Great Southern environmentalists launch crowdfunding campaign to buy wetlands and protect Australasian bittern

Environmentalists have joined forces to launch a bold bid to buy a wetland on a lush stretch of WA’s south coast between Albany and Denmark. The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise $505,000 to buy Eungedup Wetlands in Youngs Siding, a 103ha expanse near Lake Saide which is home to the endangered Australasian bittern. It is believed there are up to five Australasian bittern breeding pairs living in the wetlands, representing up to 10 per cent of the population in WA. The former farming land also provides habitat for more than 90 other bird species, including fairy wrens, swallows, tree martins, swamp hens, spoonbills, pelicans and migratory Arctic birds. The project is a partnership between Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee, Birdlife Australia, Gondwana Link, Denmark Bird Group, Conservation Council of WA and Wetlands Conservation Society. Nature photographer and conservationist Georgina Steytler was a driving force behind the formation of the environmental collective negotiating to buy the land. An award-winning nature photographer with a fascination for birds, Ms Steytler described Eungedup Wetlands as a “haven for waterbirds”. “There is so much activity, there were about 10 different raptors I saw when I first arrived,” she said. “There were all of these different birds flying around, you could just hear all of the birdlife and it was so vast. “It is just an amazing property and also hearing that it is a key site for the Australasian bittern, I’m really passionate about conservation and obviously birds, so I thought this was my chance to try and do something for the endangered birds.” The wetlands have previously been the site of environmental monitoring by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Ms Steytler said that at one stage there was a proposal for the DBCA to buy the property but it never eventuated. The collective of environmental groups is determined to raise the $505,000 needed to buy the three lots that comprise the property. They have been given 18 months to raise the funds by the owner. WICC executive officer Shaun Ossinger said on Tuesday that almost $20,000 was raised in the 24 hours after the crowdfunding campaign was launched on Sunday. He said the decision to crowdfund the purchase had been inspired by similar campaigns across Australia. “This is probably the first time it’s been done down here on the south coast as far as I’m aware,” he said. “But there’s a huge movement around Australia of people buying up for conservation purposes because they’ve kind of given up on the government and so they’re doing it themselves.” The WICC will own and manage the wetlands if the crowdfunding drive is successful, with plans to monitor wildlife through surveys, camera traps and audio recordings. Programs would be implemented to control feral pests, invasive plant species and water quality. A management group would be formed featuring experts on revegetation, water quality monitoring, feral pest management and Australasian bittern conservation. The management group, which would also have Menang Noongar representation, would push to get the wetlands covered by a conservation covenant “so their protection is guaranteed forever and they can never be cleared of native vegetation”. Up until five years ago, the wetlands were farmed land and there is still a pump system in place that would allow control of the water level. Ms Steytler said that control would be crucial to ensure the wetland can remain suitable habitat for the Australasian bittern and other species. “This wetland, because it was used for farming, you can regulate the water level and maintain it,” she said. “This is really important because as the climate dries, we will be able to maintain this as the ideal habitat for bittern, regardless of what happens in the climate. “It’s going to be very, very important going into the future because we are going to need areas like that that aren’t failing due to a lack of rain and just general drying.”