One of the most logical places to actively seek to restore habitats is at the boundary of Protected Areas on Public Land, where biodiversity values and restoration potential are high, but where natural wetland features are often intersected by artificial, super-imposed cadastral boundaries.
This presentation will explore a series of case studies in Victoria and South Australia, where Nature Glenelg Trust has actively sought to improve the condition and formal protection of wetlands across the public/private land interface, and describe the different mechanisms and methods employed to negotiate and implement those outcomes.
The case study sites include:
Overcoming the challenges involved in these projects has required a multi-faceted approach, using skills and knowledge gained across the fields of restoration science, land management, communications, fundraising, planning and government policy. Despite the substantial time commitment over several years and the very real and ever-present risk of failure, when these projects do succeed and restoration is to be accompanied by permanent protection, it provides an excellent incentive for similar attempts to be made elsewhere.
Importantly in this instance, the case study sites have all ultimately resulted in successful outcomes, which will provide useful guidance for others interested in pursuing wetland restoration projects at the edge of Parks and Reserves in south-eastern Australia.