The Hanson Bay Sanctuary was severely impacted by the wildfires that ravaged it and the mainland of Kangaroo Island in 2019-2020. More than 10 million acres in Australia burned, and Kangaroo Island, known for its wildlife, was deeply affected by the destruction.
The Hanson Bay Sanctuary is a 2000 hectare, privately owned sanctuary inside the boundary of Flinders Chase National Park (FCNP), located about 110 kilometers from Kingscote, which has a local plant nursery with volunteers. Approximately 90- 95 percent of that district burned during the fires, causing a massive depletion in the habitats needed for wildlife.
Although fires are part of the natural landscape, with big fires occurring every 10-20 years, this was a 100-year event with a hot burn that massively depleted the undergrowth, destroying the foundation of local ecosystems.
The Sanctuary also lost its volunteer house and “tree factory” (the nursery used to collect and store native seeds for germination).
Determined to rebuild, the team rolled up its sleeves and got started building a replacement nursery in 2020. By working with local nurseries, the government’s Dept of Environment nursery and director, and various schools, the massive undertaking began to replant and restore the habitats that were destroyed.
That’s when the reforestation and carbon offset provider 8 Billion Trees got involved, helping fund the rebuilding process and shovel ready germination projects carried out by schools, so that reforestation efforts could be carried out without any delays.
Building “Tree Factory 2.0” also began, to serve as a place to both germinate seeds and a high security vault for protecting and storing seedlings.
By March, 2020, the nursery was nearly completed! The simple possum-proof structure was constructed of mostly recycled materials saved from the fire.
Protecting Planting Areas
Hanson Bay has had reforestation projects in place for years, but typically an area must be fenced off first, because the wallabies and possums love to eat the seedlings!
To ensure survival, the group usually parcels off a section of land, about 50 acres, and then fences it before planting the seedlings. Once it has been in place for at least seven years, the trees are generally tall enough and mature enough to survive, and it can be removed.
How It’s Going: Rebuilding Habitats With Tree Planting
Jim Geddes reported, “The recovery and the regeneration of the landscape is quite stunning at the present time! All the trees that we've planted are doing well. There are also many volunteer (native) germinations. We have had the 4th wettest July on record and Spring flowers are everywhere. We are seeing plant species we have never seen before that are fire responsive.”
Rebuilding the delicate ecosystems that exist on Kangaroo Island is an important part of the work 8 Billion Trees supports. So far, thousands of new trees have been planted, with many more scheduled for this upcoming planting season.