Swift parrot and regent honeyeater project

So I'm here in the middle of the Central Coast
at the Central Coast Wetlands to look at a site
that has been funded by the Federal Government's
National Landcare Program.
That's just an amazing example
of how a community group
have come together
to plant trees to restore
habitat for the Swift Parrot and the Regent Honeyeater.
These two birds,
are what you call nomadic pollinators.
They’re highly mobile
vertebrate birds and bats
that can travel long distances on the wing
in search for flowering trees.
With these species being able to travel
such large distances,
they're able to pollinate large areas,
providing genetic diversity
into fragmented patches of vegetation.
Unfortunately, a lot of the nomadic pollinators
are either threatened or endangered.
So that's why it's important that we protect
existing habitat and revegetate new habitat
so they've got places to
come and visit in the future.
Central Coast Wetlands is a
crown land reserve located at Tuggerah,
one hour north of Sydney.
This property was a former
dairy farm
located on the Lower Wyong River floodplain.
This current project with Local Land Services
is looking at putting
in a mix of food plants
that provide
important food resources for nomadic pollinators.
Some of the key species
that we're putting in the ground
include Swamp Mahogany or eucalyptus robusta
which flowers in winter
when there's a shortage of flowering trees
and Spotted Gum or Corymbia Maculata,
which is also an important winter flowering tree.
The Pioneer Creek Project area is a former cow paddock.
It links to remnant habitat
that we've restored here about 15 years ago
and the outcomes that we've seen are phenomenal.
The area that was restored now supports a diverse
understory of native forbs and grasses,
and this is achieved
by shading out of the canopy trees,
which can be realised in short time frames
due to the rich alluvial soil
which supports excellent tree growth.
For this project,
we have
planted out our canopy trees
at least ten meters apart.
This supports the tree growth
which will increase rates of canopy development.
What that also leads to
in shorter time
periods is more profusely flowering.
Over time the canopy will develop
and the shade that's provided
will help block sunlight
and that will suppress growth
of the Kikuyu pastures.
To provide space for trees to grow
we spot spray circles with herbicide.
Once the grass has died back,
we dig a hole for the tree.
We plant the tree in the center of the hole.
As we fill in the soil around the tree,
I create a small furrow
that allows water to run to the plant roots zone.
Around the tree,
goes some newspaper
which acts as a mulch and suppresses
weight growth.
And we water well on planting.
We then support the tree
with a plastic reusable tree sleeve.
This helps
the tree on windy days
and provides some protection from herbivores
like the swamp wallaby
that grazes through this area.
During the establishment period,
the trees need to be maintained by light
hand weeding, brush cutting
or very careful reapplication of herbicide
around the tree
to prevent the Kikuyu grass from invading
and smothering the tree.
This light maintenance is important
until the tree grows above the surrounding grass tussocks.
So this paddock is
a really great example of Kikuyu pasture
being converted into a natural bushland.
It's still got a little way to go,
but as you can see by the trees around me,
it's well on its way
and it's really good to see such good work
that's being done in the community.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers
and the funding support
from Local Land Services,
we've created a new wildlife corridor.
It's an amazing feeling walking out here
with the volunteer group.
The trees are already above our head
and this project is in its infancy,
it's only a few years old.
We've got trees spot flowering
that we've only planted two years ago.
This place will always be here
for the community to come to,
and hopefully they'll also be able
to watch the Swift Parrot
and Regent Honeyeater
foraging the new habitat that we've created.
It's been an absolute pleasure
working with Jed and the team.
They've done such an amazing job
and it really makes me proud
to see such great results
for native species
and for the biodiversity of the Central Coast.
It's a really great achievement.
So if you've got a patch of
land like this that you know,
you're looking to rehabilitate
riparian area or plant trees and pasture,
please contact your Local Land Services office
and we can provide you advice
and the technical skills
to develop a project that's as good as this one.