Protecting our biodiversity helps overall wellbeing

Sustainability Matters Column 1 June 2023, WarwickStanthorpe Today

Relative to other high country regions particularly south of the border, the Granite Belt and Traprock remain in good ecological condition. Many of the species that are regionally extinct on the New England Tableland are still relatively common here. For example, the Granite Belt remains an important stronghold for the endangered Spotted-tailed Quoll and the Koala. This means there is an opportunity to secure the populations of these and other species in our patch and prevent their regional extinction. In a country that enjoys the notorious reputation as having the highest rate of species extinction in the developed world, our role in preventing further extinctions is both nationally and internationally important.

However we must acknowledge that the Granite Belt and Traprock biodiversity is not immune from the threat of regional extinctions. Unfortunately, we don’t monitor our Region’s environmental health and the reality is key threatening processes such as climate change, land clearing and invasive pests continue to impact negatively on our local flora and fauna.

Having said all that, the future is not necessarily dire depending on what we do next. That is why GBSAN is embarking on an ambitious campaign to protect the Granite Belt and Traprock’s flora and fauna.  A combination of up-grading the conservation status of Broadwater and the Amiens section of the Passchendaele state forests, promoting more private protected areas and linking these private conservation reserves through corridors across the landscape as well as focusing on more effective cat management strategies we believe will be a good start in protecting our local wildlife and landscapes.

The icing on the cake is that this will also support promoting the region as a premier nature-based tourism destination. Post-COVID the demand for more interaction with nature has sky rocketed and nature-based tourism now dominates the domestic and international tourism markets. Nature-based tourism compliments our existing wine tourism industry which in substantial part is based on visitors who like a fine wine and a walk in Girraween.

So protecting our biodiversity will contribute to our local economy and enhance the well-being of our community by delivering additional recreational opportunities. A great example of sustainable development. 

For more information contact GBSAN at info@gbsan.org.au or visit our website at https://www.gbsan.org.au/.