The Biodiversity Project: Celebrating Three Years of Restoring Native Habitats

Can you explain how the Namoi Valley area was chosen?

The Namoi Valley is one of our biggest cotton-growing areas, and also one of our first, with cotton-growing kicking off there in the 1960s. The mighty Namoi River runs through this beautiful, fertile region with many cotton farmers located along its banks, making this area the perfect choice for The Biodiversity Project.

In 2019, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation undertook research to understand biodiversity conditions across the cotton-growing landscapes in Australia. The Namoi Valley was identified as a priority area within this research, due to significant neighbouring ecosystems such as Nandewar Range and Pilliga State Forest. Because of how important these ecosystems are, we decided to focus on restoring and regrowing the natural environment in the area.

The Biodiversity Project has involved planting 11,800 seedlings. What species have been planted, and why were they chosen?

The species chosen for The Biodiversity Project were carefully selected based on the vegetation communities at the chosen sites.

These vegetation communities, like grassy box woodlands, are incredibly important in Australia, but many of them are sadly decreasing in their distribution across the country. This decline is a big deal because iconic native species such as koalas, kangaroos, and spotted-tailed quolls depend on these areas for their homes and survival.

By planting species that belong to these vegetation communities, The Biodiversity Project is doing something really cool. It’s helping to boost the variety of plant and animal life in the Namoi Valley. The plants they’re using aren’t just any old plants—they’re grown from seed collected locally that our unique native wildlife need to thrive in this particular region, giving them the perfect habitat to call home.

Why do we plant along rivers? Can you explain what a riparian zone is?

We plant along the rivers because it brings many awesome benefits. First off, it helps stop erosion, which is when the soil gets washed away by the water. Planting trees and shrubs along the riverbanks acts as a natural barrier, holding the soil in place. Plus, these plants create homes for all sorts of wildlife, making the area around the river a buzzing hub of biodiversity—rivers are the lifeblood of the landscape.

A riparian zone is like the land that hugs the edges of a body of water, whether it’s a river, stream, lake, or wetland. By restoring vegetation where water meets land, we can help improve the water quality too. These plants work like filters, cleaning up the water as it flows through them and acting as a buffer during floods, protecting nearby areas from getting swamped. If you’re into fishing, enhancing the riparian zone is good news because it improves the habitat for the fish you can catch. And in a changing climate, these zones help make the landscape more resilient to things like droughts.

Almost 60 hectares of native vegetation has been planted. Can you explain what this is and why it is important?

Native vegetation is the term we use for all those plants, trees, shrubs, and grasses that have naturally grown in a certain area for a really long time, without people intentionally planting them. These plants have evolved over ages to perfectly fit the local climate, soil, and environment where they naturally belong.

The cool thing about native vegetation is that it’s like a piece of the natural puzzle. It’s the stuff that’s meant to be there, and it plays a super important role. These plants are like the backbone of the ecosystem, keeping everything in balance. They provide food and shelter for local animals, and they’ve learned how to deal with the ups and downs of the local weather.

So, when we say almost 60 hectares of native vegetation has been planted, it means we’ve intentionally put these native plants back into the area. This is really important because it helps restore the natural harmony of the environment. It gives a boost to the local ecosystem, making sure that all the living things—from birds and bats to insects—have the right habitat and food to thrive.

What have some of the challenges of the project been?

The Biodiversity Project has faced its fair share of challenges. To start, we kicked off the project at the tail end of an El Niño weather pattern, which meant there was less rainfall than usual. But then things took a turn—we encountered two years of La Niña, a different weather pattern, bringing above-average rainfall and even multiple instances of flooding.

Just when we might have expected things to settle into a more normal pattern, it looks like parts of eastern Australia might head back into an El Niño weather pattern during the warmer months.

These extreme shifts in weather have made it really tough to carry out ecological restoration work, especially in soil types that are sensitive to these changing conditions. The unpredictability of the weather has made planning and implementing the project quite challenging, as the extreme swings between dry and wet periods can impact the success of planting and growth of native vegetation. It’s a reminder that nature can be quite unpredictable, and it highlights the adaptability required for projects like this in the face of changing environmental conditions.

Looking back over the past three years, what has surprised you most about the project?

Reflecting on the past three years, one of the most surprising and heartwarming aspects of the project has been the genuine enthusiasm and active involvement of the farmers. Often, there's a misconception that farmers might not be interested in conservation efforts, but this project shows farmers are actively engaged in conservation efforts on their farms.

It's been truly remarkable to witness the overwhelming support from farming families all across north-western New South Wales. They've shown a deep passion for enhancing the biodiversity on their own farms and have eagerly embraced conservation efforts in their communities. This level of dedication and care for the environment has been wonderful and a testament to their commitment.

In a nutshell, the project has shown that preconceived notions can often be far from the truth, and it's been inspiring to witness the collective effort of farmers and partners working together to make a positive impact on the environment.