update

Volume 10, Issue 4

MALLEE

Bushcare in the Murray Mallee

The Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association will run a revegetation workshop that will cover seed collection, revegetation
and 'Bushcare' techniques at Karoonda Parklands on April 21st.

The workshop will be presented by Matt Rose from Natural State and will contribute to the management and conservation of the
Parklands through practical 'Bushcare' sessions on site. A number of significant species are found at this site including Pterostylis
cycnocephala (Swan-hooded greenhood), Santalum murrayanum (Bitter Quandong) and Westringia eremicola (Slender Westringia).

In 2006, the Karoonda Parklands Vegetation Management Plan was developed detailing work to be carried out. Priority weed
control as highlighted in the Plan has been undertaken and continues. Fencing to restrict access of motorbikes and eliminate
dumping of rubbish will be erected in the near future. Pest animal control is also planned for the future.

For more information contact Rowena Danks at mmlap@internode.on.net. If you

would like to attend the revegetation workshop please RSVP to MMLAP by April 6th.

Pterostylis cycnocephala
(Swan-hooded greenhood)
From Karoonda Parklands Vegetation
Management Plan by Jeremiah J Smith
What's inside
Saltbush - Good for farm and biodiversity

Karoonda Farm Fair

Short-beaked Echidnas

PIRSA Forestry and Climate Change

Fencing of Remnant Vegetation Habitat 141- Outback to the Ocean
Funding still available
Bushy Tales

Protecting existing remnant vegetation is the most important action in Ngaut Ngaut Tour
arresting the decline in native vegetation in the Murray Mallee. It can also
play a major role in improving connectivity of fragmented vegetation. Carbon Accounting
Currently the MMLAP still has a substantial amount of funding available
for fencing remnant vegetation.

Fencing rates are up to $1500/km, and all works must be completed by

15th June 2009.

If you have any remnant vegetation that you would like to fence off to
protect from grazing pressure please contact the MMLAP as soon as
possible on 8531 2066 and we will be more than happy to discuss
funding options with you. www.malleefutures.org.au
Saltbush: Good for your farm and for biodiversity

Saltbush plantings for fodder are an increasingly common

feature of mixed farming enterprises in the SA Murray Darling
Basin. Once established, these plantings can supplement existing
systems by helping to reduce the summer-autumn feed gap. In
addition to the production benefits, saltbush plantings can also
contribute to sustainable land management by reducing erosion
and soil degradation. These plantings also provide suitable
habitat for a range of native animals, including birds, reptiles
and insects. However, few studies have looked into which of our
native animals are able to use saltbush areas as part of their life
cycles.

In order to determine which animals are using saltbush plantings,

a collaborative project has started between the Department of
Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, Rural Solutions SA
and South Australian Research and Development Institute. This
project aims to investigate the potential of Oldman and Eyre's
Green saltbush plantings to provide resources for native fauna
and beneficial insects across the Murray Mallee. The project
combines mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
with on-ground assessments of bird and insect populations in
areas of saltbush, annual pasture and native vegetation. Orange Chats (circled), photo by PIRSA (Stuart Collard)

Initial surveys in Spring 2009 showed that a wide range of birds and insects
use these saltbush plantings. Some bird species even nested and successfully
raised their chicks in the saltbush. In particular, large numbers of shrub-loving
Orange Chats (see photo) and White-fronted Chats were found in all sampled
saltbush sites around Lameroo and Pinnaroo. Mixes of bird species in saltbush
were different from those in pastures and vegetation, suggesting that saltbush
systems can contribute in a positive way to the mix of land uses needed to
maintain sustainable and profitable farming landscapes.

In addition to a diverse range of birds, a number of interesting invertebrates

were also trapped in saltbush plantings. Of particular interest were beneficial
generalist predators like the native ladybirds and parasitic native wasps (see
photo) that can help control thrips and bugs (e.g. Rutherglen bug) that are
known agricultural pests.

This project is intended to contribute to the information available to land

managers on how they can manage their fodder shrub plantings in order to
maximise production benefits as well as provide positive biodiversity outcomes.

Ceranisus sp1 Photo by SARDI (Glenys Wood) For more information, see our display at the Karoonda Farm Fair or contact
Stuart Collard, collard.stuart@saugov.sa.gov.au

Karoonda Farm Fair - 3rd & 4th April 2009

The Murray Mallee LAP will again be attending the Karoonda Farm Fair, this year you will find us in the NRM
tent. If you have any questions or enquires you feel the MMLAP may be able to assist you with please don't
hesitate to drop by our stand.

While at the MMLAP stand you can also participate in the ‘Python Path’. There are some great prizes to be won.
Short-beaked Echidnas Tachyglossus aculeatus
Together with the Platypus, Echidnas are the world's only egg laying mammals.
They are known as Monotremes. There are two species of Echidna: the Long-
beaked Echidna which lives in the highlands of New Guinea and the Short-beaked
Echidna found in almost all Australian environments and lowland New Guinea.

Echidnas vary in colour depending on the climate and habitat, ranging from light
brown in northern regions to black in Tasmania. They weigh between 2kg and 5kg
and are about 30 – 45cm in length.

Female echidnas lay a single egg which is transferred directly into the pouch. It is
there for about 10 days before it hatches. When the baby echidna hatches it is
about the size of a cooked grain of rice and weighs 200 milligrams. Baby echidnas
are called puggles. When the puggle grows, becoming too big for the pouch and developing spines, the mother echidna will make
a burrow. She leaves the puggle there while she searches for food, returning to the burrow every few days to feed the puggle. One
of the most important things in the summer months is not to translocate echidnas. Females have young in burrows and will travel
great distances to get back to them. This is when they get hit by cars or killed by dogs. The young are weaned and emerge from the
nursery burrows by the end of February.

Echidnas do not like the heat so during the warmer months of the year they do most of their foraging at night time. They prefer to
feed on termites and ants, though they will eat beetles, worms and other invertebrates. They have the ability to lower their body
temperature, slow down their metabolism and reduce their breathing. They are also good swimmers.

Although studying Echidnas began over 200 years ago, there was little recorded about their basic biology and life history in the wild
until the early 1990s. Even today there are still many things unknown to scientists and researchers about them. Research is still being
undertaken to learn more about the life of Echidnas in their natural habitat.

Pelican Lagoon Research and Wildlife Centre, located on Kangaroo Island, has established an echidna watch program which helps
scientists to determine their numbers, location and if they are becoming threatened. You can download a copy of the Echidna Watch
survey form at www.echidna.edu.au/monotremes/echidna_watch.html or contact us here at MMLAP and we can arrange to send
you a copy. Information received through the Echidna Watch Program is of great benefit to the scientists and they appreciate your
participation in the program.
Emily Hall
Information thanks to www.echidna.edu.au, www.australianfauna.com/echidna.php, www.faunarescue.org.au/echidna.html and
photograph by courtesy of Aimee Linke, Mid Murray LAP

How is PIRSA Forestry managing

the risk of climate change?
As you may have noticed trees are a little different to your average
agricultural crop! While agricultural scientists are working hard to produce
crop and pasture varieties that are able to survive on less water and are
tolerant of frosts and other climate issues, forest scientists have been
assessing the long term prospects of tree species around the state. However
the long growth cycle of trees makes this a complex operation, not only
because we don't know what the weather will be doing in 10 or 30 years,
but also because breeding new varieties is a long term process.
Amy Ho amongst 2 year old Eucalyptus loxophleba near Yumali

PIRSA Forestry has involvement with several projects measuring the growth, survival and form of a variety of tree species and
provenances. One project involves the trialling of mallee species within the Karoonda, Parrakie and Yumali area of the Murray
Mallee Region of South Australia. These trials were established in 2006 and test seven potential mallee species with the objective of
determining the most suitable species for this region.

Forests have also been identified as a critical part of the climate change solution. Therefore mallees and other trees integrated into
farming systems or planted on previously cleared land can be effective in providing shade and shelter for crops and stock,
sequestering atmospheric carbon, and diversifying farm income, with potential markets such as activated carbon, carbon credits,
eucalypt oil and bioenergy. These forests also have an important role in Natural Resources Management including biodiversity
enhancement, salinity abatement, erosion control, and addressing rising water tables and water quality.

For further information or enquires please contact: Dale Wenham, Forest Officer 8463 6363 or 0427 003 797
wenham.dale@saugov.sa.gov.au, www.pir.sa.gov.au
Habitat 141 – Outback to the Ocean
Habitat 141- A large scale project which aims to connect
and restore ecosystems across the SA/VIC border from its
southern end up past the Murray River and eventually up
into NSW, has been in the process of development since
2006. A range of conservation and land management
groups, landholders, organisations and agencies are
joining to support the program in both Victoria and South
Australia. The aim of the project is to bring together all of
these groups and to ensure a coordinated effort and the
most effective landscape scale biodiversity outcomes.

The Habitat 141 region has been divided into

management zones of which there are currently four
active. The majority of the MMLAP region sits within the
4th zone of this project, along with the Victorian
equivalent across the border. The ongoing Conservation
Action Planning process has begun in this zone, which
has helped to guide the first stages of on ground actions
and research.

Restoration works underway in the MMLAP area

One objective that has come out of the Zone 4 CAP
process is to; Improve condition & extent for each
landscape component (Triodia & shrubby dunes, open
swale) of Woorinen Fragmented Malllee system (Billiat to
Bakara, Murray Sunset to Big Desert) to achieve viable
populations of characteristic fauna by 2018' In an effort
to achieve this objective, a project aimed at improving
condition and extent of the Triodia and Shrubby Dune
components of the Woorinen Mallee is currently being
run by the Woorinen Recovery Team (Murray Mallee Local
Action Planning Association, Department of Environment
and Heritage, the South Australian Murray Darling Basin
Natural Resources Management Board and Rural
Solutions).

Through the Northern Murray Mallee Landscape Restoration Trial undertaken since 2006 (Nigel Willoughby, DEH) it has been
identified that, although existing vegetation is in reasonable condition, the birds species it supports are declining and increasing
extent of this vegetation may help to support species such as the Southern Scrub Robin.

Work has begun to revegetate dunes that not only will assist in increasing extent of this priority vegetation, but will also trial
several different treatments for establishing revegetation on dunes which can sometimes be challenging. Protection of existing
vegetation through fencing has also begun. Management plans and monitoring of vegetation condition and response to these
works will also be carried out through this project.
This project is funded until June 30th, 2009 by the SAMDBNRM Board with support from DEH. We hope to be secure funding to
continue it past this date for a long term valuable project that will improve the extent and condition of this valuable habitat.

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Thank you
Bushy Tails Tales from the Flora Fella
Bunnies going berserk!
You don't need me to tell you that rabbits do a lot of damage to
agriculture (>$100m per year) and our environment. Research coming
out of the Animal and Plant Control Group in the Dept of Water Land
and Biodiversity Conservation is showing that it only takes one rabbit per
survey kilometre to reduce Mulga (Acacia aneura) regeneration by 50% in
arid South Australia. Plus what's more, the same group are also finding
the calici-virus (RHD) also may “wearing-off” – and there appear to be a
lot more rabbits around in the region at the moment to support that idea!

I know many of you are seeing the same thing and already on to it, but if
you are looking after any scrub (or any land, for that matter), undertaking any revegetation or regeneration, then you must at
least control rabbits or you will be wasting your time. Please also remember that rabbits are only one contributor to grazing
pressure and the other “contributors” need to also be managed – but rabbits are the main one.

Don't rely on tree-guards either, unless all other control options are exhausted. Tree-guards are extremely costly and can
actually help damage or kill seedlings if the wrong sort is used (eg “cooking” over summer). They also don't actually fix the
problem, as the grazing pressure on the general area continues to affect natural regeneration, weed infestation and soil
condition.

Pest and weed control (grazing and competition control) are your best form of revegetation - by encouraging natural
regeneration. Rabbit control should also go hand-in-hand with fox control, especially if you don't want hungry foxes to pick on
Malleefowl or other endangered native animals.
If you need more advice or assistance on this matter, please see your friendly neighbourhood authorised Officer from the SA
Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board.

Cheers, Phil Barron, Rural Solutions

Ngaut Ngaut Tour

On the 18th of March, 30 people attended the MMLAP tour of Ngaut Ngaut
Conservation Park, south of Nildottie on the Murray River.

Our guides, Cynthia and Lynn, took us through the park. Along the cliff tops, we saw
remains of middens used by the Nganguraku people. We learnt of the treks made up and
down this steep cliff many years ago and were appreciative of the stairs and boardwalk
that the Ngaut Ngaut team had built. Back down at the river's edge we saw the women's
and the men's campsites at the base of the cliffs. Cynthia explained the meanings of the
carvings at the site and their importance for education, marking of sacred sites, and for
recording directions and information. She showed us the layers of soil that held the tools,
seeds and ash from the many years that the Nganguraku people camped there.

The tour was jam packed with information and 'Booey' the resident emu
entertainment. The MMLAP would like to thank
Cynthia and Lynn and the rest of the Ngaut Ngaut
team (including 'Booey' the Emu), for welcoming us
Back down the stairs as we look out over
to the park and for openly and enthusiastically
the River
sharing the story of the Nganguraku people and
Ngaut Ngaut.

If you would like more information about Ngaut

Ngaut please contact Cynthia on 8570 1202. It is
well worth a visit. Bookings are essential.

Cythia talks about the carvings at Ngaut Ngaut

 MMLAP Committee Membership
Carbon Accounting
Old Revegetation Sites and Woodlots Rod Brown (Chairperson/ Public Officer)
Lameroo ph: 8577 4033

Damien Berger (Vice Chairperson)

Karoonda ph: 8578 6066

Karen Payne (Secretary)

Galga ph: 8121 2806

Rex Spinley (Treasurer)

Karoonda ph: 8184 8928

Barry Manuel
Mindarie ph: 8578 7018

Neville Pfeiffer
Craig Neumann Parrakie ph: 8576 2051
assessing E. aromaphloia
Andrew Hall
Wunkar ph: 8589 7029
We want your help to better understand carbon sequestration rates in old
revegetation sites. As you're probably aware there are moves to introduce a national Trevor Schiller
emissions trading scheme by 2010. There may be opportunities for woodlots and Waikerie ph: 8541 9096
other revegetation sites in agricultural districts of South Australia to be included in
future carbon accounting schemes. However, at present the growth rates and Chris Grant, DEH
carbon stores from revegetation activities and woody crops are poorly understood - Berri ph: 8595 2174
making it difficult for land managers and trading schemes to undertake accurate
Malcolm Johns
carbon accounting in your region.
Karoonda ph: 8589 7053
To encourage more reliable carbon accounting assessments the Department of Adrian Growden
Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) is seeking to gather critical Karoonda ph: 8578 1057
information on CO2 sequestration rates from a range of woody crops and
environmental plantings in the Eastern Hills and Murray Mallee regions. To do this Stephanie Evans
we need to locate and measure native species woodlots, shelterbelts and mixed Mercunda ph: 8589 7039
species revegetation that are 15+ years old. The process is fairly painless to
landholders - we just seek your permission for our researchers to visit your Lew Westbrook
revegetation sites and take a few measurements of your precious trees and shrubs. Loxton ph: 8584 7811
The hard part for our researchers is locating suitable sites across your region and
that's where we need your help. Leighton Pearce, SAMDBNRM Board
ph: 8582 4477
So if you have older woodlots and revegetation sites and want to support research
and a better understanding of future carbon sequestration opportunities in your
region please let us know.

Contact Craig Neumann (Scientific Officer)

Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
ph: 08 8303 9512 or 0428 112 435
email: neumann.craig@saugov.sa.gov.au

hetta designs
0437 914 066

Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association Inc.

Murray Bridge Natural Resources Centre
Mannum Road
PO Box 2056, Murray Bridge SA 5253
ph: (08) 8531 2066 fax: (08) 8532 5300
email: mmlap@internode.on.net

This newsletter is printed on 100% Recycled paper - Protecting our Trees and Environment