New project helps landowners help birds

A new project aims to increase and enhance habitat on private land for two of the region’s most endangered birds—the Swift Parrot and the Regent Honeyeater.

Bush for Birds is a five-year project funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program managed and implemented by the North East Catchment Management Authority and delivery partners Trust for Nature.

Trust for Nature’s North East Regional Manager Will Ford said, "There are estimated to be only 400 Regent Honeyeaters left in the wild and we need to do all we can to make sure we don’t lose this iconic bird altogether.

That starts with looking after their habitat—preserving large old trees, managing weeds, controlling pest animals and revegetation."

Expressions of interest are open soon to identify landowners within the birds’ range who are interested in getting involved.

Grants are available for a range of habitat restoration, protection, and management activities like fencing, revegetation, weed control and ecological thinning.

Bush for Birds follows on from another project funded by the National Landcare Program which saw over 480 ha of endangered ecological communities protected and managed on private land.

Will said, "We’ve achieved some outstanding conservation results over the past few years, but there’s still a lot of work to do to reverse the decline of our most endangered species."

Bush for Birds will be launched on Sunday June 16 at North East Water’s decommissioned Barnawartha treatment plant, which was revegetated last year to provide habitat for the Regent Honeyeater.

It will include a community planting activity followed by a BBQ lunch and is a great opportunity for people to find out more about the project and contribute to Regent Honeyeater conservation in a practical way.

Trust for Nature is one of Australia’s oldest conservation organisations, established by an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1972 to protect habitat on private land.

It is a not-for-profit organisation that relies on the generosity of supporters to help protect Victoria’s biodiversity.

For more information or to register for the event, contact Will Ford on willf@tfn.org.au or 0418 300 959.