OUR VISION
To provide innovative solutions to improve habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species thus increasing species abundance and expanding the range over which species occur. We aim to help recover species and eliminate extinctions in the future.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Our principal objective is to provide breeding hollows for fish that lay "sticky eggs" and require hard surfaces to successfully breed. The species we have identified includes Murray Cod, Trout Cod, Eastern Freshwater Cod, Mary River Cod and River Blackfish. The hollows will provide further refuge for all fish species and may result in improved survival of juveniles escaping the threat of predation
To Date we have proven our ability to bore large hollows in a few different Eucalyptus species in two size options, 250mm and 350mm diameter and 2.2m depth. We have successfully bored seasoned and unseasoned timber and intend to manufacture additional sized cutter heads to bore smaller and larger hollows up to 450mm diameter.
Our preference is to bore logs at customer sites where timber has been sourced for established re-snagging programs. Our ability to bore hollows will improve the ecological benefit of current restoration projects. We can, however, bore logs at our premises in Merrigum, Victoria for smaller orders subject to the availability of timber.
USES
Within the Murray Darling Basin more than a million snags have been removed during the period of European Settlement to provide better river navigation (particularly during the paddle steamer era) and an incorrect assumption that removal would provide improved stream flows and reduced likelihood of flooding. Replacement of snags, also referred to as large woody debris, is listed as a rehabilitation action in both the Native Fish Recovery Strategy of the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the National Recovery Plan for the Murray Cod. We believe our solution will provide considerable benefit to the recovery actions listed in both documents.
"The Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin 2003-2013 (MBDC 2004a) has the vision of sustainable, viable fish populations and communities throughout its rivers. The overall goal of this strategy is to rehabilitate native fish communities in the MDB back to 60% or better of their estimated pre-European-settlement levels after 50 years of implementation, through a range of management actions."
(Koehn & Clunie 2010)
ENVIRONMENT
There has been a considerable effort over the last twenty years, since the beginning of 'The Living Murray' initiative. to improve environmental outcomes within streams of the Murray-Darling Basin.
The onset of the 'Millenium Drought' accelerated government and community concerns for the environmental health of these river systems and has resulted in billions of dollars being spent to improve these environments.
Some of the initiatives that are now well progressed include: water buy-back, capital works to improve irrigation efficiency, closure of water storages, pumping projects to water lakes and floodplains, fish ladders, stream fencing, re-vegetation, re-snagging and environmental watering programs.
Taking into account all of these initiatives, the large sums of money already spent, and the best science available then placement of bored logs in streams may be one of the final "pieces of the puzzle" to bring about significant improvement to overall stream health.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION
Proof of concept demonstration
RECOGNITION STATEMENT
Aussie Habitat solutions acknowledges the traditional owners of the land, the Yorta Yorta people, and pay our respects to their elders, past, present and future.
WORK GALLERY
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