20 Million Trees – benefiting South Australia’s environment and economy

Our state-of-the-art Direct Seeder at work in Coffin Bay National Park.

Our 20 Million Trees projects in South Australia are bringing a host of environmental and economic benefits to the state.

As well as creating habitat for nationally threatened plants, animals and communities, the projects are restoring balance to the natural environment and creating new jobs.

The large-scale landscape restoration projects will collectively result in the establishment of 240,000 native trees and shrubs, creating and reconnecting habitat across 850 hectares of land.

Alyxia buxifolia seed collected on Wardang Island to help restore habitat for future native mammal reintroductions.

The projects are supported by the Australian Government’s 20 Million Trees Programme, part of the National Landcare Programme, that aims to deliver 20 million native trees across Australia by 2020.

• On the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island we are working with the local community to restore feeding habitat for the nationally endangered Glossy Black-Cockatoo. The aim of the projects is to encourage the striking birds, which in South Australia now survive only on Kangaroo Island, to venture across the windswept passage to re-establish a population on the mainland.
• On Wardang Island, on the western coast of Yorke Peninsula, we are establishing 300 hectares of native vegetation to provide habitat to support the reintroduction of threatened native mammals including the Western Quoll.
• At Coffin Bay National Park on the Eyre Peninsula, we are restoring Sheoak grassy woodland across 200 hectares of previously cleared land to provide protection for the endangered Western Whipbird and White-bellied Sea Eagle.
• On the shores of Lake Alexandrina, we are increasing vegetation to buffer important coastal saltmarsh habitat and protect two rare orchid species. Saltmarsh vegetation also provides vital habitat for the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot which migrates every year from Tasmania to spend winter in the coastal habitats of the south-east Australian mainland.

Thelymitra Epipactoides, one of two rare orchid species we are helping to protect on the Nurrung Peninsula.

As well as providing significant environmental benefits including carbon sequestration, the projects boost the local economy through the creation of new jobs and revenue. In some areas, such as Wardang Island and the Narrung Peninsula, local indigenous community members are employed to work on-country to restore and protect culturally important natural environments.

We are currently pitching new projects for the final round of the 20 Million Trees programme. If successful these projects will support the restoration of new ecosystems and secure the future of native species such as the enigmatic Malleefowl, elusive Southern Brown Bandicoot and majestic Regent Parrot.

To date the Commonwealth Government has provided over $4.5 million of funding to support twenty-one 20 Million Tree projects in South Australia.