Bush Heritage Australia

Bush Heritage 2Since I dedicated my last book Billabong Bend to Bush Heritage, I thought I should write a post about it. Bush Heritage is a non-profit conservation organisation dedicated to protecting Australia’s unique animals, plants and their habitats for future generations. They have a simple and practical formula for protecting the bush – buy land of outstanding conservation value, then care for it

Liffey Valley Reserves in Tasmania – the first Bush Heritage Reserve. Photo: Wayne Lawler

Liffey Valley in Tasmania – the first Bush Heritage Reserve. Photo: Wayne Lawler

The organisation began in 1991, when Dr Bob Brown bought several hundred hectares of old-growth forest in Tasmania to save it from logging. Using prize money from an environmental award as the deposit, he sought donations to gather the remaining funds, and Bush Heritage was born.

My fictional property of Billabong Bend is based in part on the beautiful Naree Station, acquired by Bush Heritage in 2012. Located on the inland floodplains of northern NSW, Naree sits at the head of the nationally significant wetlands of the Cuttaburra Channels and Yantabulla Swamp. During flood events it becomes home to an incredible fifty thousand breeding water birds and is rated as one of the twenty most important water bird sites in Australia.

Bush Heritage 4Bush Heritage currently owns and manages thirty-five reserves throughout Australia, covering nearly one million hectares. Reserves are managed like national parks – the land is legally protected, with the intention of safeguarding it forever. Bush Heritage also builds partnerships with farmers. These partnerships account for a further 3.5 million hectares of land under conservation management. Their long term goal is to protect more than seven million hectares by 2025. This will only be possible with our help.

Bush Heritage 2If you need a gift for someone who cares about the environment, how about sending a Bush Heritage WILDgift? Not only does your friend or family member receive a beautiful card featuring stunning photography from the Australian bush, but together, you also make a real and lasting contribution to nature conservation in Australia. For ten dollars you can provide a warm, safe nesting box for the endangered red-tailed phascogale. For twenty-five dollars you can save a slice of the outback, helping to buy one hectare of native habitat. Every hectare makes a difference!

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Bush Heritage Australia

Bush Heritage 1With Christmas fast approaching, I have a present suggestion. Why not a WILD gift from Bush Heritage Australia, an organisation committed to protecting Australia’s plants and animals and their habitats? One of the best ways to conserve land is to own it. Bush Heritage acquires land and water of outstanding ecological importance for Australia’s biodiversity and ecology. They also build partnerships with farmers to support conservation on privately owned land. Starting out with just two reserves in 1991, Bush Heritage now owns and manages more than a million hectares, in over 30 reserves around Australia.

Bush Heritage 2The WILD Gift concept is very cool, and makes a real difference to conservation in Australia. Each gift represents an area of Bush Heritage’s work on reserves right across the country. For ten dollars you can provide a warm, safe nesting box for endangered red-tailed phascogales. Forty dollars can help monitor the health of a threatened species, like the small but feisty Mulgara. My personal favourite is their Slice of the Outback gift. Twenty-five dollars can buy one hectare of native habitat, providing a safe haven for countless plants and animals. Every hectare makes a difference!

Brolga on Naree Station

Brolga on Naree Station

For each gift purchased, you’ll receive a beautiful gift card which you can send to a friend or relative, letting them know about the thoughtful contribution you’ve made on their behalf, and about the conservation successes they’re helping to achieve – plus you can add your own personal message. If you choose an electronic card, you have the further choice of opting that it be sent direct to the recipient on your behalf. As a giver, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re part of Bush Heritage’s big plans to rescue Australian wildlife and landscapes. All WILD gifts are tax deductible.

 

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