GBSAN’s new campaigns on species and habitat protection

GBSAN is launching a new ambitious Species and Habitat Protection Campaign in 2023. The goal is to enhance the protection and resilience of biodiversity on the Granite Belt and Traprock. While our local landscape is in reasonable health, it faces continued and growing challenges from the onset of climate change, increased impacts from invasive species and increased land clearing.

So for those of you who are passionate about our landscape and our flora and fauna there are a range of opportunities to get active and get involved.

We are forming four teams which will focus on each of the following priorities;

Cat Management: This team will focus on mustering public support for toughening up and proper resourcing of the SDRC’s Cat Management Strategy. The key demand will be a full review of the existing Cat Management Strategy in the next term of Council while advocating compulsory registration, support for de-sexing and consequences for not, micro-chipping and the confinement of cats similar to that required for dogs and increased and more targeted feral cat control measures. 

Granite Belt Wildlife Corridors: The vision is to create a series of connected corridors across the Granite Belt that link to similar initiatives on the Traprock and northern NSW. The foundation for the corridor network would be the existing national parks, state forests, private Nature Refuges and Land for Wildlife properties on the Granite Belt. Over time as more private landholders join the network, linkages between properties, state forests and national parks will be created to form complete corridors that will protect vital habitat and allow migration of species across the region’s landscape. GBSAN’s role will be to engage interested landholders who are motivated to protect and conserve species and habitats to join the growing corridor network. 

Broadwater and Amiens State Forest Upgrades: We have been active in lobbying for the upgrading of the conservation tenure of these state forests to national parks or similar which would facilitate improved management of biodiversity in these areas. GBSAN has partnered with the National Parks Association of QLD (NPAQ) and has succeeded in getting both state forests onto the Government’s “upgrade transition list”. In addition to protecting biodiversity, creating new parks will attract more tourists seeking nature-based experiences. This team will focus on creating public support for these upgrades.

Dasyurus maculatus. John Gould, Mammals of Australia, 1863.

Granite Belt Wildlife Warriors: We intend to create a team of committed and active volunteers who are prepared to engage with our community on the three campaigns. The team will be supported by the campaigns and GBSAN will invest in creating accessible information and the materials required to engage our community. The team will staff regular stalls in town and also at specific events as well as engaging with local organisations to build support for the campaign.

If we are to realise our ambition to truly protect our Region’s landscape and wildlife we need a large group of committed volunteers to join these teams. If you are passionate about wildlife and protecting the bush and want to know more please email GBSAN’s convenor, Rick Humphries at richardhumphries@bigpond.com to learn more.