Bruce spent time on Country observing different parts of the reserve; along a dry creek bed, he found old Red Gums flowering after rain and tuned into the curious calls of Willie Wagtails. His work will focus on developing relationships with Traditional Custodian groups and supporting their aspirations for Country.
“The Painted Desert, the breakaways. It’s no coincidence that a beautiful bit of land that looks like a painting just happens to be culturally significant. We’re really fortunate. We’ll have the ability to demonstrate true right-way science, listening, and understanding.”
At 235,000 hectares, Evelyn Downs is close to the size of the Australian Capital Territory.
Its impressive scale is an important addition to private protected areas for both the state and the nation. Currently, the South Australian Arid Rangelands Priority Landscape is under-represented, with only 8.64% protected in the National Reserve System. This acquisition ensures the region’s ecosystems – that exist nowhere else in the world – are protected, now and in the future.
Graeme Finlayson, Healthy Landscape Manager South Australia Arid Rangelands, sees the incredible potential for partnership within the region, and scalable conservation efforts.
“It’s such a unique part of Australia. It’s quite fragile and so important to protect. Evelyn Downs is to the east of Mount Willoughby Indigenous Protected Area,” he says. “Across the highway is Tallaringa Conservation Reserve. Looking at that as a whole conservation area, which amounts to 1.9 million hectares, really provides scale for action in this area for conservation management,” he says.
The reserve will provide potential habitat for over 60 conservation-significant species of plants and animals. Chantal Fowler, Head of Region West and South Australia, admires its rare abundance of life.