Para Woodlands – a restoration challenge

This opportunity has been made possible by a generous donation of land on the outskirts of Gawler, north of Adelaide, by Mrs Elizabeth Law-Smith and her late husband David. The land has been largely cleared of native vegetation and used for various forms of farming for more than 100 years.

The project requires careful research, long lasting and well monitored trials in revegetation and other rehabilitation exercises and a staged transition from farming to conservation management.

The Nature Foundation is pleased to be a partner in this venture with Mrs Law-Smith, who has committed $1.2 million over 10 years. The management committee includes farm manager Leith Chester; representatives of the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage and university researchers such as Dr David Paton.

While it is an exciting project, we are well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. It will take many years before it can be justifiably claimed that we have established an appropriate range of native habitats that are relatively self sustaining.