Partnering with the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA)
The 2019-23 Regional Land Partnerships (RLP) Mallee Threatened Species Services program focuses on on-ground works to Reconnect Malleefowl Habitat to core areas within our region. This project invloves strategic revegetation works at priority sites such as the Hattah bush block, which adjoins the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, re-connecting fragmented habitat for Malleefowl populations.
The Mallee CMA through funding from the Australian Government’s Regional Land Partnerships program is working with us until 2023 with all aspects of the project. This includes all site preparation, rabbit control, weed control and the implementation of direct seeding, tubestock planting, and tubestock watering.
Greening Australia undertook the planting of all tubestock and tree guarding across the the bush block over the 2020/21 financial year. 2300 trees in total and 5kg of seed was planted and guarded in June 2021 and the majority of species planted were Eucalyptus coinciding with the existing (EVC) Ecological Vegetation Classes, Loamy Sands Mallee and Woorinen Sands Mallee.
Over the next 2 years revegetation, watering and pest animal control will continue to take place to continue reconnecting areas of habitat fragmentation, benefitting malleefowl for the future.
Visit the Mallee CMA website here.
Partnering with the National Malleefowl Recovery Team
The National Malleefowl Recovery Team will place cameras across the bush block as part of the Adaptive Management Predator Experiment (AMPE) project, which aims to determine the impact of introduced predators, particularly foxes, on malleefowl populations. Fox predation has been considered a major threat to malleefowl and fox baiting is a common management action for malleefowl conservation, but several recent studies have failed to find evidence that reducing foxes improves malleefowl breeding activity even after many years. However, uncertainties remain, and the AMPE is designed to more rigorously examine if there are benefits in fox baiting for malleefowl conservation.
The AMPE project is a paired experiment where baited (treatment) and unbaited (control) sites are monitored for predator activity and malleefowl breeding activity. Paired sites are usually located in the same geographic area and are similar in habitat type and structure. The AMPE project is currently establishing paired sites across Australia and acquiring data on the intensity of predator control (e.g. baiting effort). Predator activity is monitored using arrays of remote motion-sensor camera traps. Images are processed to assess the abundance of foxes, as well as other predators and herbivores that may affect malleefowl.
Visit the National Malleefowl Recovery Group website here.
Controlling pest animals and plants
There are a number of pest animals found on the bush block, including foxes, goats, rabbits, feral cats and wild pigs. we regularly carry out trapping, poisoning and ripping burrows to control these animals. We also spray and remove introduced plants.
