Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the rufous bristlebird to revegetated coastal-fringe heathland habitats around Jan Juc
town. This reexpansion of the species range will help to ensure its long-term survival.
Actions that have contributed to this result include replanting of indigenous vegeta-
tion and the control of introduced predators, including foxes and cats. Fifteen years of
volunteer action to reverse the degradation and fragmentation of these fragile coastal
heaths has been key to the turnaround of this species' plight.
Not far down the road, a group of surfers has been engaged in restoration on a
larger scale. Surfers Appreciating the Natural Environment (SANE) was incorporated
in 1988. At the time, the world-famous surf spot Bells Beach was highly degraded and
bare, damaged by uncontrolled vehicular access and riddled with pasture species ex-
tending down to the rapidly eroding sandstone cliffs. Twenty years later, most of the
125-acre Bells Beach Surfing Reserve has been returned to its pre-European comple-
ment of coastal heath.
For two decades, SANE has promoted monthly working sessions. During this time,
the group has developed a strategic and systematic approach to restoration. The group
works according to a site plan, restoring discrete plots within the reserve. Restoration
work usually begins with works to control human access and accompanying erosion.
The removal of woody and pasture weeds has been achieved by mechanical and
chemical means. Replanting with stock of local provenance follows. Mulching and
brush-matting approaches are used to stabilize the new plantings. Maintenance (e.g.,
ongoing hand weeding) then follows, becoming required less often as vegetation com-
munities mature. Restored plots connect, and the integrity of vegetation communities
is consolidated. Future maintenance may require controlled burns, given the fre-
quent, pre-European fire regime of southern coastal heathlands.
By focusing on a single management issue per working event (e.g., the hand
pulling of a single weed species), the group can achieve scale and consistency with the
human resources available. One or two knowledgeable group members can provide
sufficient guidance for the whole working group, which often includes newcomers or
occasional volunteers with limited knowledge. This strategy of a small, core group
with many occasional members provides an opportunity for a large group of people to
develop connections to the site throughout the restoration process. Many of these oc-
casional volunteers are surfers who have built a connection to the site through their
time in the water.
Today, the Bells Beach site again contains diverse and intact floristic communities,
including threatened ecological vegetation classes such as coastal moonah woodland.
Previously lost bird species, including the southern emu-wren (
Stipiturus malachu-
rus
), have now returned to the site. It is assumed that the role of SANE will continue
to transition from agent of restoration to one of maintenance.
Frameworks for Action
While it stands to reason that the community should be key partners in coastal man-
agement, there are inherent challenges in mobilizing volunteers. The coordination of
ecological protection and restoration activities must occur within appropriate legisla-
tive and operational frameworks, at all three levels of government. While volunteer
