Drummond Nature Reserve endorsed for further protection

26/11/01
A nature reserve on the boundaries of Toodyay and Victoria Plains shires has become a Natural Diversity Recovery Catchment under the State Salinity Strategy.
The Drummond Nature Reserve, 10km west of Bolgart, falls within watercourses that drain into the Toodyay Brook, part of the Avon River system.
Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards, who has special responsibility for salinity, said the move had been endorsed by the State Salinity Council and the Conservation Commission of Western Australia.
"The aim of the natural diversity recovery catchment program is to ensure that critical and regionally significant natural areas, particularly wetlands, are protected in perpetuity," Dr Edwards said.
"Catchments nominated in this program are managed in partnership with the local community, with recovery measures implemented to assist in protecting the biodiversity of these reserves."

Dr Edwards said although the Drummond Nature Reserve was only 440ha, it was within the Solomon-Yulgan and Anvil Gully catchments which together comprised almost 40,000ha.
"Department of Conservation and Land Management surveys have revealed a very rich and diverse range of vegetation communities with at least 429 individual species of native flowering plants," she said.
"It has extremely high conservation values, particularly the two claypan wetland areas which are among the last such freshwater wetlands on uncleared land in the Wheatbelt.
"However, the nature reserve is under threat from salinity, weed invasion and other environmental degradation."
Dr Edwards said that remedial actions were needed now or the conservation values could be lost within 10 years.
"As a result, recovery measures will be introduced in three phases, including a comprehensive study of the catchment, and a recovery strategy and action plan," she said.
The third phase would involve implementing on-the-ground actions in consultation with local landowners.
Dr Edwards said the nomination brought to six the number of recovery catchments for natural diversity under the Salinity Strategy. The others were the Lake Warden complex near Esperance, Toolibin Lake east of Narrogin, the Muir-Unicup complex between Manjimup and Mt Barker, Lake Bryde south-east of Lake Grace and the Buntine-Marchagee system between Coorow and Dalwallinu.
The inclusion of the reserve as a diversity recovery catchment also had been supported by the Solomon-Yulgan Catchment Group, the Toodyay Naturalists' Club and the Toodyay and Victoria Plains shires.
The September 2001 report of the Salinity Taskforce established to review salinity management in WA also recommended expanding the Natural Diversity Recovery Catchment program.
Media contact: John Carey 9220 5050