On the shores of the Gippsland Lakes grow some of
the last remnants of an ecosystem more often associated with the tropics.
Littoral rainforest occurs only where land meets sea, reliant on salty air and coastal breezes.
Once spread in scattered pockets along headlands, dunes and clifftops, much of it has been cleared
for development.
Today, the ecosystem is critically endangered.
One of these rare pockets survives on the shores of Lake Bunga on Gunaikurnai Country, on the property of Brian and Leanne Bolding.
The Boldings have had a
long connection to the land, caring for the lakeshore as volunteers years before purchasing the property more than a decade ago.
“It’s special because it’s got that little pocket of rainforest,” Brian said.
“It really connects us to the natural world. It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise.”
The property provides habitat for Powerful Owls, Long-nosed Potoroos and nesting White-bellied Sea Eagles.
In 2015, the Boldings placed a Trust for Nature conservation covenant on the land, to ensure it would be protected forever.
“I’d encourage anyone with special bits of land they want to protect to do so,” says Brian.
Trust for Nature partners with private landholders like the Boldings to protect and restore vital habitat for wildlife in Victoria through conservation covenants and the Land for Wildlife program.
For Brian and Leanne, the decision to protect the land with a conservation covenant was about responsibility to future generations.
“There’s not that much left of the rainforest and we wanted to protect it for the future.”
Trust for Nature now protects more than 119,000 hectares across Victoria with over 1800 conservation covenants, 40 reserves and thousands of Land for Wildlife members.
Together, these properties form a network of sanctuaries that safeguard habitat for some of our most threatened species.
To learn more about protecting habitat on your property, visit the Trust for Nature stall at the East Gippsland
Field Days or visit Trust for Nature’s website (www.trustfornature.org.au).
