Protecting the Mallee Birds Ecological Community

The Protecting Mallee Habitat for the Birds project takes place across 96,000 ha in the Southern Mallee NSW as a part of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion.

Project works include:  

• pest and weed management
• wildfire management
• revegetation
• community awareness campaigns.

Facts

• Mallee ecosystems take their name from the small, multi stemmed eucalypts which feature lignotubers (mallee roots) just below the soil surface.
• The mallee landscape is unique to Australia.

Program background

The Mallee Bird Community of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion is a collection of 20 native bird species that rely on mallee habitats for their survival.

Despite occurring in areas of low rainfall, high temperatures and low fertility sandy soils, mallee landscapes support diverse plants and animals.

The Mallee Bird Community has been in decline for decades. Many species in this community have seen fewer numbers and a smaller range. Without action, the ongoing decline is likely to continue, risking extinction.

Key threats include:

• loss of habitat  
• fire
• grazing pressure
• pest animal species
• invasive weeds.

Program objectives

The project will:

• restore and improve foraging and breeding habitats of priority bird species, such as:
  • malleefowl
  • striated grasswren
  • red‐lored whistler
  • jacky winter
  • regent parrot.
• support the long-term regeneration of the mallee birds habitat
• improve mallee bird population numbers in the areas.

Project delivery

This project will be taking place across 96,000 ha in the Southern Mallee NSW key biodiversity area of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion.  

The ecological knowledge of local Aboriginal communities is being incorporated into management of associated local threatened species and ecological communities at the site.  

Work includes:  

• planning and data collection
• assessing the condition of the Endangered Ecological Community (EEC)
• prioritising locations for protection and threat reduction
• establishing monitoring sites
• supporting landholders with property adjacent to reserves, to implement actions that extend and connect habitat
• implementing appropriate fire practices
• coordinated landscape-scale operations.  

Project timeline

2023–24:

• community and landholder education materials and awareness event.

2024–25:

• plant and animal surveys
• engaging landholders to participate in the project
• community awareness activities
• weed control
• pest animal control
• project outcomes reporting.

2025–26:

• weed control
• revegetation through direct seeding
• pest animal control.

2027–28:

• plant and animal surveys
• follow-up weed control
• fire management plans
• small ecological burn
• pest animal control
• project close (30 June 2028) and project outcomes reporting.

Work underway

Building on the success of the previous 12 months, a new year of activities commenced in July 2025, which includes:  

• removing weeds from 600 ha of Mallee Birds habitat
• holding a community training event
• revegetating 41 ha of Mallee Birds habit using direct seeding of native seed
• engaging Aboriginal people to conduct cultural heritage assessments
• controlling pest animals over an area of 28,000 ha using on-ground shooting
• controlling pest animals over an area of 180,000 ha using aerial shooting
• conducting pest animal surveys to monitor progress. 

How to get involved

Opportunities to get involved with this project through education and awareness events are shared through our regional Facebook page, regional newsletters, the LLS Events web page and local media.

Funding and partnerships

Local Land Services' key delivery partners are:

• NSW DCCEEW Biodiversity Conservation and Science Group
• local Aboriginal communities  
• private landholders and land managers.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Western Local Land Services, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel. All outcomes for this project are recorded in MERIT.