One of the most important reasons to #savecurrumbin everywhere on social media is to save the wildlife.
Save Currumbin commissioned from Victoria Bakker an environmental scientist to review the importance of preserving vegetation on Currumbin Hill and its vegetated slopes cliffs and ridges. Her Report was part of Save Currumbin submissions sent to Council. It found that the vegetation corridors and reserves of Currumbin Hill, its escarpments, cliffs and ridges:
- provide habitat linkage to broader conservation areas
- includes critically endangered littoral rainforest as 12.2.5 and 12.5.3
- are part of Regional ecosystem 12.5.3 which is important hollow nesting habitat for arboreal species including possums, gliders and bird species.
- contain habitat provides a food source for the Koala (Phascolarctos cinerius) which is listed as Vulnerable to extinction.;
- provides a habitat for swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor), carpet python (Morelia spilota), Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbeta)
- contains native vegetation including Macaranga (Macaranga tanarius), Bangalow Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamii) and Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides).
- are important for the migrating wildlife and provide important refugia for birds and other fauna species within the urban landscape. They inhabit the area or move from the coast and Currumbin Sanctuary to other areas of the Gold Coast.
- are a habitat for Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), Kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), Currawongs (strepera graculina) , Noisy Minors (Manorina melanocephala), Butcher Birds (Cracticus torquatus), Magpie Lark (Grallina cyanoleuca), Sooty Oyster Catcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) and Brush Turkeys (Alectura lathami)
- Seasonally some birds like the Wandering Tattler (Tringa icana) fly tens of thousands of miles from Siberia to spend several months in Currumbin. This species is listed as near threatened to extinction on the IUCN list.
- is habitat for many other bird species including the Beach Stone Curlew (Esacus magnirostris) that is also on the threatened to extinction on the IUCN list.
It is likely Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary will suffer if the environment of Currumbin suffers. The birds that visit the Sanctuary live and feed in the Currumbin Hill vegetation and rocky outcrops.
A detailed bird survey listing rare birds of the Currumbin Creek mouth and headland habitat area conducted by the Department of Environment and Science can be found at report:
https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/wildlife/?AreaID=fish-habitat-area-currumbin- creek&Kingdom=animals&Class=birds&SpeciesFilter=WetlandIndicator
Entomb that habitat in concrete apartments that are built right into the vegetated cliffs and what will happen to the birds and other wildlife?
The Ecological Impact Assessment also recognizes that the Currumbin area retains cultural and heritage values and the Bundjalung Minjungbal nation have named local fauna species.
The word Currumbin means high up or place where high trees grow. The habitat remnant areas and local wildlife are revered by traditional custodians of the land.
The ridges from Currumbin escarpment are part of traditional sacred song line passageways that follow the Woodgee Street escarpment and ridge lines to The Cougals (Mt Cougal) and other hinterland locations.
These areas are an ancient navigation network evidenced by sacred scar trees along the ridgelines.
The traditional owners relationship to the land is integral to the wildlife on it including the Guraman (kangaroo/wallaby, Bargoon (Kookaburra), Kabul (Carpet Snake), Ngumahl (goanna and bearded lizards).
Habitat destruction, land clearing and weed invasion are listed as key threatening processes contributing to Australia having the highest extinction rate in the world.
The City of Gold Coast Council planning department needs to retain fragile green spaces and wildlife refugia in conjunction with future development projects along foreshore areas to prevent localised extinction. Rare species such as the Beach Stone Curlew are at risk of extinction in addition to other species across the broader region. Accommodation for these species is essential in order to provide balance between residential areas and shared habitat space. The Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales bioregion provides habitat for the highest number of rare and threatened species due to the high biodiversity values of various rare and endangered ecological communities which include Littoral Rainforest, Low-Land Sub-Tropical Rainforest and Sclerophyll Woodlands.
“Further developments should focus to retain and enhance green space along the foreshore corridor to ensure visual integrity is maintained along with vegetation coverage for slope stability and provision of habitat. “
“The Currumbin community and visitors value the local flora and fauna. The green and lush corridors along the escarpment provide Currumbin’s visual aesthetic and appeal.
The limited habitat availability and reduced connectivity is already impacting the local wildlife populations.
The key threatening processes place considerable pressure on ecological and amenity values.
Enabling development of the Currumbin cliffs and escarpment would set a precedence for further development of the foreshore and impact the local fauna populations by further reducing limited habitat.”
#savecurrumbin if you care.