Kooragindi safeguarding woodland and wildlife at Koorawatha

Since then, the 100-acre property, dominated by Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests, has become a living classroom, a source of inspiration for Fiona’s art and a permanent refuge for threatened species.

Now protected under a NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust agreement, Kooragindi’s is living up to expectations.

Fiona’s interest in ecology began in high school biology and blossomed into a love of birdwatching, which eventually shaped her career as a wildlife artist.

John’s connection to nature grew through bushwalking, camping with his son Andrew, and participating in bird photography and tree-planting projects in the Capertee Valley.

Together, they’ve spent decades contributing to conservation across NSW through BirdLife Australia surveys, local Landcare projects, field days, exhibitions, and educational outreach.

“Our conservation property has been a wonderful resource,” Fiona explains.

“It’s allowed us to intensively study a western slopes woodland ecosystem over 17 years, through both drought and flood, and see firsthand the intricate web of connections between its many inhabitants.”

With support from our regional experts and grants, John and Fiona began their conservation work by fencing the property boundary to deter illegal wood collection and motorbike access, and safeguarding critical hollow-bearing trees.

Since then, their efforts have grown to include removing herbaceous weeds, planting natives to stabilise creek banks, and installing nest boxes for glossy black-cockatoos. They have also hosted field days with Landcare groups, Local Land Services, other conservation agreement-holders, BirdLife, and local birdwatching groups, and are currently involved in the Land Libraries Project, using wildlife cameras and sound monitoring to track species.

For more than 15 years, they have contributed valuable data to BirdLife’s Cowra Woodland Birds Program, supporting long-term monitoring of woodland bird populations.

Carefully recorded flora and fauna sightings, since 2008, have built an invaluable long-term dataset of biodiversity on their property and over that time, they have recorded more than 137 bird species and 180 native plant species on site.

It hasn’t been easy, and Fiona said feral pest control remained a challenge.

“We have both done training in vertebrate pest management to give ourselves the best chance possible of eradicating these introduced species,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we have seen a recent increase in fallow deer and browsing pressure on young plants.

“We have also seen the impacts of climate change, including severe drought that dried up a permanent spring-fed rock hole and lead to the loss of native fish.  

“And some key plant species, including mature Allocasuarinas, have died back in the extreme heat, affecting glossy black-cockatoo feeding.”

There have also been positive signs of resilience, including widespread germination in wetter years, declining rabbit numbers, and increases in wombats and some bird species.  

“Every visit to the property shows up something new, whether it’s a rare orchid discovery or a returning bird species.”

For Fiona and John, their in-perpetuity conservation agreement is about more than just their own patch of land, it’s about contributing to a wider culture of care. For them it’s brought personal benefits, including connection with like-minded landholders, access to expert advice, and the reassurance of knowing their efforts are part of something bigger.

“It’s increasingly important to show commitment to conservation as land clearing continues and climate change intensifies,” John said.

“Networking with people who share our values gives us a real sense of hope. It’s been a very positive experience for us.

“We know we’re helping conserve a rare ecological community with a suite of special animals and plants. We love it and we strongly encourage other landholders to consider a conservation agreement with the BCT. The advice, support and help along the way has been invaluable and the covenant ensures the land will be protected beyond our own time here, and that’s a wonderful legacy to leave.”

Kooragindi provides habitat for a wide range of threatened and vulnerable species, including:

• Glossy black-cockatoos (new feed trees and nest boxes).
• Squirrel gliders.
• Pink-tailed worm-lizards.
• A suite of declining woodland birds, including hooded robins, diamond firetails, turquoise parrots, and Gilbert’s whistlers.
• 32 species of native ground orchids and four carnivorous plant species.