Wildcare Australia Inc
The 2019 bushfires, other natural events such as flooding and prolonged drought, and increased development in South-east Queensland has significantly reduced accessible natural areas for wildlife volunteers to source high quality native food to feed wildlife during their rehabilitation.
Wildcare Australia Inc secured over $44,000 from the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grant to address this issue.
There are currently only 6 small fodder plantations available to wildlife carers in the Gold Coast, Logan, Redlands, Scenic Rim, Brisbane and Ipswich areas, all of which are continually over-harvested due to the high demand on wildlife carers to rehabilitate the increasing number of wildlife coming into care each year.
This Project is planting 5,000 native trees in a fodder plantation, as part of a bushfire recovery plan, to provide wildlife carers with a necessary resource to enhance the recovery of native animal species by ensuring a high standard of care can be provided. The plantation will incorporate a wide range of locally found native trees including Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Banksia, Acacia and Grevilleas species, which will provide an essential food source for koalas, possums, Greater gliders, birds and flying foxes. Tools have been purchased to enable efficient maintenance and harvesting.
President Karen Scott said, “The plantation once finished and well-established, will provide an essential supply of native vegetation for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.”
The funds have provided advanced training in plantation maintenance and management for both wildlife volunteers, Landcare volunteers and the staff of Holcim (Australia) as landowners to ensure the Project flourishes and future harvesting is sustainable. https://wildcare.org.au/