Nature care days offer a chance to reconnect with nature, contribute to meaningful ecological restoration and be part of making a long-term impact on our local environment. They provide an excellent opportunity for individuals, corporate and community groups to engage in hands on activities, immersed in nature that boost wellbeing and build relationships within teams.
On Friday 10 April, a group of 20 volunteers joined us at Reg Bond Reserve in Viveash to assist with monitoring of our Kweela Restoration Project. This long term planting project on land owned by the City of Swan, has focused on the creation of Memorial Groves, in association with our loyal partners, Bowra and O'Dea. These native trees will become a living legacy to loved ones lost, while also contributing to the restoration of lost habitats.
Located in an area of historically cleared grass parkland on the Swan River’s floodplain, our Kweela Restoration Project aims to connect existing pockets of native vegetation to create a corridor of riparian woodland. Our Perth restoration projects increasingly focus on wetlands, waterways and the riparian zones that surround them. Healthy wetlands and sparkling waterways shape our iconic landscape in WA and play a critical role in the fight against climate change. Rivers are the lifeline running through our landscapes, providing a shady place of sanctuary for people and wildlife.
This area is an important habitat for an extensive variety of native birds including endangered black cockatoos. At this location, we've focused on planting native species like Kweela (Swamp She-oak) Casuarina obesa, a vital food and habitat source for Black Cockatoos, and Moitch (Flooded gum) Eucalyptus rudis, which creates large nesting hollows. Other key plants include Boorarup (River Banksia) Banksia littoralis and Mohan Melaleuca viminea.
Volunteers from Engineers without Borders and the International Peace Youth Group conducted monitoring activities to record survival rates of plants from recent years. This monitoring data is essential to inform future project planning, helping our restoration manager to identify which species are best suited to this planting location. A warming climate and reducing rainfall means that careful species selection is critical to the ongoing success of our planting projects.
For more information about upcoming nature care days click here
