MEDIA RELEASE
Issued 17 April 2007
Australia’s most ambitious landscape reconnection project will take a giant leap forward today ensuring a future for unique and threatened land, water and wildlife.
Groups involved in Gondwana Link, a collaborative project based in the heart of Australia’s only global biodiversity hotspot will celebrate the acquisition of three new conservation reserves and the planting of one of the largest most biodiverse revegetation projects in the nation.
Gondwana Link is designed to protect, manage and restore globally important plant and animal populations in an arc of bushland that stretches a 1000 kilometres from the wet karri forests of the south west to the woodlands and mallee on the edge of the Nullarbor.
Bush Heritage Australia, Greening Australia, and The Nature Conservancy are initially focused on reconnecting a 70 km stretch of wildlife habitat between the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks.
Today’s event celebrates the purchase this month of Peniup and Monjebup reserves. Since the project’s inception in 2002 five reserves have been acquired. Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve was bought last year while Nowanup, and Chereninup Creek came earlier.
Already more than 6000 hectares has been protected and some 1250 ha revegetated with native species indigenous to the area. Using a combination of innovative conservation strategies and the best restoration science the groups are strategically reconnecting and revegetating this massive network of private and public lands.
Bush Heritage is buying and managing the large areas of relatively intact bush, the building blocks and gene bank of Gondwana Link. Greening Australia is bringing its experience to revegetating the cleared areas and linking the building blocks together. These two organisations are raising funds through the Great Southern Arc Campaign by sourcing philanthropic, corporate and government funds.
The Nature Conservancy has supported the project through funds raised by the David Thomas $20 million Challenge, as well as scientific expertise. (See The Nature Conservancy’s Challenge Update media release for more details on the $20 million Challenge).
Gondwana Link is situated in a remarkable ancient landscape where 50 % of the plants and 70 species of wildlife are found nowhere else on earth. Reconnecting this country will improve its resilience and allow wildlife to move and adapt as temperatures rise with climate change.
Keith Bradby Director of the Gondwana Link Co-ordination Unit said “We’re investing in new business opportunities like carbon forests and using growing systems that mimic the bush that once grew here. “We’re protecting bush and replanting cleared land at a scale never achieved before in Australia” Mr Bradby said.
Chief Executive Officer of Bush Heritage Australia, Doug Humann says “Not only are we protecting our gene banks for the future, but by supporting Gondwana Link individuals have an opportunity to make a tangible difference to cutting edge conservation in Australia.”
“This is not just about the plants and animals, we are supporting human communities as well” said Robert Lambeck the CEO of Greening Australia in Western Australia. “Gondwana Link is helping to put communities back into rural landscapes. The indigenous Noongar community are working with us on projects to develop their culture and create job opportunities .
The Nature Conservancy Australian Program Director Dr Michael Looker said “Gondwana Link is part of The Nature Conservancy’s global priorities. The celebration today is an example of how a vision can be achieved through collaboration such as is being seen on this project,” Dr Looker said.
