Naturaliste Habitat Corridor

Wildlife corridors are connections across the landscape which link up areas of habitat. They support natural processes which occur in a healthy environment, including the movement of species to find resources such as food and water.

We’re on a mission to plant 8,000 trees and plants across the culturally and ecologically important Naturaliste Habitat Corridor.

The Naturaliste Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Plan recommends around 200 species to re-establish the flora species of the original, pre-settlement riparian area.

ABOUT THE CORRIDOR

Where once ancient Banksia and giant Tuart woodlands stood and the critically endangered western ringtail possum, black cockatoo and hairy marron frolicked, is a degraded and dirty stream. The Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Project rehabilitates a culturally and ecologically significant riparian area and creates much needed habitat for endangered species.

Background

The Naturaliste Habitat Corridor is a degraded riparian area which flows across the Naturaliste Estate and into Station Gully Drain (Anniebrook Creek) which then drains into the historically and ecologically important Toby Inlet at Anniebrook, WA.

The Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Project seeks to restore the vital natural stream, provide habitat for rare and endangered native flora and fauna and improve the water quality flowing into Station Gully Drain.

Erosion, salinisation, compaction, acidification, over clearing and over grazing have caused substantial water problems within the stream and soil, food and nutrition problems in the paddocks surrounding the Corridor.

The Naturaliste Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Project (NHCRP) seeks to restore the natural stream which flows though the Naturaliste Estate, improve the water quality flowing into Station Gully Drain and create a wildlife corridor for the estimated 25 species of indigenous fauna once abundant in the stream.

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Objectives

Through the innovative synthesis of topography, hydrology and vegetation, the project transforms a degraded riparian corridor into a 4.5 hectare “living filter” designed to:

Restore a rich and diverse ecosystem which provides habitat for indigenous species, some of which are endangered or threatened,
enable public access to the Corridor and the wildlife habitat through the use of paths, duck boarding and observation decks,
serve as a valuable model for sustainable riparian corridor regeneration within the private sector, and
promote environmental stewardship, community connection and education, especially for school-age children.

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Ecological context

The southwest of Western Australia is a biogeographic region noted as one of only 36 biodiversity hotspots on Earth.

Recognising that wetland and aquatic habitats hold the greatest conservation significance for the Cape Naturaliste eco-region, restoration of the Habitat Corridor has historical and cultural relevance in this new era of eco-consciousness.

The 50 hectares of paddocks surrounding the extended stream is now considered a wetland however, in pre-colonial days, the promiscuous flooding of what is now livestock pasture only happened in periods of exceptionally high rainfall.

Re-habilitating the original colonial-era stream will prevent the “wetland” flooding of surrounding paddocks and result in the re-establishment of the great diversity of habitat zones and elements once resident within the stream.

This variety of habitats will support a diverse range of fauna and flora known to be, or thought to be, in the area.

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Threatened Species Protection

The Corridor Rehabilitation Project is working to protect many unique species currently at risk in the Cape Naturaliste region.

Threatened native fish species are also a focus as an indicator of the ecological health of waterways that feed into Station Gully Drain and, ultimately, Toby Inlet.

The high prevalence of rare and endemic fauna and flora in the Cape Naturaliste area emphasises the need to restore habitat corridors and preserve remaining stands of intact vegetation communities.

Through partnerships with State government agencies, local government and organisations such as Toby Inlet Catchment Group, Cape to Cape Catchments Group, Southwest Australian Floristic Region Association and Birdlife WA, the rehabilitation project encourages hands-on engagement with the local Cape Naturaliste community.

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Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

FAUNA KNOWN TO BE IN THE AREA

Western Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentale).
Quenda or Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus),
Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecular),
Brush-tailed Phascogale or Wambenger (Phascogale tapoatafa),
Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus).
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa),
Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata), Musk Duck (Biziura lobata),
Black Swan (Cygnus atratus),
Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis spiniocollis),
Darter (Anhinga melanogaster),
White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae),
Western Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dorsalis),

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Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

Moaning Frog (Heleioporus eyrei),
Motorbike Frog (Litoria moorei),
Slender Tree Frog (Litoria adelaidensis),
Hairy marron (Cherax tenuimanus),
Gilgies (Cherax quinquecarinatus)

FAUNA THOUGHT TO BE IN THE AREA

Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster),
Chuditch or Western Quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii), and
Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus concinnus).

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Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

FLORA

The area supports a highly diverse range of flora species and many occurrences of declared rare flora, including a number of orchids. These include critically endangered species such as the Dunsborough spider orchid (Caladenia visidescens).
There are also a number of flora species endemic to Cape Naturaliste including, the area emblem, the bottlebrush Calothamnus graniticus subsp. Graniticus, plus the “Majestic Six”, the six famous forest giants:

Corymbia calophylla (Marri) formally known as Eucalyptus calophylla,
Eucalyptus diversicolor (Karri),
Eucalyptus gomphocephala (Tuart),
Eucalyptus jacksonii (Red Tingle),
Eucalyptus marinata (Jarrah), and
Eucalyptus patens (Yarri).

The high prevalence of rare and endemic fauna and flora in the Cape Naturaliste area emphasises the need to restore habitat corridors and preserve remaining stands of intact vegetation communities.

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Would you like to help restore the Habitat Corridor? How about sponsoring a tree? It’s a fantastic way to create diverse “neighbourhoods” of native flora within the native stream and provide habitat for beloved endangered species.

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Naturaliste Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Plan (NHCRP)

We believe in common sense environmentalism – protecting photosynthesis processes, regenerative farming, natural habitats, wildlife, sustaining ecosystems, clean waterways and preventing pollution.

The Naturaliste Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Plan (NHCRP) is a scaled drawing of ecological rehabilitation showing, in specific terms, how to build a “living water filter” and wildlife habitat.

In order to fully understand the existing conditions within the stream, and knowing that effective and meaningful intervention requires sufficient data about the existing underlying stream conditions, a thorough analysis has been conducted by a leading ecological consultant and affiliated consultants.

Out of this analysis has emerged a plan to rehabilitate and manage the Naturaliste Habitat Corridor using an integrated approach.

You can download the Naturaliste Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation Plan here, but in summary it addresses:

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Hydrology
A new meandering watercourse to improve hydrological function. A series of cleansing pools within an expanded stream corridor organised by embankments and low, undulating depressions designed to treat polluted water entering the stream.
Topography
A system of embankments and depressions directs water flow. Incorporating fill from the surrounding livestock paddocks, the entire Habitat Corridor zone is carefully graded and shaped into contours creating a terrain of banks and depressions.

The stream waterways serve to remove pollutants through settlement, aeration and bio-processing, allow retention for aquifer recharge and highlight the different modalities of water as it moves down the stream.

The embankments also serve to buffer the surrounding paddocks from flooding, making residential and equine construction possible.
Vegetation
Native plantings cleanses stream water and create habitat. Across this undulating landscape, the strategic placement of indigenous flora species reflects aesthetic, historical, ecological and climatic considerations.

An emphasis on region-specific vegetation supports the re-establishment of diverse plant communities which existed prior to colonial land clearing and encourages colonisation by indigenous and endangered wildlife.

Very specific plant selection re-creates the original pre-colonial stream environment: together with topographical variety, differentiation of species into groupings creates the ideal habitat for fauna indigenous to the Cape Naturaliste region to flourish.

Naturaliste Habitat Corridor

ABOUT THE CORRIDOR

Background

Objectives

Ecological context

Threatened Species Protection

Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

Threatened Species Protection (cont..)

Hydrology

Topography

Vegetation

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