Wildlife Safe Havens for the Byron Shire

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In partnership with Brunswick Valley Landcare - 30 private landholdings across the Byron Shire were provided with a property visit, ecological health check in relation to the ability of the flora to support fauna and a habitat solution was installed appropriate to target species ranging from small, medium and large birds, mammals and reptiles. Landholders are provided with access to wildlife cameras for ongoing monitoring of their  their properties and a formal hollow habitat inspection will be conducted within 12 months of installation. Funding for this project was through WIRES Bushfire recovery funding.

• In 2021, the Wildlife Safe Havens crowd-funding campaign was boosted by many supporters and generously backed by Santos Organics. 
• An Art-meets-Habitat auction hosted at Cape Byron Distillery raised over $15,000 to support wildlife across the Byron Shire.
• The team embarked on research projects to better understand the wildlife across the Bryon Shire and the local impacts on their survival.
• Projects were established for Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Owls and Gliders. 
• The projects continue to generate valuable data and to support a range of threatened species.

2022 was a big year for the Wildlife Safe Havens team with some major projects  instigated which built on the work commenced in 2021 to better understand Gliders across the Shire.

And, the biggest news, a Central Greater Glider was recorded in the Shire for the first time in 20 years (BioNet Atlas).

Projects included:

• Glider Conservation funded by Landcare Australia
• Saving the Acrobats funded by WIRES NSW
• and the Wildbnb team also built the Glossies Northern Rivers project and partnered with WWF-Australia and Saving-our-Species to conserve the endangered Glossy Black-Cockatoo across the Northern Rivers.

• This year the team is monitoring about 200 nest boxes and hollows across the Shire and finding some great results
• New habitat sites have also been created to connect the habitat corridor from Koonyum Range to Brunswick Heads
• Hollow habitat was installed a the Yalla Kool Nature Reserve at Ocean Shores
• And the team worked with Byron Bird Buddies to create habitat at the Byron Wetlands at Byron Bay.

Proposed activities for 2024 include:

• Expanding the Saving the Acrobats project to better understand Greater Gliders
• Connecting habitat corridors from Broken Head to Wooyung
• Analysing the Glider projects and developing a plan for Glider conservation across the Shire
• Expanding the range of hollows available for Owls, Parrots and Cockatoos