Offshore investment - Erub Island
Tiny Erub Island is closer to Papua New Guinea than it is to the Australian mainland. So, obtaining trees in the middle of the Torres Strait is no easy task.
The six-kilometre long island in Far North Queensland, with a population of 400, is badly eroded and in need of vegetation to help stabilise the land.
The locals, the Erubians, and the Erub Island Council decided that it was less expensive to grow their own trees in a nursery, rather than transport them from the mainland. Mainland trees also tend to not grow so well on the island where native trees grown from endemic seeds are ideal.
The Indigenous community, using $31,000 from the Australian Government Envirofund, is collecting seeds and successfully growing trees in their own nursery. Project officer Peter Smith says the volcanic island was once covered in lush rainforest.
"Today it is bare with mostly grassland and only small pockets of rainforest," he says.
"Land was cleared and trees were chopped down to smoke 'beche de mer' (sea cucumbers) for the local industry."
So far, the nursery has grown 130 trees, which have all been planted on the hills to stop erosion. Another 650 trees are growing in the nursery, waiting to be planted. A plant survey has been conducted on the island identifying the native tree, shrub and vine species that are present, and a report has been prepared with photographs of all species recorded.
Peter says the project has helped determine the basic habitat preferences of the local trees and shrubs, such as shoreline species versus hill species and pioneer species versus species of mature rainforest.
"This enables us to identify which species are the most appropriate for revegetation purposes in each situation on the island," he says.
"Using an ongoing process of trial and error, we are determining how to propagate the species by learning what to collect, when to collect it and how to treat it."
The biggest outcome has been establishing a successful plant nursery on the island to raise the material for the tree planting program. The nursery is thriving and is in full operation with improvements currently being made to provide a storage shed, toilet and a better working area.
Using this facility, the Erubians are learning about collection, propagation and planting techniques so that they will be able to continue the program in the future. "The Indigenous community are really keen to use the nursery because they can also grow fruit and vegetables," Peter says.
"Their ancestors used to be gardeners, who supplied food to other islands, such as corn, sweet potato, bananas, watermelons and mangos. This project is getting locals interested in gardening again."
More information
- 1800 819 542
- Australian Government Envirofund
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