Wild Mob is about to wrap up this year’s operations on Brampton Island for the coming wet season. We’ve now been working on the Island since September 2009 and exceptional progress has, and continues to be, made. We’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our achievements and say ‘thank you’ to all our passionate volunteers who have contributed to the project.
Our Brampton Island Conservation Project, Wild Mob’s inaugural project, started life as a bit of an experiment. We set out to prove that volunteers, working with skilled project leaders, could have a significant positive impact on an endangered ecosystem and have a good time while doing it. When we first arrived at Brampton Island, the beach scrub rainforest on Western Bay was overrun with invasive vegetation including Pink Periwinkle, Snake Weed, Painted Spurge and Woody Passionfruit as the major offenders.
Since the project’s inception, nearly 200 volunteers have removed over 13 000kgs of invasive flora species from about 2km2 of beach scrub. Removing the invasives from the ecosystem frees up water and nutrients allowing the native flora and fauna to thrive. Over the years we’ve witnessed a huge increase in growth in the existing Macarangas and She oaks, as well as considerable regrowth of many native species. Our project leaders have also commented that the Island’s scrub foul and koala communities have been more active in the area.
While exploring Brampton, our volunteers have also spent many hours collecting plastics and marine debris from the Island’s beaches. The beaches are nesting sites for the endangered Green Sea Turtle, as well as a crucial habitat for many marine and bird species. The smaller pieces of plastic are frequently ingested by marine wildlife, often leading to fatality. To date we have removed around 1550kgs of marine debris. Considering the small size and weight of the plastics this is a fantastic effort!
Once again we’d like to thank all the high school students, university students and passionate conservationists who have taken part in the Brampton Island Project, you have directly contributed to the conservation of Australia’s invaluable biodiversity. A big thanks must also go to project leaders Bill and Amanda. Without all their efforts, the short turnarounds, long hours and time away from home, the project wouldn’t be possible. Finally, keep an eye out for a
Totally Wild episode on Network Ten in February 2012 featuring the project and the great team from
St Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane.
