Sandhill restoration on track
NRM NEWS - NOVEMBER 2020 - TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS
By Jamie Hearn
Senior Land Services Officer - Central Murray Ramsar project
P: 03 5881 9925 | M: 0447 420 789 | jamie.hearn@lls.nsw.gov.au
The sandhills in the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest are significant sites for the Traditional Owners of the area, the Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa people.
These sites were once covered with pine, needlewood, and a range of understorey plants. Over time, these fragile sites have been cleared and heavily grazed as the only high ground in times of flood. Some sandhills in the Forest are now degraded, lacking the diversity of sandhill vegetation they once supported & have weed and rabbit infestations.
In April 2020, 130 km of native plant species were direct seeded across three large sandhills in the Forest. The Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council completed fencing and rabbit control works before the seeding.
Murray Local Land Services and Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council staff recently completed a plant survival survey at six plots across the sites. We also monitored the plots for rabbit activity and weed distribution. Although under some pressure from the horehound and Patterson's curse, the results of the survey are encouraging, with a germinated shrub found about every 2.5m on average. Hopefully, with a wettish summer and the rabbits under control, we will get good survival through to next autumn.
This project is supported by Murray Local Land Services, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
