Wildlife Corridors workshop: report
A workshop run by Scenic Rim Wildlife was held at Tamborine Mountain, Southeast Queensland, on Saturday 2nd April 2011
You can read details at the Araucaria blog and they will shortly appear also on the Scenic Rim Wildlife website (see also the corridors discussion on the Scenic Rim Wildlife Facebook)
Wildlife corridors are essential considerations whenever there is large scales tourism development planned. Big resorts and new roads can easily disrupt movements of many animals by affecting habitat continuity (not so obvious for some strong-flying birds but very much so for smaller ones and some of our understorey and arboreal mammals, lizards and other creatures). The roads – especially those allowing fast travel through wildlife habitat – can result in high levels of mortality, as well as imhibiting movement of some animals. There are many more faunal overpasses in Europe and underpasses in Amercia than we see here in Australia, although we have a few good examples, as pointed out by the speakers.
The kind of green infrastructure schemes discussed by Jaap Vogel are inspiring, and it would be good to see a progression towards a sort of ‘network of networks’ throughout Ausralia.
Wildlife tourism operations can contribute to wildlife corridors, as we were told by Geoff Warne from WTA member Cedar Creek Estates Winery and Glow Worms. I visited their corridor just before the workshop (and have done so many times in the past) – it is quite remarkable how much growth they have achieved in just 11 years, linking with neighbouring landowners and the local national parks.
Scenic Rim Wildlife is the Scenic Rim (southeast Queensland) branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland