Forever Nature Fund: Mongolurring Conservation Management Appeal

From the ground up: Fund the future of Mongolurring

144 animals, plants and ecological communities were added to the national threatened species list in 2023—five times more than the annual average, and twice the previous highest year in 2009.

Habitat loss and degradation and a changing climate are key contributors to these figures, and we are determined to conserve, restore and protect our unique ecosystems and landscapes so that our precious native populations have refuges in which to shelter and thrive.

The good news is that our recently acquired Mongolurring Nature Reserve—1,200-hectares of mallee woodland located east of Mount Bryan, South Australia, on Ngadjuri Country—is home to a variety of native flora and fauna, with almost 200 native plant species recorded in the area, along with 16 reptile species and 64 bird species.

Bird species recorded in the area include the Southern Whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis, right top) and Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata, right), both listed as threatened under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) act, and the South Australian listed White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos).

Nature Foundation needs your help improve habitat conditions at to restore and protect Mongolurring, a special reserve donated to Nature Foundation in June of this year by a generous benefactor through our Forever Nature Fund.
 

Mongolurring has an existing native vegetation heritage agreement, yet conservation interventions are urgently required to protect its biodiversity by reducing the impacts of threatening processes, including cats, deer, foxes and goats. These actions would significantly improve habitat conditions for local native fauna, including threatened species.

Mongolurring to Caraoona panorama by Bill Doyle.

Initial assessments by our Science and Knowledge team have identified priority management tasks that will enable critical conservation benefits for the nature reserve. 

You can donate to help enable key actions to restore and conserve nature on the reserve.

The activities outlined below will provide a foundation for the immediate management of Mongolurring and assist with developing a long-term conservation management plan to improve habitats for local native species.

Right now, $120,000 is needed to deliver these important actions:

• Baseline fauna survey
• Essential fencing works
• Initial weed control
• Goat control
• Deer control

“This work will help us characterise the key natural values of Mongolurring Nature Reserve and begin managing critical pressures and threats. It will provide us with the baseline information we need to make evidence-based decisions about how we manage the reserve long-term, to ensure we maximise positive outcomes for biodiversity.”
– Dr Paul van Ruth, Science and Knowledge Program Manager, Nature Foundation

About the Forever Nature Fund

Nature Foundation’s Forever Nature Fund was established in December 2022 to raise capital to purchase and manage critical habitat areas and prioritised using data-driven scientific and environmental assessment tools.

The Fund enables our team to act quickly and decisively when a property of high conservation value is available, and ensures the land is assessed and managed appropriately to restore and protect biodiversity.

Nature Foundation aims to double our impact to 1 million hectares protected by 2030. We have made positive strides towards this goal over the past year, including the generous donation of Mongolurring Nature Reserve.

The compounding impacts of climate change are accelerating the decline of Australia’s biodiversity, with increasing numbers of species and ecological communities listed as threatened. This urgent situation makes our mission to protect and restore critical habitats more crucial than ever.

We value your support of our mission to conserve the precious habitat of South Australia and beyond.
You can be part of this progressive and science-based approach and support conservation action to improve habitats for native fauna at Mongolurring, including the threatened Southern Whiteface and Diamond Firetail at Mongolurring.

Donating today to our Forever Nature Fund: Mongolurring Conservation Management Appeal will make a valuable contribution to our cause. Your support enables us to achieve our goals and ensure these precious landscapes and species survive for future generations.

As a charity with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, all donations are tax-deductible.

Thank you for caring for nature with us.

For Corporate support or Major Gift enquiries, please contact: