National Threatened Species Day: Bob Croser ReBird The Ranges

Image: Red Browed Finch by Martin Stokes

September is National Biodiversity Month, promoting the importance of caring for our diverse ecosystems and connecting with nature.

Today September 7th, is National Threatened Species Day, a significant day which also marks the death of the last remaining Tasmanian Tiger in Australia. The aim of this national day is to shed light on other native species that are at risk of having the same fate.

Since 2022, 163 species have been added to the threatened species list, totalling over 2000 species across plant, animal and ecological communities.

At the Environment Institute the Bob Croser Woodland Recovery Program is supporting research and hands-on restoration projects in the South Australian Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR).

Established by the Environment Institute, the program utilises funds to utilise funds bequeathed to the University of Adelaide by Robert Dean Croser for this specific purpose.

The Bob Croser Woodland Recovery Program works hand-in-hand with ReBird the Ranges and its network of partner organisations, all united by a shared passion for bringing back MLR woodland bird populations. The program focuses on three main research priorities:

(1) Policy, investment, and landowner motivation

(2) Understanding the requirements

(3) Quality habitat and vegetation: What should we plant where?

Birds are fundamental to the balance of shared ecosystems, ReBird the Ranges focus on creating communities that can help regenerate habitats and protect our nature spaces.

To support the next generation of researchers, the Environment Institute is offering five Bob Croser Woodland Recovery Supplementary Scholarships to full-time PhD students. Each scholarship provides $10,000 annually for projects that will achieve high-impact outcomes for bird recovery across the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Some of the current projects include:

• Research Master's student Shannon Evenden is exploring how revegetation programs can benefit both people and nature. Using co-design principles and a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, her work looks at the barriers between a landholder's face between wanting revegetation and actually doing it, and the financial and non-financial supports that can help overcome these challenges.
• Honours student Madison Hogben is using environmental DNA (eDNA) into understanding how habitats recover after restoration. Her case study focuses on Yundi Nature Conservancy. The Fleurieu Peninsula swamplands, where she’s working, are vital for many resident and migratory bird species, including the endangered Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-wren.
• Later this year, a new research project will commence on the role of revegetation in supporting woodland birds. New PhD student Daniel Markos, based within Wildscapeslab, will collaborate with ReBird the Ranges partners to investigate how birds use revegetation of different types, sizes and ages through the year.

Earlier in July, the Bob Croser Woodland Recovery Program supported the inaugural Environment Institute’s Network for Emerging Sustainability Thinkers (NEST) event, where 35 volunteers and 20 landholders planted over 2,000 rare and endangered plants across 16 Fleurieu Peninsula properties.

ReBird The Ranges

Bob Croser Woodland Recovery Supplementary Scholarships - The Environment Institute