Championing Sustainability in the South West
Report written by Kate Ryan, MRV Office Administrator
This September the team at Margaret River Vintners gathered the gardening tools and started a new tradition.
Situated within the boundaries of the Margaret River Vintners site and adjacent to the site is an ecological community known as the Busselton Ironstone community.
The site has been listed as critically endangered. Due to the community’s endemic flora the area is quite distinctive and is covered in dense shrubs.
The community is geographically restricted and has been reduced at least 90% by clearing, mainly for agricultural purposes (Busselton area). One of the threats to the few remaining patches is weed invasion.
In particular at Margaret River Vintners, we are tackling the removal of the invasive Sydney Golden Wattle (Acacia longifolia). The introduced species can spread vigorously and outcompete local trees and shrubs.
We invited Ben Lullfitz from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to come down and talk to us about the importance of the site and give us some advice on how best to preserve the site.
The team got stuck into the task of removing the invasive wattle and a ute-load of old metal and glass.
Ben was excited to point out to us a Chamelaucium Roycei (Busselton Wax) which is rare and endangered and endemic to the Busselton Ironstone community. He took a sample to send to the Western Australian Herbarium to provide a permanent record of the occurrence of a species at a particular place and time.
