Around 2,000 native plants will be planted in the Yarra Valley in a bid to help protect and provide habitat for Victoria’s threatened wildlife emblems, the Helmeted Honeyeater and Leadbeater’s Possum.
Yarra Valley winery Coldstream Hills has given Yarra4Life $20,000 to protect and revegetate habitat for the two endangered species near its winery. Yarra4Life is a project that aims to improve the health and resilience of the Yarra Valley’s wildlife and natural environment through local partnerships.
The Helmeted Honeyeater is vulnerable to extinction as it occurs in an area of less than 10 km2 and is confined to only one locality. There are only around 20 breeding pairs remaining. The Leadbeater’s Possum population is in serious decline and is estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000 animals.
Yarra4Life co-ordinator Adam Shalekoff says the Coldstream Hills contribution will help protect and revegetate the Yarra River Catchment, particularly significant forest and woodland at the Coranderrk Mission. The Coranderrk Mission is a property now managed by the traditional owners and was the site of the historic mission featured on SBS documentary, The First Australians. It adjoins Badgers Creek which provides a habitat link from the Yarra River to Healesville Sanctuary.
The Coranderrk Mission covers approximately 80 hectares at the confluence of the Yarra River and Badger Creek in Healesville. It was allocated to the traditional owners as a site for the community to live in 1863. In 1924, Coranderrk closed and in 1998 with help from the Indigenous Land Corporation, the descendents of the Coranderrk community were able to buy back a small portion of the land that was taken from their ancestors. The site has significant billabongs, remnant vegetation, habitat and fauna.
Yarra4Life will fence and undertake weed control to prepare the site between January and August. In September three hectares of Coranderrk Mission will be revegetated with around 2,000 local native plants.
Foster’s Group employees will also take part in a planting and engagement day which will include a visit to the site, participation in revegetation works and the opportunity to learn about sustainable natural resource management and its relevance to the environment as a whole.
Yarra4Life is a collaborative conservation program between the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA, Yarra Ranges Council, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Greening Australia Victoria, Cardinia Shire Council, the Centre for AgriBusiness - Yarra Valley, Macclesfield Landcare Group, Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, Trust for Nature and Yarra Valley & Dandenongs Marketing.
For more info and photo opportunity contact Adam Shalekoff – Yarra4Life Coordinator, 0409 231 756.
www.yarra4life.com.au
Coldstream Hills Winery can be found at this location - http://www.whereis.com/?id=3394419EB10375
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