We need more trees

Biodiversity

As a nation, Australia is losing biodiversity at an alarming rate.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water states that Australia supports somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 species, a large proportion being endemic. Over the past 200 years we have lost more mammal species than any other country – we are world leaders! There are probably numerous species that have recently gone extinct that we don’t even know about because we are very bad at surveying and reporting our native flora, fauna and fungi populations.

Trees provide habitat

In a report in January this year, the Biodiversity Council listed the main causes of nature loss in Australia as: habitat loss or fragmentation due to land clearing and urbanization, introduction of invasive species, modification of our rivers and wetlands and climate change.

From 2000 to 2017 more than 7·7 million ha of habitat in Australia was cleared, with more than 90% of it NOT being referred to the (ineffective) Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for approval – Society for Conservation Biology – “This noncompliance means that potential habitat for terrestrial threatened species, terrestrial migratory species, and threatened ecological communities have been lost without assessment, regulation, or enforcement under the Act.”

Credit: Carbon Positive Australia

Trees are the basis for an overwhelming variety of terrestrial ecosystems - they are the pillars of biodiversity.

Climate Change

Surely everyone by now is aware of the human effect on global warming – we are pumping too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the planet to heat up.

Trees are natural carbon storage machines. Through photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock up the carbon in their leaves, branches, trunks and roots. “… the restoration of trees ranks among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation available today.” – Zurich Insurance Group.

“A mature eucalypt woodland can store between 70 and 195 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare”  - ‘Farming Carbon’ Qld Govt..

Research conducted for Environmental Science and Policy found “From 1844 to 2010, extreme heat events have killed at least 5332 people in Australia. Since 1900, they have killed more people than the sum of all other natural hazards.”

Credit: The Coversation

Cities around the world have shown that the urban heat island effect is mitigated by planting trees that provide shade and evapotranspiration.

Urban trees provide shade

Tree planting is a simple nature-based method of cooling our urban spaces. Why oh why aren’t we doing more?

Post Script: The World Meterological Organisation has just announced that 2024 is likely to be the hottest year on record. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, describes it as 'climate breakdown'.

 

 

Merry Christmas Blue Spruce

December 2023

May 2024

December 2024

Here's hoping

Drouin bird surveys

Birds are great bioindicators; the numbers and species of birds can tell us a lot about how healthy an ecosystem is.

Dusky Woodswallow

Birds are easy to see (generally), their ecological characteristics are usually well understood and their responses to seasonal and climate changes are obvious. Numbers and species of birds are used around the world to assess the effects of climate change, urban expansion, ecosystem contamination, deforestation and more.

The Friends of Drouin’s Trees conducts two bird surveys annually, in spring and autumn. The surveys are conducted over seven core sites and several supplementary sites. Spring and autumn are chosen to capture the migratory species that arrive at those times – for example cuckoos, reed warblers (and others) in spring and in autumn we get the robins, currawongs (plus others).

Willie Wagtail and companion

Each site is surveyed twice - a week or two apart - to help record the dispersive or nomadic species present.

Distant Great Crested Grebe

Results are uploaded to our website, Baw Baw Biodiversity and to the Bird Life Australia’s Bird Data website.

Table: list of species - spring 2024

This spring’s surveys have been completed and resulted in a total of 83 native species being recorded. Some interesting sightings included: Latham’s Snipe, Great-crested Grebes and multiple hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks on the Drouin sewerage ponds; a flock of 30+ Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos at Bellbird Park; good numbers of Reed Warblers at Gum Scrub Creek; evidence of Gang-gang Cockatoos nesting at Amberly Bush Reserve; few grebes, and cormorants at McNeilly Park wetland; Buff-banded rail on the nature strip at Hopetoun Rd; Rufous Whistlers and nesting King Parrots at Thornell’s Reserve and many more.

Red-browed Finch after a bath

Bell Miners are proving to remain a nuisance and spreading at several sites. Weed invasion is a continuing problem in several places. Dogs off leads and free-roaming cats are an issue that needs better education and compliance.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

As our town continues to expand, it is hoped that Drouin is able to retain or even expand its tree canopy. The large, mature trees require special protection. Our avian friends deserve it.