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Producers soak up Traditional Ecological Knowledge for on-farm Biodiversity Enhancement

By Alexi2146 posted 25-08-2021 13:28

  

As part of the Regional Land Partnerships program, the 'Managing vegetation on farm and targeting pollinators and farm resilience' project has engaged dozens of farmers in the South West of Western Australia to learn how Cultural Land Management and Traditional Ecological Knowledge can enhance biodiversity and increase pollination of crops on-farm.

In February 2021, nineteen producers gathered at Ridgewood farm in Balingup, where Andrew and Nuala Scott produce avocados and olives, for a unique workshop. Farmers had the opportunity to hear from Undalup Association’s Zac Webb, a Wadandi-Pibulmun man with continuous connection to country. Zac creates strategies for restoring biodiversity, holds a Certificate IV in Conservation and Land Management and trained internationally with First Nation's People in natural resource management.

As part of the five-year project, the Scotts have revegetated areas along a creek line with local vegetation chosen to provide continuous food and shelter for pollinators and beneficial insects. Vegetation decisions at Ridgewood farm are based on South West Catchments Council's (SWCC) seasonal flowering calendar, which has had great uptake and application from local farmers.

During the workshop, Zac shared his knowledge on seasonal variations in flowering and fruiting times and helped develop traditional fire management options to protect biodiversity on-farm. A walk through the remnant vegetation on the property highlighted several understorey native species that were still present despite previous grazing history. The area was also previously logged and requires targeted management to regenerate. Zac discussed how small mosaic fires in the cool of the late afternoon in autumn could assist with the regeneration of native plant species, and suggested undertaking trial burns as an initial step, as these would help determine how the bush reacts to fire and ensure that the fires remain controlled.

Farmers found the workshop invaluable as increasing biodiversity on-farm provides a range of ecosystem services, the key one sought in this project being increased pollination for food production.

To learn more about this project visit the SWCC website or contact the project manager, Wendy Wilkins, at wendy.wilkins@swccnrm.org.au. This project is supported by South West Catchments Council, through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue of Landcare in Focus.

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