Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
Key
site specific
region wide
Mid-north nursery of diversity
A disbanded railway line running from Blyth to Brinkworth in South Australia has become another means of transport - this time for native wildlife who live along a 23 kilometre plant corridor alongside the old railway tracks.
Funding
This corridor was the driving force behind the Mid North Plant Diversity Nursery, a project initiated by local landholders – the Blyth Brinkworth Revegetation Committee – and supported with annual grants of $40,000 from the Australian Government as well as State Government contributions, via the Northern and Yorke Natural Resource Management (NRM) Board.
Direct seeding was the first choice for such a large-scale project, but poor results with most species (apart from wattles and sennas) plus limited understory seed led the group to rethink their approach.
Today, the nursery ensures a diverse mix of local native species that is freely available to landholders involved in strategic biodiversity conservation and Landcare projects.
Nursery Manager Dave Potter said the nursery improved the biodiversity value of regeneration in the Mid North by supplying a range of plants previously unavailable, including species difficult to propagate.
Activities
“There was little information on how to propagate many of the species, some of which needed special facilities to grow from cuttings,” Dave said. “Since inception the nursery has trialled the propagation of about 250 local species indigenous from seeds or cuttings, testing for different seed treatments, time of sowing, germination period, time of cuttings, cutting propagation media and rooting hormones.”
Achievements
The number of plants grown each year leapt from 10,000 in 2000, to 23,000 over the past three seasons. The amount of local species propagated each year has grown from 100 to 200, and includes native grasses, reeds, herbs, bulbs, lillies, creepers, groundcovers, shrubs and trees.
The mix of species varies from year to year and is determined by the supply of seed and cutting material from the various project sites. Each project is supplied with a minimum of 50 plants and 20 species to mimic the natural plant community.
Schools and community groups have benefited from their hands-on sessions on biodiversity, propagation techniques, seed collection and local native species identification. The nursery is open to the public by appointment and usually includes a brief discussion on the importance of indigenous plants, propagation techniques and the flow system of the nursery. Workshops are also held for a wide range of community groups.
More information
- Dave Potter, Mid North Plant Diversity Nursery Manager: 0428 430 191 or terraros@rbe.net.au
See also
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