<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jul/10/plains-wanderer-bird-engangered-species-australia>
"The wide, dry grasslands of north-west Victoria are home to one of Australia’s
rarest birds. Graziers who have lived alongside the elusive animal for
generations have joined forces with conservationists to keep the species alive.
Bill McGillivray’s family has owned property on the Patho Plains in
north-central Victoria for more than 70 years.
“My father and partner bought the property in the late 40s just after the
second world war and they had about 12,000 acres,” the 80-year-old says. “They
sold it off, but I’ve still got the original block they started with.”
Of the 1,400 hectares (about 3,500 acres) that McGillivray owns, he says there
are parts that have been grazed by sheep and cattle but have not otherwise been
touched. That has left the native mix intact, which makes it an ideal habitat
for the critically endangered plains-wanderer.
In 2016, McGillivray and his wife, Sandra, permanently protected 137 hectares
of their grasslands through the conservation organisation Trust for Nature
after the birds were recorded on the property through the use of song meters.
Now, the couple plans on adding 236 hectares more to the covenant.
The north-west area manager of Trust for Nature, David Dore, says an estimated
500 to 1,000 hectares of Murray Valley grasslands continue to be lost every
year due to cropping and pasture improvement, so securing the remaining patches
is critical to the long-term integrity of the endangered ecosystem.
“We are very excited about it,” he says. “This is known prime habitat for the
plains-wanderer, validated through song meter recordings over many years and
regular nocturnal surveys.”
Conservation covenants result in a permanent, legally binding agreement to
prevent activities that might damage native habitat such as intensive cropping
or development. The covenant is registered on the property title and protects
the plains-wanderer habitat even when the land changes ownership."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
