Product Data
Native Ecosystem Protection
200 ha
78
239
15
13: Climate Action
15: Life on Land
Project Details
Why support this project?
Each Biological Diversity Unit issued by our project partner, Wilderlands, provides legally-backed permanent protection and 20 years of active management of a designated area within the Coorong Lakes region, located south of Meningie in South Australia. The reserve is owned and managed by Cassinia Environmental as a conservation reserve in partnership with local Ngarrindjeri people.
The impacts of land clearing for agriculture, nutrient contamination and the proliferation of invasive species has put these areas under ongoing threat of degradation.
Amongst the primary objectives for this project are landscape protection, habitat connectivity, community partnership, and the opportunity for sustainable livelihoods delivering healthy country outcomes.
The Coorong Lakes Project complements the internationally important wetland systems of Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert, and the Coorong Lagoons, with the diversity of ecosystems making a significant contribution to the importance of this area.”
Rising above low-lying saline wetland communities of samphire and melaleuca shrublands are sandy dune systems of mallee and heathy woodlands, host to a rich diversity of native plants and animals.”
The project is home to a rich diversity of native birds with a total of 61 species identified during recent spring monitoring, including the Purple-gaped Honeyeater (Lichenostomus cratitius) which is listed as rare under the SA National Parks and Wildlife Act.
The number of species is considerably high given that the surrounding landscape has been heavily impacted by land clearing and grazing and that species such as the Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Black-eared Cuckoo, Shy Heathwren and Elegant Parrot are not particularly common.
The native plant diversity in the Coorong Lakes Project reached a total of 222 species in the most recent monitoring reports, with the noteworthy addition of Slender Smoke-bush (Conospermum patens), a species regarded as endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
It is, however, the native orchid diversity that was the standout of the 2023 spring survey with 30 species recorded including the world’s largest known populations (on private land) of the nationally endangered Metallic Sun-orchid (Thelymitra epipactoides) – one of Australia’s largest and most impressive sun-orchids.
Coorong Lakes is a rare pocket of intact native remnant vegetation in a region that has largely been cleared for agriculture.
For more details on the Coorong Lakes project, visit our project partners at Wilderlands: Coorong Lakes, SA | Wilderlands.earth
How are the Wetlands protected?
Owned and co-managed by Cassinia Environmental as a conservation reserve in partnership with the Ngarrindjeri people, the protection of Coorong Lakes is underpinned by a conservation agreement these landowners have entered into with the South Australian Government. This is registered on the land title to permanently control land-use and management ensuring protection and conservation.
In addition to these legal protections in place, active management of the site includes:
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Collaborating with Ngarrindjeri people for co-management and sharing of knowledge.
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The project sources native plants supplied by the local nursery at Raukkan, a self-governed Aboriginal community 30 km northwest of the site.
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Implementing appropriate fire regimes;
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Connecting habitat patches for animal movement and genetic health;
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Preserving trees and logs for (shelter and nesting) habitat preservation;
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Managing pests like foxes, rabbits, and weeds;
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Coordinating with partners and neighbors on pest control;
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Limiting vehicular traffic to reduce erosion and weed spread.
What are BDUs and how are they created and verified?
At the Coorong Lakes site, one BDU equates to one square meter of land permanently protected to maintain and enhance the integrity of its biological diversity. In South Australia, these units are defined and issued by the South Australian Government via a State-managed registry. Cassinia, the Coorong Lakes landowner, voluntarily “retires” these statutory compliance units, so they can’t be used as a compliance offset.
Wilderlands geotags each unit and registers the now “voluntary” units on the independently managed Vegetation Link registry – effectively creating the Biological Diversity Units. When you purchase these units, each purchase is linked to a certificate of Sale issued by Vegetation Link.
Periodic inspections are conducted by the South Australian Government, with additional monitoring conducted by Wilderlands Ecologists in accordance with the Wilderlands Project Monitoring Plan.
Sustainable development goals
This project meets the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
