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Mallee

22 February 2021 by

Pimelea conservation trust

spiny rice flower

Our Pimelea Conservation Trust Fund supports landowners and property managers who have Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens) present on their land and wish to conserve this highly threatened plant species. Funding is available annually by application for activities that are directly related to the objectives of the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Plan.

The Fund was established in 2005 as part of a Conservation Agreement with Multiplex Developments in relation to the protection and conservation of Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens), under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A Trust Committee has been established, with representatives from Federal, State and Local governments to administer the funds in accordance with the Conservation Agreement, with Trust for Nature acting as trustee for the fund. The Conservation Agreement outlines an annual program of funds to be allocated by the Trust Committee for Pimelea Recovery Activities. Generally, the total amount available each year is $12,000. However, this amount may vary should the Trust Committee assign more funds to an annual allocation or allocate future funding to multi-year projects.

Download the Pimelea Recovery Plan

Apply for funding

Grant applications open 7th June

Applications for funds to support activities to conserve Pimelea are open from 7th June and close 27th August.

All applicants will be reviewed and recommended by the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team.

Successful applicants will be selected from the Recovery Team’s recommendations PCTF Committee in November.

A project’s time frame will be dependent on the project, and all applicants will be informed of the outcome in December via email. Successful applicant(s) will receive a formal letter in the post.

Download the application form
funding

Impact of the Fund since 2005

Each year, the Fund supports the management of two reserves which contain Spiny Rice-flower: Altona Nature Conservation Reserve and Pimelea Nature Conservation Reserve.

Since 2005 the Fund has supported both regional and Melbourne metropolitan environmental groups, the Country Fire Authority, consultants, Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Gardens, and private landowners in:

  • An examination of the species genetic diversity and population structure by the Royal Botanical Gardens, helping to set conservation activities for the species and ensure Spiny Rice-flower’s long-term survival;
  • Development of a new Spiny Rice-flower Recovery Plan;
  • The employment of a Pimelea Conservation Officer to support both the Pimelea Conservation Trust Fund and Pimelea spinescens Recovery team;
  • An assessment of all the Spiny Rice-flower translocations that have been carried out to date, providing analysis of ways to improve future translocation activities (see Resources below);
  • The development of a Spiny Rice-flower monitoring protocol endorsed by the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team;
  • Research, asking if supplementary planting will improve the recruitment capacity of populations;
  • Four local community education days about the species, its environment and optimal management;
  • Optimal management in the form of an ecological burn and monitoring at nine different Pimelea spinescens sites;
  • Stock/rabbit proof fencing installed at four sites;
  • Weed control at five sites over a period of five years;
  • Vermin eradication at two sites;
  • The production of the Pimelea and Her Grassland Friends children’s book (see Resources below).
  • Seed collection has occurred from eight sites that are not currently represented in the Pimelea spinescens seed bank.
  • Supplementation has occurred at  four Brimbank Council sites that have small and isolated P. spinescens populations.
  • A direct seeding project has just been implemented to learn what is the best method to germinate P. spinescens from seed in the field.
  • A research project that is tracking the gender presentation of individuals during a flowering season and then accessing the female’s and hermaphrodite’s seed quality.
trust activities

Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team

In 2007, a Pimelea spinescens working group was formalised as the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team. The Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team is a group working towards better conservation and management strategies for Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens and Pimelea spinescens subsp. pubiflora.

The Recovery Team coordinates the implementation of the Recovery Plan via:

  • Openly sharing information regarding our experiences with this species;
  • Regularly reviewing and updating protocols/guidelines for the species conservation;
  • Review funding applications and recommend to the PCTF Committee;
  • Review past and present conservation management methods, to be critiqued and recommendations made;
  • Encourage research and regularly provide technical advice around processes that would impact Pimelea spinescens;
  • Review and advise all publications, translocation plans and reports regarding Pimelea spinescens, which will inform future practice.

The current Recovery Team comprises of representatives from Trust for Nature, state government (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Parks Victoria and VicRoads), 22 local governments, six Catchment Management Authorities, Country Fire Authority, environmental consultants, Landcare groups, and universities.

Meetings

Meetings occur three times a year, at various locations in Western Melbourne or regional centres. The formal meeting is held in the morning and after lunch attendees visit several local Pimelea spinescens sites. Meetings are open for any Pimelea spinescens manager or community member to attend and/or raise an issue concerning this species. The meetings usually occur in March, July and November. If you’re interested in attending the next meeting, contact Trust for Nature’s Pimelea Conservation Officer.

Guidelines and protocols

The Recovery team have several endorsed documents available which have been developed to guide the management of this species to achieve best practice, available in the Guidelines and Resources below. These documents are constantly evolving to incorporate the most up to date research and on ground observations.

Contact the Pimelea Conservation Officer

Resources

Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens Recovery Plan 2006

Download pdf

Review of Spiny Rice-flower translocations in Victoria

Download pdf

Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

External website

Pimelea and Her Grassland Friends children's book

External website

Guidelines

Guidelines for monitoring

Download pdf

Long term monitoring protocols

Download pdf

Monitoring field sheet

External website

Seed collection protocols

Download pdf

Translocating Pimelea spinescens

Download pdf

Burning Pimelea spinescens

Download pdf

Management in a fire control line

Download pdf

24 November 2020 by

Building homes at Neds Corner Station

Building homes

This campaign captured the attention of hundreds of Victorians and demonstrated the love people have for this property and what has been achieved there since it was purchased by Trust for Nature in 2002 with government and philanthropic support. Thanks to the Victorian Government for matching every dollar raised and to everyone who supported the campaign.

Haul for Habitat has prevented logs, remaining after a major infrastructure project, from potetially being discarded, and utilised them to build habitat for native animals found on Neds Corner Station which use fallen wood as part of their habitat. These include threatened or near-threatened species such as the Fat-tailed Dunnart, Brown Treecreeper, Bearded Dragon, and Carpet Python.

Neds Corner Station has made a remarkable recovery over the last decade so it’s not surprising that plants and animals are returning but station managers Colleen and Peter Barnes still did a double take when they saw four Australian Bustards.

Bustards were once a common bird across Australia but are now rare in southern Australia. In an interview with the ABC Peter Barnes said, “I pulled up to water our new plantings on this rise and looked across and here they were just walking quietly through the bush. It was so exciting, I just thought wow, this is pretty special.”

In the same ABC story, BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley said it’s hoped this is a precursor to a more permanent population. “We do see occasional records of bustards in north-west Victoria … but to have four birds there and seemingly hanging around for more than just a day or two is really encouraging sign that the landscape is being brought back into balance.”

Haul for Habitat

24 November 2020 by

Council rebates for covenants

rebates for covenants

Do you know that around one third of the 48 regional and rural councils in Victoria offer some form of rate rebate or concession to covenantors? Councils take differing approaches to this issue so it is worthwhile knowing the approach of your local council.

These rebates can make a difference to landowners’ ability to take care of their land as they recognise the cost it takes to steward land.

The City of Greater Bendigo and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council offer a full rate rebate to ‘acknowledge and  reward conservation efforts of private landholders’. The Pyrenees Shire Council offers a 50 per cent rebate, while others such as the Cardinia Shire Council, Mansfield Shire Council and the Greater Shepparton City Council offer a per hectare rebate (between $20-$50 up to a specified capped amount). The City of Greater Geelong calculates  covenanted land at the lowest ‘farm rate’ (37% deduction).

Native habitat on private land in Victoria continues to be lost but the extinction trend can be reversed by protecting key remnants, building ecosystem resilience and increasing connectivity of habitat. The protection offered by  conservation covenants make a vital contribution to this process and rates concessions or exemptions are recognition of this contribution by generous landowners.

If you would like to know more about rates rebates or concessions in your shire, check your council website or  contact our Policy Advisor Cecilia Riebl (Monday to Wednesday) on (03) 8631 5819 or ceciliar@tfn.org.au.

contact us

24 November 2020 by

Endangered Woolly Plover-daisy returns to Neds

Woolly Plover-daisy

A daisy previously thought to have been eaten out of existence on Trust for Nature’s Neds Corner Station has been identified on the north-west Victorian property. Woolly Plover-daisy (Leiocarpa tomentosa) is an endangered small, perennial shrub with yellow flowers. It is mostly concentrated in South Australia with just a couple of sites in Victoria.

The discovery of the daisy on Neds Corner Station is extremely encouraging. At 30,000 ha it is one of Victoria’s largest private conservation reserves. Station manager, Peter Barnes, said there’s a chance the plant has been there for a while but not noticed because rabbit grazing hadn’t allowed it to flower. He said, “We think our intense pest management, mainly rabbit control, has allowed the daisy to grow to a certain height and produce flowers, which is how we became aware of it.

“Our success in controlling rabbits is the reason we keep finding new plants in the area and as the biodiversity improves we would hope to continue to find more.” In 2017, a new species of daisy for Victoria, the Large Hard-head Daisy, was identified at Neds Corner Station. Rabbit control has been a significant focus on the property so as to increase ground cover and protect plants and habitat for native animals. Over 25,000 rabbit warrens have been treated and 13,000 have been destroyed.

Five Inland Dotterel chicks accompanied by two males have also been spotted on the property. It is the first time Peter has seen multiple chicks in the 10 years he has been at Neds Corner Station. Inland Dotterels are not necessarily uncommon at the property but are rarely seen. This follows the exciting sighting of four Australian  Bustards which are rare in southern Australia.

It’s thanks to the generosity of supporters that Neds Corner Station is going from strength to strength. You can read about the Haul for Habitat crowd funding campaign in Conservation Bulletin #69.

For more information about projects in the Mallee region contact Greg Ogle (03) 8631 5888 or grego@tfn.org.au

Five Inland Dotterel chicks accompanied by two males have also been spotted on the property.Inland Dotterels are not necessarily uncommon at the property but are rarely seen. This follows the exciting sighting of four Australian Bustards which are rare in southern Australia.

Dotterel chicks

24 November 2020 by

Sharing Neds Corner with the community

Sharing Neds Corner

While seeing biodiversity return to the land is forefront for us, Neds Corner Station also supports a community of people who are working towards conservation.

Having a history of human use spanning over tens of thousands of years, Neds Corner is a living archive of sacred cultural sites and artefacts of the First People of the Millewa-Mallee, being Latji Latji, Ngintait and Nyeri Nyeri Traditional Owners. By providing a place to meet, we hope to continue a long legacy of community-making.

Formal meetings about the management and protection of this important cultural landscape are often held by our partners at Neds Corner, including the Mallee Catchment Management Authority, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Parks Victoria.

For many years we have also hosted local school visits and field trips for La Trobe University archaeology students and researchers, and in 2019 three University of Melbourne masters students completing a project on Neds Corner. We also regularly benefit from visits from dedicated bird watching groups and field naturalist clubs who provide a record of species observed during their stay. These exchanges of support and learning are very rewarding and are carefully arranged to ensure every visitor makes a contribution to Neds Corner.

Restoration over its 30,000 ha has provided some surprising and pleasing results—we see species returning to the land that haven’t been seen for decades. For the first time in at least 11 years, Neds Corner is home to two Wedge-tailed Eagle hatchlings. Wedge-tailed Eagles need a large range to source food from and we think the return of these birds is a sign that the ecology has recovered to the point where it can now support these majestic creatures. Predators are critical to a resilient and balanced ecosystem and it’s been a thrill to watch them grow.

If you would like to support the rehabilitation of Neds Corner Station go to trustfornature.org.au.

For more information about projects in the Mallee region contact our Senior Conservation Officer Greg Ogle on (03) 8631 5888, grego@tfn.org.au.

Neds Corner Station