Get Involved

Successful management of the natural environment requires the active involvement of interested people in the community. Whether you have a large amount of land in a rural area, a small ‘lifestyle’ farm or a tiny plot in the city, you can help protect the environment and add interest to your surroundings.

Areas of existing natural vegetationmust be protected and managed. (Photo: S. Doyle)

National Parks only conserve part of the environment. Private lands are important in helping to conserve wildlife. Both conservation and landcare projects can work together to help increase food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, control soil erosion, improve water quality, absorb greenhouse gases and make the landscape a more attractive place to live. You can help look after the environment by protecting native habitat and revegetating with local native trees, shrubs and grasses.

Habitat means the environment where an organism lives for all or part of its life. Habitat loss in rural areas is a major cause of wildlife decline and it is still occurring. In a habitat, native vegetation is usually the most visible component of wildlife, but is only one part of a complex system.

However, native vegetation provides the structure necessary for the survival of other life forms. You can help protect native vegetation and improve habitat by;

Fencing native vegetation, rivers, wetlands and streams from stock. This allows native plants to grow, and in turn these provide habitat for useful insects, animals and birds.

Leaving dead trees standing, particularly those with hollows, as these provide homes for birds and animals such as possums. Allow leaf litter, fallen logs and branches to accumulate in habitat areas.

Controlling environmental weeds and feral animals such as rabbits, goats, and pigs. They compete with or eat the native vegetation. Pets and other feral animals such as cats and foxes also need to be managed to protect native animals using the habitat.

In many areas of South Australia the local landscape has been significantly altered through clearance, livestock grazing, changing fire regimes, road construction and other works. While we cannot return the landscape to its original state, enhancement of biodiversity is possible through revegetation using local native species.

To enhance biodiversity when planning revegetation;

Use a wide range of the species originally occurring in the area.

Link your project to others in your region, in your district and on your property. Create wide corridors to allow wildlife to move between cleared areas.

Bigger areas provide better habitat for wildlife than small areas.

Use block-shaped or round areas as these provide a more protected core than long, narrow areas.

Planting cleared areas with native vegetation provides new habitat for many plants and animals. (Photo: P. Green)

Try To Plant Back what was on the site before clearance; collect seeds from a site with the same physical characteristics as yours (ie soils, aspect of slope etc) and which is as close as possible to your site. Include endangered species in your planting, or plant communities that are rare in the area if these were part of the original habitat.

Manage the revegetated area by monitoring and keeping out pest plants and animals.

Urban Areas

Remember that many plants and animals also still survive in the habitat provided by our urban areas. If you live in a city or town, in addition to assisting conservation out in the bush, you can also become locally involved. There are several major threats to urban biodiversity. Land clearing has had a substantial impact. So too do nutrients. Australian plant life has adapted to our continent’s ancient, low nutrient soils. When detergents, sewage overflows and stormwater invade urban bush, these chemicals act as fertiliser, encouraging weeds to run rampant and suffocate native plants.

If you live in Adelaide a get involved local project for you can be found in the Get Involved section of the Urban Forest Biodiversity Program.

• Technical Advice and Assistance with Native Vegetation Management.
• Incentives for Wildlife Conservation.
• Funding for Bushland Restoration and Revegetation Grants.
• Education Resources: Teacher's Kit, Posters, Maps.
• Workshops and Training.
• Technical Information: Data, Maps, Research Reports.

Supported by the Natural Heritage Trust - Helping Communities Helping Australia.