Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C)
Bulimbah and Bartopia Nature Refuges, in the headwaters of the Yamahra Creek, is over 200 hectares of privately owned land which borders the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area Mt Barney National Park. The natural values of the Refuges have been heavily impacted by both the fire front and the preventative back-burning which took place in September 2019. The Refuges are prime habitat for threatened species, including the Koala, Spotted-tail Quoll and Glossy Black Cockatoo, and also the Semi-Evergreen Vine Thickets ecological community.
With $11,000 from the Landcare Led Bushfire Program, this project included 3 main activities to enable species to recover from the fire and consolidate existing recovery activities. Firstly, feral animal identification and trapping to address the on-going threat which has been compounded by the fire. Secondly, habitat augmentation using carved/artificial nest boxes and artificially constructed dens. Finally, in-kind contributions through a volunteer Landcare weekend, to undertake recovery activities such as weed control and citizen science.
A contractor undertook camera trapping to determine feral animal species present (fox, cat, wild dog, pig) followed by a species targeted trapping program. Feral species were evident in camera trap monitoring undertaken by B4C prior to the fires, impacting the Koala and Spotted-tail Quoll. However, in this project post fire, the Feral Animal program was cut short due to a lack of feral species detected which is good news for species recovery. Quoll Society of Australia also did some monitoring and found Greater Gliders with potential for Yellow Bellied Gliders and confirmed a lack of feral animals on the camera traps. B4C has now added recovery and resilience of the Greater Glider to the project.
A conservation arborist identified remaining high value habitat trees and will undertake habitat augmentation. Carved/artificial nest boxes for Glossy Black Cockatoo, artificially constructed dens for Spotted-tail Quoll and now carved boxes/hollows for Glider species will provide breeding sites to help increase species numbers. Citizen scientists will monitor occupancy rates of nest boxes. B4C has contacted a number of different people about the available research for quoll habitat augmentation. https://bulimbacreek.org.au/