Sandalwood
The tree of Midas
Fantastic Flinders
Bald Head Walk Trail
Plastic-free Riverpark
Finding eco-alternatives
COLOURFUL COAST
Francois Peron
National Park
Contributing
ON THE COVER
Sjanna Sandalova started with DBCA in November 2022 as a Communications Officer. She has previously worked as a regional journalist and media advisor and is a passionate storyteller. Sjanna loves the outdoors, often spending her weekends travelling Western Australia or at the beach. Sjanna is a keen contributor to LANDSCOPE and will never turn down an opportunity to write about WA’s diverse landscape, wildlife, and environment.
Inmy 35 years in conservation management, never have I seen so many opportunities arrive at one point in time for a government department. Current initiatives include the expansion of conservation estate by some five million hectares, the formal joint vesting and management with Traditional Owner groups across the State, the continuation of Aboriginal ranger programs, a suite of COVID-19 recovery projects and substantial investments into visitor facilities and tourism opportunities.
In the South Coast region of Western Australia, projects include the proposed 1.3 million hectare marine park (the first for the WA south coast bioregions), $12 million improvements to visitor trails and associated visitor infrastructure in Torndirrup, Gull Rock and Porongurup national parks (see ‘Adventuring the Great Southern’ on page 28), improvements to the iconic and increasingly popular Bald Head Walk Trail (see ‘Adventure out’ on page 35) and the $3.3 million Torndirrup Redevelopment Project (Phase 2), which will see improvements made to The Gap visitor precinct. There is always a ‘fine line’ in balancing ecological integrity and nature-based visitor activities. Trails project teams manage visitor use in a sustainable way, balancing environmental protection, product sustainability and improved visitor experience and safety, all while maintaining the intrinsic natural ‘sense of place’. The premise for the Great Southern Adventure Trails project was not to build new trails until existing trail networks met appropriate environmental and trail standards.
Also, in this issue of LANDSCOPE is an article about the benefits of Aboriginal ranger programs for both the environment and Aboriginal people (see ‘Caring for Country’ on page 12). These programs importantly serve to rekindle the connection to Country for Aboriginal peoples who in many instances have become alienated from the natural landscape.
I have experienced firsthand the value of two-way learning for conservation outcomes and Aboriginal ranger programs are important building blocks for the collective journey we are taking into the joint management paradigm.
Peter Hartley Regional Manager, South Coast Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Benjamin Sawyer is a Senior Policy and Project Officer with DBCA’s Conservation and Ecosystem Management branch. After many years of studying and working in Western Australia’s vast landscapes, Ben has developed an acute passion for all things sandalwood. From its ecological sustainability and improving regeneration in the wild; to working for sandalwoodgenerated social and economic outcomes for the Traditional Owners of the lands from where it originated.
Zoe Beeson is the Project Officer for the Plastic Free Riverpark program. Her love for the Swan Canning Riverpark stems from her family, and her passion for reuse was inspired in 2016 after stumbling across the zero-waste movement. In both her work and personal life, Zoe enjoys having conversations around low waste solutions to single use plastic.
Editor Lauren Cabrera.
Editorial assistance Jenna Oliver.
Scientific/technical advice Margaret Byrne, Danielle Ayres, John Huisman, Rob Davis, Lesley Gibson.
Special thanks to Andrew and Merilyn Burbidge. Design and production coordinator Tiffany Taylor. Design Katie Bryden, Sonja Rose, Karen Shaddock, Gooitzen van der Meer.
Illustration Gooitzen van der Meer.
Cartography Promaco Geodraft.
Prepress and printing Advance Press, Western Australia.
All material copyright. No part of the contents of the publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publishers.
Maps should be used as a guide only and not for navigational purposes.
ISSN 0815-4465
Please do not send unsolicited material, but feel free to contact the editor by email (landscope@dbca.wa.gov.au).
Published by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, 17 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, Western Australia. © State of Western Australia, March 2023.
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This page Banksia praemorsum growing beside the Bald Head Walk Trail.
Photo – Damon Annison
25 years of Bush Rangers
This year, the Bush Rangers program acknowledges 25 years of operation, which will be celebrated at the annual Cadets Conference held in Perth in March.
Bush Rangers unit coordinators from around the State alongside staff from DBCA and Department of Communities will come together to honour Bush Rangers and River Rangers programs that empower students to conserve the environment by making positive changes in their local area.
In partnership with the Department of Communities, these inclusive and diverse volunteerrun programs continue to achieve the highest rate of participation of students that are Aboriginal, female or have a disability across all Cadets WA programs in the State. Currently there are 2917 Bush Ranger cadets in 59 high schools across WA, and 809 River Ranger cadets in 16 primary schools.
“We look forward to celebrating the amazing people involved in the program that provides so many opportunities for kids to connect with nature,” Acting Cadets Coordinator Marnie Giroud said.
“We are so passionate about this program and ensuring the schools are supported appropriately,” said Brad Cusworth from the Department of Communities.
READER’S PIC
Rattle beak orchid (Lyperanthus serratus)
Photo and words by Lawreen McIver
“After a nine-week search for orchids, we saw many, but one thing that struck me was that the rattle beak orchids were alive and well wherever we went. They are very common, but are nevertheless quite attractive and pictures taken up-close show just how beautiful they are. They grow in thick bush and don’t seem to be daunted by limited light, ants or lack of fire to induce flowering. They do die back annually and flower in a range of habitats. Their pollinators are not known.”
Have you got a fantastic nature photograph you would like to see published in LANDSCOPE? Send it, along with a 100-word description of the species or how and where you took the shot, to landscope@dbca.wa.gov.au.
New parks added to Smartreka maps
Mount Augustus and D’Entrecasteaux national parks have been added to the growing list of free digital maps in the WA Parks Foundation’s Smartreka series, enabling people to stay on track when off-line.
Smartreka maps use built-in GPS capabilities on a smartphone or tablet to plot real-time locations. If the maps are downloaded ahead of time using internet access, they will be able to be used to navigate in areas where there is no network connection and without roaming charges.
Developed with DBCA and in partnership with BHP, Smartreka maps are also available for Cape Le Grande, Cape Range, Fitzgerald River, Francois Peron, Kalbarri, Karijini, Leeuwin-Naturaliste, Millstream Chichester, Purnululu, Stirling Range, Walpole-Nornalup, Walyunga, and Yanchep national parks, bringing the total to 15.
The free, interactive Smartreka maps can be accessed via the free Avenza Map app from either Google Play or the Apple store. For more details, visit: ourwaparks.org.au/smartreka/
