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A decades-long conservation project aimed at restoring vegetation between two globally renowned national parks in Western Australia could be accelerated through the carbon economy, according to a conservation organisation involved. Several environmental organisations have purchased cleared farmland and spent years replanting it between the Stirling Range National Park and Fitzgerald River National Park in southern WA. Their goal is to build the Fitz-Stirling Corridor in the UNESCO Fitzgerald Biosphere, relinking the national parks with revegetated bushland. More than 600 hectares replanted The Ediegarrup Nature Reserve near Boxwood Hill, 440 kilometres south-east of Perth, was established as a conservation reserve by Bush Heritage Australia in 2022. It covers more than 1,000 hectares, including pockets of untouched bushland and more than 600 hectares of cleared land that have been replanted over the past three years. Bush Heritage's natural capital partnerships lead, Helen Bryant, said the carbon credits issued to Ediegarrup would fund future work. "Traditionally, we would be relying on philanthropic donations from very generous supporters," she said. "This kind of project really helps us scale up our operations, particularly in corridors where we really need that restoration effort to happen." Specialised plantings Greening Australia works in landscape restoration and led the replanting at Ediegarrup. Program specialist Barry Heydenrych said the species were chosen to emulate the remaining pockets of bushland. "We actually got specialised nurseries to use cuttings of the material to grow them out. "That included some of the proteaceous species, like specialised banksias and hakeas, and some of the bush tucker species such as the youlk." Access to country Youlk, a native tuber, is one of several bush tucker species planted at Ediegarrup by the Nowanup Rangers, who were also involved in the restoration work. Noongar elder Aunty Elizabeth Woods is chairperson of Nowanup Noongar Boodjar, which runs the ranger program. "We have limited places to go back [to] annually in different seasons to collect bush tucker, but [the rangers] know every plant that's planted here," she said. "We know there's a place where you're welcome to go and access that, and pass that knowledge on. Animals are returning At other restoration projects that form part of the Fitz-Stirling Corridor, the impact of the revegetation work is becoming clear. Bordering Ediegarrup, at Bush Heritage's Monjebup Reserve — where vegetation was replanted a decade ago — the animals are returning. Healthy Landscapes manager southwest Heather Barnes said this included threatened and endangered species such as the quoll, western whipbird and Carnaby's cockatoo. "We're starting to really provide this habitat for some of those threatened species to come back, survive, enjoy, reproduce," Ms Barnes said. Large malleefowl nests have also been found at the reserve. The ground-dwelling bird is particularly vulnerable to introduced predators, and its population has suffered from habitat loss. "It's been persisting in pockets, and as corridors form, they can move between those pockets," Ms Barnes said. The Fitz-Stirling Corridor While the corridor project will be in the works for years to come, Ms Barnes said each new conservation reserve was a boost for threatened animals in the area. "Building that corridor and creating those macro and micro linkages in the environment builds resilience," she said. "With the changing climate, it allows plants and animals to move between spaces, so if things are drying, they might move to the wetter areas."
