Project Description
Funded By
The Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery Program
Partners
* Gidarjil Development Corporation
* Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
* University of Sunshine Coast
* University of Queensland
* Bush to Bay Weed Control
Background
Bulburin National Park is the largest remnant rainforest in central Queensland, containing the headwaters of the Boyne River, Baffle Creek and Kolan River. The park is one of the most biodiverse protected national parks in Queensland and is home to significant numbers of vulnerable and endangered flora and fauna species. Of its regional ecosystem types, two are endangered and nine are of concern. Several threatened flora and fauna species are also endemic to Bulburin National Park – the Bulburin nut, the Bulburin Medicosma, the ringed thin-tailed gecko – and it’s one of three known locations for the silver-headed antechinus.
Approximately 7,500 hectares of the park burnt in the 2019 Black Summer fires, leaving these threatened species vulnerable to further decline.
Issue
Invasive flora and fauna threaten the vulnerable and endangered native species within Bulburin National Park. Large amounts of weed species threaten to smother recovering native vegetation, while wild pigs are highly destructive, trampling and eating plants and damaging ground. In a recovering ecosystem post-fire, it’s important to reduce the impact on these threatened species.
Solution
Threat abatement activities are required to reduce and control the invasive flora and fauna and their impact on Bulburin National Park.
Project scope
The project builds on existing partnerships to control invasive species and capture data to measure the success of threat abatement activities and support future regional conservation and biosecurity planning.
Threat abatement activities will focus on the species identified by the Bulburin National Park Management Statement 2013, including:
* Lantana – Lantana camara
* Cats Claw Creeper – Macfadyena unguis-cati
* Groundsel Bush – Baccharis halimifolia
* Guinea Grass – Megathyrsus maximus
* Giant Rats Tail Grass – Sporobolus jacquemontii
* Grader Grass – Themeda quadrivalv
* Feral Pigs – Sus scofra
The project also includes collaborative development of a plan to increase capacity and skills of Traditional Owners to complete threat abatement activities within Bulburin National Park.
Work done to date
* Baseline studies of weeds and feral pigs
* Weed control across an area of 22.5 hectares
* 30 days of feral pig control
Future work
* Continued weed control
* Feral pig removal
* Ongoing monitoring of invasive species distribution and density
