| Photo credit: Paul Shepherd The process for taking an ex-potato farm and turning it into a conservation estate is ill defined to say the least. This however is exactly what the Eungedup Management Group (EMG) has been planning behind closed doors for the last six months. “We’re like a duck - it may look like we’re just floating, but be assured, there’s some serious paddling going on underwater,” says Dr May Carter, Convenor of the EMG. We have now completed the Eungedup Masterplan and are putting the final polish on the long awaited Eungedup Management Plan. This 5-year plan will guide research, monitoring, education, operations and infrastructure at Eungedup. Prior to embarking on the management plan the EMG carried out community consultation to see what the community, particularly the donors, wanted for the future of Eungedup. The big take away was to not change things until you understand them. There are many things we don’t know yet. What are the environmental water requirements for the wetland? What will changing water levels do to the distribution of Typha? How much Typha is too much Typha? What will a drying climate and loss of Spring rains do to water levels? The primary issue is how do you manage something that you don’t fully understand? To navigate this the EMG has prioritised the low hanging fruit for on ground works. Weed control, feral management, bird hides, revegetation and bittern monitoring are fairly straight forward. For the more complex issues like water level management, we are implementing a monitoring program that fills in our knowledge gaps so we can make evidence-based decisions before we intervene in any processes. WICC would like to thank H & H Architects in Albany for donating their time (and patience) developing the Eungedup Masterplan. Inlet opening 2024 photo courtesy DWER The Nullaki (Wilson Inlet) sandbar has been opened! With conspicuously low rainfall (and therefore streamflow) for most of July and August this year, we almost thought it wouldn’t happen! However, by the end of August the minimum water level to manually breach the sandbar (0.7 mAHD) to manage flooding of surrounding low-lying areas had been reached. By mid-September the water level was approximately 0.9 mAHD. This meant that the time had come to open the sandbar. The inlet has been opened in this way for more than 100 years. In addition to managing flooding, many aspects of the inlet’s ecology now rely on regular openings of the sandbar. The spring tide on the 25 September presented the opportunity to open the inlet with the largest possible difference between the water level in the inlet and the ocean. This drives a strong flow when the bar is dug open, helping the channel to deepen and widen as much as possible. Water levels dropped from 0.88 mAHD to 0.37 mAHD within the first 5 days of opening with approximately 26 GL of water flowing into the ocean. Latest inlet level from old railway bridge Click here for latest inlet monitoring data Earlier this year the Bureau had predicted there was a good chance of higher-than-average winter / spring rainfall across our region. We saw a glimpse of this with a series of cold fronts in August which managed to fill most of the dams across the catchment. This coincided with a negative Southern Annular Mode which typically allows the Southern Ocean lows to reach our coast. September unfortunately returned to below average rainfall. Still, farmers on average are saying their hay and sileage paddocks are looking a bit better than last year’s shocker. Looking ahead the Bureau reckons there is a 50% chance of us having above average rainfall between October to December (didn’t really commit themselves to much there). Both of our main climate drivers are slightly negative which typically delivers more rain to our region. Community members sort seed that will be grown into cockie food. Black Cockatoos have experienced a 50% decline in population over the past 50 years across all three species—Forest Red-tailed, Carnaby’s, and Baudin’s. They face numerous threats, with the most significant being the clearing of native vegetation needed for foraging and nesting. Other threats include shooting, poaching, vehicles, competition for nesting hollows, and fire. Their favorite foods include banksias, hakeas, grubs from under bark, and most notably, marri seeds (honkey nuts)! Competition for nesting hollows poses a major challenge. Species that might outcompete them for these valuable spaces include bees, ducks, parrots, possums, and the increasing numbers of galahs and corellas. Suitable hollows for nesting typically take 150 years or more to form, making them highly sought-after real estate. While Red-tails tend to stay close to their breeding grounds, research shows that the two white-tailed cockatoo species migrate annually. Carnaby’s Cockatoos might forage in Bremer Bay or the Stirling Range during autumn and winter, then move to a large marri tree in Mt. Hallowell for breeding in spring and early summer. Baudin’s Cockatoos, after feeding in places like Collie, Dwellingup or the Walpole Wilderness, may return to nest in karri hollows around Denmark. Pairs mate for life and undergo courtship rituals each year, such as mutual preening before the breeding season. When choosing a new nesting hollow, if their previous one is unavailable, the female takes the lead in selecting it, with the male following along but having little input. With Lotterywest funding we have started a new cartoon, The Abby Carnaby Chronicles . We will follow the adventures of Abby and her partner Corey as they look to raise a family and navigate perils along the way. Each episode will be featured in the Denmark Bulletin (thanks Pat and Andrew) and be accompanied by an article which sheds light on what our beloved cockatoos are doing at that time of year and how the community can get involved. The cartoons are drawn by local artist, Claudia Simpson and articles written by local Zoologist, Tim Gamblin. All cartoons and articles will be fact checked by Birdlife Australia's, Dr Tegan Douglas who runs their Black Cockatoo programs. Cartoon by Claudia Simpson Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) is being touted as the next big thing. The logic is that we need to put a value on our natural environment and those that are responsible for managing that environment should be compensated for doing so. Natural capital refers to the world’s stocks of natural assets, including geology, soil, air, water, and all living things. It is envisaged that NCA will help farmers quantify and manage these assets, ultimately leading to more sustainable and profitable farming practices. As the agricultural sector in Australia faces increasing pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, and market demands, the concept of NCA is emerging as a vital tool for farmers. By adopting NCA, farmers can gain a clearer understanding of the value of their natural resources. For instance, soil health directly impacts crop yields and resilience to droughts, while healthy ecosystems can enhance pest control and pollination services. By measuring these aspects, farmers can make informed decisions that balance economic needs with environmental stewardship. In Australia, ‘Nature Positive’ legislation is being introduced with the intent of establishing NCA. Nature underpins our economic growth, but it is currently left out of the tools that businesses and governments use to inform their decisions. Various pilot programs have demonstrated the potential benefits of NCA. Many farmers that have participated in these initiatives have reported not only improved environmental outcomes but also enhanced financial returns. For example, integrating NCA into farm management plans can lead to better resource allocation, reduced input costs, and improved product quality. Moreover, as consumers increasingly demand sustainably produced food, NCA can provide a competitive edge in the marketplace.The Australian government and agricultural organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of NCA. Initiatives like the National Landcare Program support farmers in adopting practices that enhance natural capital, offering training and financial incentives. This collaboration between farmers, researchers, and policymakers is crucial in creating a framework that facilitates NCA implementation on a broader scale. However, many challenges remain. Many farmers may lack the tools or knowledge to effectively measure and manage their natural capital. To address this, ongoing education and accessible resources are essential. WICC is always open to new ideas, especially those that make farms more economical and sustainable. NCA may be the next big thing for Australian farmers to enhance sustainability while boosting their bottom lines? Time will tell. A key thing to watch, as with all new markets (carbon comes to mind), is that we must ensure that NCA benefits farmers and not just those that inevitably come in to profiteer on emerging markets. FORUM REGISTER HERE DONATE |
Photo credit: Paul Shepherd | |
The process for taking an ex-potato farm and turning it into a conservation estate is ill defined to say the least. This however is exactly what the Eungedup Management Group (EMG) has been planning behind closed doors for the last six months.
“We’re like a duck - it may look like we’re just floating, but be assured, there’s some serious paddling going on underwater,” says Dr May Carter, Convenor of the EMG. We have now completed the Eungedup Masterplan and are putting the final polish on the long awaited Eungedup Management Plan. This 5-year plan will guide research, monitoring, education, operations and infrastructure at Eungedup.
Prior to embarking on the management plan the EMG carried out community consultation to see what the community, particularly the donors, wanted for the future of Eungedup. The big take away was to not change things until you understand them.
There are many things we don’t know yet. What are the environmental water requirements for the wetland? What will changing water levels do to the distribution of Typha? How much Typha is too much Typha? What will a drying climate and loss of Spring rains do to water levels?
The primary issue is how do you manage something that you don’t fully understand? To navigate this the EMG has prioritised the low hanging fruit for on ground works. Weed control, feral management, bird hides, revegetation and bittern monitoring are fairly straight forward. For the more complex issues like water level management, we are implementing a monitoring program that fills in our knowledge gaps so we can make evidence-based decisions before we intervene in any processes.
WICC would like to thank H & H Architects in Albany for donating their time (and patience) developing the Eungedup Masterplan.
| |
Inlet opening 2024 photo courtesy DWER | |
The Nullaki (Wilson Inlet) sandbar has been opened!
With conspicuously low rainfall (and therefore streamflow) for most of July and August this year, we almost thought it wouldn’t happen! However, by the end of August the minimum water level to manually breach the sandbar (0.7 mAHD) to manage flooding of surrounding low-lying areas had been reached.
By mid-September the water level was approximately 0.9 mAHD. This meant that the time had come to open the sandbar. The inlet has been opened in this way for more than 100 years. In addition to managing flooding, many aspects of the inlet’s ecology now rely on regular openings of the sandbar.
The spring tide on the 25 September presented the opportunity to open the inlet with the largest possible difference between the water level in the inlet and the ocean. This drives a strong flow when the bar is dug open, helping the channel to deepen and widen as much as possible. Water levels dropped from 0.88 mAHD to 0.37 mAHD within the first 5 days of opening with approximately 26 GL of water flowing into the ocean.
| |
Earlier this year the Bureau had predicted there was a good chance of higher-than-average winter / spring rainfall across our region. We saw a glimpse of this with a series of cold fronts in August which managed to fill most of the dams across the catchment. This coincided with a negative Southern Annular Mode which typically allows the Southern Ocean lows to reach our coast. September unfortunately returned to below average rainfall. Still, farmers on average are saying their hay and sileage paddocks are looking a bit better than last year’s shocker. Looking ahead the Bureau reckons there is a 50% chance of us having above average rainfall between October to December (didn’t really commit themselves to much there). Both of our main climate drivers are slightly negative which typically delivers more rain to our region. | |
Community members sort seed that will be grown into cockie food. | |
Black Cockatoos have experienced a 50% decline in population over the past 50 years across all three species—Forest Red-tailed, Carnaby’s, and Baudin’s. They face numerous threats, with the most significant being the clearing of native vegetation needed for foraging and nesting. Other threats include shooting, poaching, vehicles, competition for nesting hollows, and fire. Their favorite foods include banksias, hakeas, grubs from under bark, and most notably, marri seeds (honkey nuts)!
Competition for nesting hollows poses a major challenge. Species that might outcompete them for these valuable spaces include bees, ducks, parrots, possums, and the increasing numbers of galahs and corellas. Suitable hollows for nesting typically take 150 years or more to form, making them highly sought-after real estate.
While Red-tails tend to stay close to their breeding grounds, research shows that the two white-tailed cockatoo species migrate annually. Carnaby’s Cockatoos might forage in Bremer Bay or the Stirling Range during autumn and winter, then move to a large marri tree in Mt. Hallowell for breeding in spring and early summer. Baudin’s Cockatoos, after feeding in places like Collie, Dwellingup or the Walpole Wilderness, may return to nest in karri hollows around Denmark.
Pairs mate for life and undergo courtship rituals each year, such as mutual preening before the breeding season. When choosing a new nesting hollow, if their previous one is unavailable, the female takes the lead in selecting it, with the male following along but having little input.
With Lotterywest funding we have started a new cartoon, The Abby Carnaby Chronicles. We will follow the adventures of Abby and her partner Corey as they look to raise a family and navigate perils along the way. Each episode will be featured in the Denmark Bulletin (thanks Pat and Andrew) and be accompanied by an article which sheds light on what our beloved cockatoos are doing at that time of year and how the community can get involved. The cartoons are drawn by local artist, Claudia Simpson and articles written by local Zoologist, Tim Gamblin. All cartoons and articles will be fact checked by Birdlife Australia's, Dr Tegan Douglas who runs their Black Cockatoo programs.
| |
Cartoon by Claudia Simpson | |
Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) is being touted as the next big thing. The logic is that we need to put a value on our natural environment and those that are responsible for managing that environment should be compensated for doing so. Natural capital refers to the world’s stocks of natural assets, including geology, soil, air, water, and all living things. It is envisaged that NCA will help farmers quantify and manage these assets, ultimately leading to more sustainable and profitable farming practices.
As the agricultural sector in Australia faces increasing pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, and market demands, the concept of NCA is emerging as a vital tool for farmers. By adopting NCA, farmers can gain a clearer understanding of the value of their natural resources. For instance, soil health directly impacts crop yields and resilience to droughts, while healthy ecosystems can enhance pest control and pollination services. By measuring these aspects, farmers can make informed decisions that balance economic needs with environmental stewardship.
In Australia, ‘Nature Positive’ legislation is being introduced with the intent of establishing NCA. Nature underpins our economic growth, but it is currently left out of the tools that businesses and governments use to inform their decisions. Various pilot programs have demonstrated the potential benefits of NCA. Many farmers that have participated in these initiatives have reported not only improved environmental outcomes but also enhanced financial returns. For example, integrating NCA into farm management plans can lead to better resource allocation, reduced input costs, and improved product quality. Moreover, as consumers increasingly demand sustainably produced food, NCA can provide a competitive edge in the marketplace.The Australian government and agricultural organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of NCA. Initiatives like the National Landcare Program support farmers in adopting practices that enhance natural capital, offering training and financial incentives. This collaboration between farmers, researchers, and policymakers is crucial in creating a framework that facilitates NCA implementation on a broader scale.
However, many challenges remain. Many farmers may lack the tools or knowledge to effectively measure and manage their natural capital. To address this, ongoing education and accessible resources are essential.
WICC is always open to new ideas, especially those that make farms more economical and sustainable. NCA may be the next big thing for Australian farmers to enhance sustainability while boosting their bottom lines? Time will tell. A key thing to watch, as with all new markets (carbon comes to mind), is that we must ensure that NCA benefits farmers and not just those that inevitably come in to profiteer on emerging markets.
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