Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Landcare
Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Landcare are planning to enhance the resilience of the Critically Endangered Lowland subtropical rainforest with over $44,000 of funding from the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants program.
Lowland subtropical rainforest was once one of Australia’s most extensive rainforests. The diversity of rainforest plants and the high nutritional content of their fruits and leaves provide the foundation for the high diversity of animals in the ecological community. It is characterised by a high proportion of frugivorous birds, epiphyte and litter foraging vertebrates, micro- and mega-chiropteran bats, and a broad range of invertebrate groups associated with the decomposition cycle (such as insects and snails). Remnants and regenerating patches of Lowland Rainforest provide important habitat and food resources for a range of fauna including many threatened species including Coxen’s Fig-parrot, Giant Barred Frog, Three-toed Snake-tooth Skink, Red-legged Pademelon and Richmond Birdwing Butterfly.
Karen Schmidt, Project Coordinator said, “Only very narrow patches of this community remain along our waterways due to clearance, grazing, development, land spillage, erosion and sedimentation and invasive weeds leaving them vulnerable to environmental threats such as bushfire.”
In response to these threats, the Strengthening Resilience initiative will focus on planting native species grown in local facilities by volunteers; delivering strategic weed control activities on Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) including biological control releases for Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) and Cats Claw Creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati) bred at our facility; and citizen science field events that will engage people in activities such as weeding, planting, seed collection, water monitoring and releasing biocontrol agents.
“Work in degraded upstream sectors of the catchment will have significant flow-on effects to downstream environs, from reducing weed reproductive material at the source, controlling erosion and reducing sediment flows downstream.”
“We would love to hear from landholders located in the upper catchment (Mooloolah Valley, Glenview and Diamond Valley) who are interested in improving their riparian areas, especially if they have riparian areas with lowland subtropical rainforest.” Karen said.
You can get in touch with Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Landcare at (07) 5494 5074 or 0412737866 www.mooloolahwaterwatchandlandcare.org