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Partnership combines traditional practices & modern science to save endangered turtles
High intensity bushfires around Deepwater National Park, south of Agnes Waters in Queensland last year, have this year created an inviting environment for red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).
Southern Queensland Landscapes Senior Project Manager, Tom Garrett said the clearing of undergrowth has made it easier for foxes to hunt small lizards and birds; and ultimately turned the area into a favourite hunting place for predators including foxes, wild cats (Felis cactus) and dogs (Canis lupus).
“As more foxes and other predators move into the area and increase pressure on food resources , the foxes begin to disperse and it doesn’t take too long for them to find the Marine turtle nests,” Tom Garrett said.
Port Curtis Coral Coast country includes beaches and islands that are some of the most important marine turtle nesting sites in Queensland, supporting significant breeding populations of the endangered loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), the vulnerable green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the vulnerable flatback turtle (Natator depressus).
Tom and conservation detector dog Rocky, have been working with the Gidarjil Bundaberg Land and Sea Rangers for about six years now helping identify, map and control pests in the Port Curtis Coral Coast Native Title region.
The Gidarjil Rangers look after the area totaling 46,000km2 (22,000km2 land & 26,000km2 sea); and caring for Country and protecting threatened species is their focus, combining traditional knowledge, practices and Lore with western science to do so.
“Rocky will find an active den and then the Gidarjil Rangers will go in and have a look at the site and decide how to coordinate control efforts,” Mr Garrett said.
“My aim is to empower the Gidarjil Rangers to make the commercial pest work in the region their own,” he said.
Gidarjil Sea Ranger Coordinator, Saranne Giudice said Tom has been training the Sea Rangers to undertake innovative and strategic control activities.
“This includes fox den detection with conservation detector dog ‘Rocky’, fox den mapping, fumigation and the implementation of any other appropriate control methods,” Saranne Giudice said.
“The aim of the joint project is to support the survival and recovery of marine turtle clutches and hatchlings by reducing predation by the introduced red fox,” Ms Giudice said.
“The rangers are really proud to be undertaking this project with Tom, Rocky and SQ Landscapes to reduce the pressure on endangered marine turtle clutches and other native species in the Port Curtis Coral Coast Native Title area,” she said.
While Tom is the teacher, he said he is always learning.
“I’ve learnt heaps from the Gidarjil Rangers. They share their traditional knowledge with me. We have conversations about cultural burning, native animals in the landscape and their stories and totems. I’ve learned through stories about how they are attached to land and sea,” Tom Garrett explained.
“The relationship I have with the Gidarjil Rangers is great; they keep in close contact with me for advice and mentoring in pest management and our combined work has helped the group secure a commercial contract this year with the Bundaberg Regional Council, which is fantastic,” Mr Garrett said.
“And for me, I take a lot of the knowledge about Country the Gidarjil Rangers have taught me and apply it to other projects throughout the Southern Queensland Landscapes region. It really is a very symbiotic relationship that we have developed, and combined it truly drives flourishing landscapes,” he said.
LEARN MORE:
https://www.gidarjil.com.au/
This project is funded through the Australian Governments Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants Program.
Marine turtle eggs destroyed by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) along the beach.
Senior Project Officer Tom Garrett and conservation detector dog Rocky near Deepwater National Park.
Senior Project Officer Tom Garrett works with the Gidarjil Bundaberg Land and Sea Rangers using technology to track Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).
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The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”
Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.