When you mention the Little Liverpool Range (The Range) to someone in conversation you would probably be met with a blank stare. But nestled about 40 minutes from the Ipswich CBD and bordering the Ipswich, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim Council areas is a wildlife corridor that is home to a number of significant species including Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl, Brush-tailed Rockwallaby, Little Pied Bat and Slender Milk Vine to name a few.
The Range provides a link between Main Range National Park and the Great Eastern Ranges and contains a significant amount of remnant vegetation. As a result, The Range has been identified as an important wildlife corridor.
There is good potential for long-term conservation of The Range as there is minimal pressure from urban encroachment, as well as an opportunity to expand the existing remnant vegetation. To achieve this, the Little Liverpool Range Initiative was formed, providing a collaborative approach to conserving and enhancing The Range. This Initiative involves three Local Governments, Healthy Land & Water, University of Queensland, Qld Trust for Nature, the Gainsdale Group and local landholders. A strong focus is placed on community involvement by holding workshops and events, as well as inviting landholders within the Range to get involved in the Initiative.
Conserving wildlife corridors like The Range, which provide links to larger conservation areas, is essential to assist in the movement of native species and increase species ability to adapt to climate change, which will become increasingly difficult with current rates of fragmentation. Private land holdings within these corridors are essential to achieving the overall conservation goals. Even when an individual property has low biodiversity values low due to previous land use, its biodiversity contribution to a larger corridor may be considered very high.
This concept of landscape conservation will be explored at an evening event on 22 November 2017. Hosted by the Gainsdale Group and Ipswich City Council this event will focus on landscape conservation within the context of the Little Liverpool Range and the Great Eastern Ranges Initiatives. Guest Speakers include Harvey Locke – an internationally renowned pioneer of landscape-scale conservation and co-founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and Bob Debus – chairperson of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative.
There are limited tickets available for this event so if you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] for further information.
Article by Nick Swanson
Land for Wildlife Officer
Ipswich City Council