Gold Coast community helping restore wildlife corridors between Springbrook and Lamington National Parks
The Gold Coast community is coming together to revegetate bushland burnt out by the 2019 bushfires. When work is completed, it will re-connect wildlife corridors between Springbrook and Lamington National Parks, a World Heritage Area.
Led by the Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre Parents and Citizens Association (NVEEC P&C) the group received $70,000 funding from the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants. The revegetation involves two projects that will plant trees to regrow the corridors, protect the species who relied on them, and improve the water quality of the Nerang River which supplies the Gold Coast.
NVECC P&C secretary, Ben Kober, said, the group’s regeneration work was also an opportunity to educate the Gold Coast Community on the restoration of the environment after natural disasters. The community was also invited to plant trees and develop a connection with a very special part of Southeast Queensland.
We are also very excited to engage directly with local high school students in our project by supporting a hands-on service learning opportunity. Local high school students will be transported to the sites which are normally difficult to access and engage directly in this landscape resilience project, Kober said.
The students will meet with experts and learn hands-on skills, like as building nest boxes for hollow-dependent animals. Students will visit the project site, plant trees, learn about the importance of forest restoration and connect to country.
This project is building on the Gold Coasts Biggest Tree Planting Day from 2019 where 1500 people planted 15,000 trees, helping protect an important water catchment for the Gold Coast community.
The $14m Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery project is jointly managed by Landcare Australia and the National Landcare Network, delivered in conjunction with Queensland Water and Land Carers, Landcare NSW, Landcare ACT, Landcare Victoria, and the Landcare Association of South Australia to mobilise, build capacity, increase participation and support Landcare and community groups, landowners, land managers and other partners for improved delivery of bushfire recovery actions.
The Program has been supported by the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery Program for Wildlife and their Habitat.