and Spider grasses and sometimes daisies, saltbush and lilies.

Therefore, if you have any of these paddocks remaining, they are precious!

Sometimes these paddocks will have been direct drilled in the past, but some native grasses remain. These paddocks can still provide habitat for the bird.

Closely managed grazing by sheep or cattle is an important way to manage grasslands for Plains-wanderers, so grazing activities can occur along with conservation of the bird’s habitat.

In fact, Plains-wanderers can’t live in grasslands that are too dense – they like paddocks with clumps of grass and bare spaces in between. Sometimes these bare areas will have lichens and mosses growing.

There are some incentives available for protecting native grasslands. Trust for Nature may provide a financial incentive for the land to be protected by a conservation covenant, which will allow for livestock grazing in the paddock, but not cropping. There are also emerging opportunities with biodiversity markets, with legislation before Parliament at present to establish Nature Repair Markets, that will operate in a similar way to carbon markets.

If you, or anyone in the family, is a shooter, make sure they familiarise themselves with Plains-wanderers, so that they’re not mistaken for a quail.

And think twice before you work up that ‘rough’ paddock that’s never been touched – it may be important for the Plains-wanderer’s survival!

The Birchip area is still an important refuge for the bird. Over the past 5 years, Birchip Landcare Group and Trust for Nature have placed ‘song meters’ in suitable locations around Birchip to survey for the presence of the bird and the song meters have picked up the distinctive calls of the Plains-wanderer.

Work on the Plains-wanderer is supported by the Mallee CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

More news

Back to all news

10 May 2022 by

Victoria’s largest conservation reserve to return to Traditional Owners

First Peoples of Millewa Mallee and Trust for Nature staff have worked together to look after Neds Corner Station.

Victorian conservation organisation Trust for Nature has committed to enabling the transfer of ownership of the iconic Neds Corner Station conservation reserve to its Traditional Owners—the Ngintait people.

Neds Corner Station is a 30,000 ha private property in the far north-west of Victoria, bordering Murray-Sunset National Park and the Murray River.

The property, an important cultural landscape on Ngintait Country, was run as a grazing station from the 1840s until Trust for Nature purchased it with the help of donors and the Federal Government in 2002.

Trust for Nature has transformed the formerly degraded land, restoring native vegetation and wildlife habitat. Threatened species such as the Australian Bustard, Growling Grass Frog and Tall Sneezeweed have recovered or returned to the property, which is part of the National Reserve System.

In recent years the First People of the Millewa Mallee (FPMMAC) have been working with Trust for Nature to locate and protect the significant cultural heritage sites on Neds Corner.

These iconic heritage values include ancestral burial sites, scar trees that provided bark for canoes, shields and weapons, oven mounds, fireplaces, stone tool artefacts and shell middens.

At the same time, FPMMAC and Trust for Nature have worked together to undertake significant conservation works with planning underway for the reintroduction of regionally extinct plants and animals.

Prior to the formal transfer, FPMMAC and Trust for Nature will work together to achieve the successful and sustainable divestment of Neds Corner from Trust for Nature to its Traditional Owners.

The Chair of FPMMAC, Norman (Tinawin) Wilson said, “The handback of our traditional lands is an historic occasion for our people. Our lands were stolen, and our people killed, but we are still here today. Having our land back will allow us to restore our cultural practices, and care for the land and river properly.”

Chair of Trust for Nature Gayle Austen said the transfer will be momentous. “This will be the largest parcel of privately-owned land to be transferred to Traditional Owners in Victoria.

“We feel this is part of a natural cycle for Neds Corner—from degraded agricultural land to our dedicated care and rejuvenation of the land over the past 20 years, to the care and ownership of the original owners and Traditional Custodians, the Ngintait people.

“We are honoured to play a role in reconciliation and self-determination for the First People of the Millewa Mallee, and look forward to working with and for them, to protect this amazing property.”

Back to all news