Council's innovative solution to quiet crisis in Aussie suburbs leads to exciting change
As Australia's cities continue to grow to keep up with the demands of our skyrocketing population, native wildlife populations are facing increasing pressure from threats such as habitat loss and predation from invasive species like cats and foxes.
To bridge the gap, authorities are exploring new ways to support the survival of our wildlife, with everyday Aussies regularly being called on to help solve the growing issue. Planting nesting boxes can help backyards can become more hospitable to birds, possums, sugar gliders, microbats and insects.
But in public spaces, more needs to be done. One inner-city council is now trialling innovative new technology to offer new shelter options for Aussie animals in public parks with exciting results.
Randwick City Council recently announced a trial in partnership with the University of New South Wales whereby researchers are trialling two types of artificial tree hollows at the Randwick Environment Park in Sydney's East.
In May, ten 3D-printed nesting boxes were installed, along with artificial hollows drilled into trees. Just weeks later, rainbow lorikeets were sighted nesting in one of the hollows.
"When council collaborates with research institutions and other community groups, we can achieve real change for our community, native wildlife and environment," Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker. He called the move 'a significant step forward" in enhancing Sydney's biodiversity and urban wildlife conservation.
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Aussies have long been urged to install simple nesting boxes to give native species a helping hand and provide much-needed shelter. However, the drawback with traditional nesting boxes made out of wood, according to council, is that they can often fall short because of poor insulation and limited durability.
The UNSW-designed 3D printed nest boxes are made from long-lasting, weather-resistant plastic, which they say offers better thermal stability.
Along with the plastic shelters, fake hollows were drilled into existing trees with a 'Hollowhog' tool that creates large internal cavities through small entry holes in both living and dead wood, which fast-tracks the natural process that creates hollows within trees, which can take centuries.
As well as rainbow lorikeets, there are hopes that the new features will attract microbats, parrots, and smaller birds such as kingfishers and pardalotes.
In the coming years, researchers will monitor the artificial hollows to determine their use by native animals.
Habitat loss is a huge issue connected to housing and infastructure development. Roads and new housing developments encroaching on the habitats of native plants and animals and harming their populations in doing so.
Clearing land and habitat trees leaves the hundreds of vertebrate species that rely on tree hollows without a home, exacerbating Australia's extinction crisis. Since European settlement, we have lost more mammal species than any other continent, with over 100 species declared extinct or extinct in the wild.
Local governments elsewhere around the country have sought to boost the presence of nesting boxes and urged locals to join them. The City of Parramatta Council has installed over 450 nest boxes and roost boxes across the LGA while also using chainsaws to carve entrances in dead trees.
What's more, researchers like Professor Sarah Bekessy from RMIT's Centre for Urban Research have been calling for a rethink of how urban areas can be shared with native plants and animals.
'At the moment we do development in a way that sees (nature) as a problem,' she told Yahoo News Australia. 'Biodiversity is actually seen as a 'constraint layer' rather than an opportunity we should maximise in the planning process.
'The evidence is now absolutely compelling that connection to nature is really critical for our health and for our mental wellbeing, for our physical wellbeing and for our immune response."
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