Regrowth

Kangaroo Island Landscape Board

Challenge

The 2019-20 bushfires burnt almost half of the native vegetation on Kangaroo Island, destroying the habitat of flora and fauna, including many threatened species no longer found on the mainland.

Kangaroo Island is home to more endemic plants than anywhere else in South Australia.

Response

In the wake of the bushfires, the Kangaroo Island Native Plant Nursery, part of the local landscape board, took action to help landholders regrow their burnt native vegetation.

The nursery grows only local island plants to ensure they are best suited to Kangaroo Island’s soils and climate and there is no biosecurity risk from mainland plants.

Success

In 2022 the nursery grew a record 55,000 seedlings for bushfire-affected landholders and threatened species projects.

The nursery supported landholders to develop their revegetation plans to give them the best chance of success.

These projects have helped replant burnt bushland, wind breaks and shelterbelts, restore endangered glossy black-cockatoo nesting and feeding habitat, and revegetated nationally threatened Kangaroo Island narrow-leaved mallee woodland.

Together the Kangaroo Island Native Plant Nursery and community are regrowing the island’s unique flora for the benefit of all.

The nursery successfully sought funding from the Australian Government, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and community donations to the Nature Foundation.