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‘Generation Restoration’ is this year’s World Environmental Day theme, and it couldn’t be more aptly timed alongside our campaign to purchase and restore Dodgey Downs.
As the theme encourages, ‘we cannot turn back time, but we can grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soils.
We are the generation that can make peace with land.’ For us, the far from 'dodgey' property represents an opportunity to restore a future for a host of unique animals that rely on the incredible biodiversity of Goreng-Noongar Country, Southwest Western Australia.
The opportunity to secure Dodgey Downs speaks to our broader vision. It’s not just about land acquisition, it’s about the power of biodiverse restoration.
If we’re able to purchase the property, 742 hectares of cleared land will transform into a lush natural corridor for endemic species to move through.
You might be asking, why purchase a cleared block, and why Dodgey Downs? This property is in an International Biodiversity Hotspot, presenting an opportunity to reconnect landscapes.
With near unmatched floral biodiversity, Southwest Western Australia is an extraordinary place – countless species of flowering plants and shrubs are home to a host of endemic and/or threatened animals. Connecting remnant and restored landscapes allows these animals to thrive.
Our work to restore neighboring reserves has been an enormous success. The efforts have proven that species like the threatened Gnow (Malleefowl) make use of restored areas, even building nest mounds to nurture their young. Where land was lying dormant just a decade ago, hundreds of species of trees and shrubs have thrived into a bustling habitat.
Our work with partners on our neigbouring reserves is pioneering a new standard for biodiverse revegetation. We're pushing the boundaries, planting hundreds of native species that once thrived here – not just the usual suspects, but also the critical understorey plants and those that support our unique fauna.
While it’s impossible to accurately replicate a landscape, we can plant species that attract and nurture the wildlife that thrives within.
Gnoorlacks (Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos), rely on proteaceous species like Banksias, Grevilleas and Hakeas, while Noolbengers (Honey Possums) rely on nectar-rich species like flowering gums and bottlebrushes.
Our work in the area in the past two decades has been about gradually enriching, reconnecting, and accumulating more habitat for the area’s unique fauna, and Dodgey Downs is a vital piece of the puzzle. If we successfully purchase the property, our biodiverse restoration plan will begin, and one day, we’ll see the area transform into a haven for native species.
