A Land for Wildlife property in Purga is the first to sign up to a Voluntary Conservation Covenant with Ipswich City Council.
For both the landholders and council, it is an important leap forward for conservation outcomes in the city, both at a property and landscape scale. One of the great benefits is that it builds on existing strong and positive working relationships between council and landholders with a long-term commitment to conservation outcomes.
It was certainly the case with the Purga property, where the landholders have collaborated with council, Healthy Land & Water and Queensland Trust for Nature on a massive restoration journey.
Landholder Sam said the rural property was overgrazed and barren when they bought it. Spotting a Koala in the thin corridor of remnant forest along the creek “was a game-changer for us”.
The property has great significance on a regional scale, with Purga Creek vital for Koala and wildlife movement, and the property is adjacent to a federally-recognised Area of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS).
The covenant area of 9.16 hectares includes remnant Endangered Regional Ecosystem 12.3.3 with Queensland Blue Gums (Eucalyptus tereticornis) hundreds of years old, as well as an isolated pocket of Gum-topped Box (Eucalyptus moluccana). But mostly the covenant covers paddocks in the process of being revegetated.
About 8000 trees and shrubs, 45% of which are Koala fodder species, have been planted to buffer the creek corridor. Long pasture protects this area which is prone to both frost and flood. The landholders are also supporting natural regeneration through wildlife-friendly fencing and rotational grazing.
“The Voluntary Conservation Covenant means we are doing all this work for wildlife, and we can protect it for the future,” Sam said.
Some key facts about Ipswich’s Voluntary Conservation Covenants
- It is a permanent protection mechanism registered on title through the Land Titles Act.
- The agreement area must be greater than 1ha.
- Landholders must intend to protect intact vegetation and/or restore fragmented landscapes.
- A 5-year Property Management Plan guides land management activities.
- Landholders may be eligible for up to $8000 a year in grant funding and $2000 bursary, free plants, site visits and access to workshops.
Article by Jane Pinder
Environment Education and Communications Officer
Ipswich City Council
I have ten hectares of prime kola habitat I want to protect in perpetuity. Please contact me Jane. Is a NatureRefuge the way to go ? I am on the Sunshine Coast along Eumundi Kenilworth Rd. Regards John Glazebrook 0477424780.