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Protected Places

Will we ever understand Australia’s weather? With snow, bushfires and drought raging around the country, January rains brought floods to parts of our arid inland. Ian Fox got to Trephina Gorge in time to catch this ephemeral waterfall. ’Knowing it won’t last more than a day or two makes it extra special,’ he says. ‘Things have really greened up … the next few months should be bountiful, so wildlife will respond well for winter visitors.’

Our theme for this issue, Protected Places, has attracted a lively array of articles, from life in the supposed protection of bird nests to areas protected as a national park, a marine park and a nature reserve; from how to finance conservation to how to turn us all into dasyurophiles. It’s a great start to good reading for 2007.

Whether you’re planning a holiday around wildlife events or just watching from your window or verandah, our new NatureWatch will enrich your wildlife experience with intriguing insights and sends you off on further explorations.

Chris, a science writer, consultant, and WPSQ’s new Education and Development Officer is building a network of nature-lovers who know their patch of wildlife and can tell us what’s happening this season, where to see it and what’s interesting about it.

By Simon Baltais.

Brisbane’s marine back yard offers wild beauty, recreation and substantial contributions to the state economy.

Giant sand dunes laced with greenery slip into pristine blue waters. Even without a boat, you can see whales on their great migrations between the tropical Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. Dolphins leap up in showers of salt spray while turtles and dugong graze the seagrass beds. The view to the east is endless ocean; next stop: New Caledonia, Fiji or perhaps Tonga.

By Inger Vandyke

Beneath the blush of the setting sun, the Grampians' stony summits metamorphose to shades of grey and pink. It’s early spring 2006, after one of the worst bushfire seasons the park has witnessed in over a decade. Grass trees sizzle into bloom, lighting the hillsides up like candlesticks. Hakeas split their hardy seedpods. Banksias launch their fire-released seeds into the charred landscape...

Australian David Thomas has $10 million, and his wishes are similar to those of the Web dreamers. He is looking at long-term shelter and security on a global level and so, on 28 November 2006, he pledged $10 million over five years to an international conservation organization.

With the pledge, he issued this challenge: 'Australians have a choice. We can heal our ailing lands and waters, or we can watch the treasures of this unique continent disappear before our eyes.'

By Martin Fingland

We know about koalas, kangaroos and even bilbies – but would we recognise our native carnivorous marsupials, especially our elusive and threatened quolls?

Northern quolls, which regularly include frogs in their diet, are highly susceptible to cane toad toxins. As toads spread across the Top End, their impact on populations in remaining quoll strongholds is likely to be disastrous.

By Frank Harrison

Bird nests should be safe havens, sheltering the next generation as they make the astounding shift from egg to feathered flight. The reality can be a bit different. Getting the next generation safely out of the nest is a demanding task.

The choice of nest sites is crucial, but can be atypical, especially near human habitation. It can also be a double-edged sword. Some humans welcome avian nurseries, making sure the nest comes to no harm and but others may destroy nests, or have predatory pets or children eager for shanghai practice. It’s the luck of the draw.

By Steve Wilson

Just 50 years, ago hare wallabies, bandicoots and stick-nest rats roamed the vibrant red sand dunes of Ethabuka Station: 15 species of mediumsized mammals in all. Now they are all extinct or restricted to remote pockets of the continent. Tiny bones and teeth remain as testament to a former life and a reminder to protect the remarkable but fragile diversity that remains.

• Avian Biology
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
• Reefbase
• Classroom Antarctica
• Lamington National Park

Editorial, City Animal, NatureWatch, Books Reviews, Autumn Skies, Young and Wild, Scratchings and Rustlings, Comment, WPSQ in Action, Swamp Cartoon and our regular environmental crossword.

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