Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve Victoria
IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve Location in Victoria
Nearest town or city	Yellingbo
Established	1965
Area	590 hectares
Managing authorities	Parks Victoria
See also	Protected areas of Victoria

The Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is a special protected area located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of Melbourne in the beautiful Yarra Valley. It's close to towns like Yellingbo and Launching Place. This reserve was created in 1965 to protect nature.

The reserve is a narrow strip of land found along several creeks, including Woori Yallock, Shepherd, and Cockatoo Creeks. It covers about 590 hectares (about 1,458 acres) and is surrounded by private properties.

Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is super important because it's the only place where you can find all three of Victoria's state symbols living together in the wild! These are the helmeted honeyeater (a bird), the Leadbeater's possum (a small mammal), and the pink heath (a flower).

This reserve is managed by Parks Victoria. It's classified as an IUCN Category 1A protected area. This means it's a "Strict Nature Reserve," mainly managed for scientific research and protecting its unique wildlife. The name 'Yellingbo' comes from the Woiwurrung language and means "today."

History of Yellingbo Reserve

How the Reserve Was Created

The Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve started in 1965. People were worried because the number of helmeted honeyeaters was getting very low. Groups like the Victorian Ornithological Research Group suggested that some areas along the creeks should be protected.

So, the Victorian Government set aside these lands as the Yellingbo State Wildlife Reserve. Over time, more land was bought or donated, making the protected area bigger. In 1994, most of these areas were combined and officially named the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. Even more small pieces of land have been added since then to help protect the animals and plants.

Amazing Plants and Animals

Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. It has about 285 native plant species and 230 native animal species with backbones (vertebrates). Some of the important species you can find here include:

• The Leadbeater's possum
• The helmeted honeyeater
• The Epacris impressa (pink heath)
• The Eastern Mourning Skink
• The Green Scentbark Eucalyptus fulgens
• The Powerful owl Ninox strenua
• The Growling grass frog Litoria raniformis

Special Plant Life

The reserve protects a very special plant community called Sedge-rich Eucalyptus camphora Swamp Community. This is the only known place where it grows, making it nationally important!

You'll find different types of plant groups here:

• Along Cockatoo Creek, there are pure stands of Eucalyptus camphora trees with plants like Carex and Cyperus underneath.
• At the edges, you might see dense shrubs like Leptospermum lanigerum or Melaleuca squarrosa.
• On drier areas along Cockatoo Creek, you'll find Eucalyptus camphora, Acacia melanoxylon, Eucalyptus ovata, and Eucalyptus obliqua.
• Eucalyptus viminalis trees mostly grow along Sheepstation and Woori Yallock Creeks.
• On drier slopes throughout the reserve, there are sclerophyll forests with trees like Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus obliqua, and Eucalyptus ignorabilis. The plants under these trees can be sparse or thick in patches.

Leadbeater's Possum: Victoria's Animal Symbol

The Leadbeater's possum is a small, furry animal that is the animal symbol of Victoria. A small group of these possums was found in the swamp forests of Yellingbo in 1986. This group is very special because it's the only known group of lowland Leadbeater's possums. Their home here is very different from where most other possums live, which is in the mountains.

These possums need old, mature trees with hollows to make their dens. Sadly, their numbers have dropped a lot because many of these old trees have been lost. The Leadbeater's possum is listed as 'Threatened' in Victoria and 'Endangered' by the Australian government.

Helmeted Honeyeater: A Critically Endangered Bird

The helmeted honeyeater is Victoria's only bird that lives nowhere else in the world! It was first discovered in 1867, but its home has shrunk a lot since then. Much of its habitat was destroyed when land in the Yarra Valley was cleared for farming.

Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is now home to the very last wild population of this critically endangered bird. It is listed as 'Critically Endangered' by the IUCN and is also listed as 'Threatened' and 'Critically Endangered' by Victorian and Australian laws.

Challenges and Threats to the Reserve

Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve faces many threats that make it hard to protect its special plants and animals. These include:

• Changes to how water flows in the creeks.
• A decline in native plants.
• Pest animals like foxes and deer.
• Invasive weeds like blackberry, gorse, and ragwort.
• Wildfires that are not managed properly.

The health of the Eucalyptus camphora and Eucalyptus ovata trees has been getting worse since the 1970s. This is a complex problem, but one reason might be too much nitrogen in the soil from nearby farms, which encourages weeds. Changes in stream flow and waterlogging can also harm the trees.

Because the reserve is made up of many small, separate areas, it's harder to manage. People who own land next to the reserve play an important role in helping to protect it, especially by creating safe pathways for animals. Small reserves like Yellingbo need a lot of careful management. Threats like introduced predators or diseases could wipe out a species in a single reserve. That's why Zoos Victoria is working to find and protect other safe places for these animals.

Threats to the Helmeted Honeyeater

The helmeted honeyeater is very vulnerable to disasters like fire. A big fire could destroy their breeding areas. They also need enough good places to breed to have more babies. To help them, people are working to expand their habitat, stop it from being lost or damaged, and even give them extra food. The current population of helmeted honeyeaters has low genetic diversity, which means they are more vulnerable to inbreeding depression and might struggle to adapt to changes in their environment.

Threats to the Leadbeater's Possum

For the Leadbeater's possum, one of the biggest threats outside of Yellingbo is clearfell logging. This is when all trees in an area are cut down. This destroys their homes, breaks up their habitat into small pieces, and increases the risk of fires. To save the possum, clearfell logging needs to stop, and more protected areas are urgently needed.

Managing and Protecting the Reserve

Many plans have been put in place to manage Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and protect the helmeted honeyeater and lowland Leadbeater's possum. These include the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve Management Plan (2004) and national recovery plans for the helmeted honeyeater.

Working Together for Conservation

A report in 2013, called the Yellingbo Investigation Final Report, said that saving these animals needs everyone to work together. Traditional ways of protecting nature don't fully apply here because a lot of the important plant life is on private land. So, a team effort is key!

The report suggested creating a bigger Yellingbo Conservation Area and having a committee to help everyone work together. It also recommended stopping cattle from grazing along the creeks. The Victorian government agreed with these ideas and is working to put them into action.

In 2015, the Yellingbo Conservation Area Coordinating Committee was formed. This committee includes representatives from important groups like Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Cardinia Shire Council, Zoos Victoria, and Trust for Nature. They will create an action plan and coordinate partnerships to improve the environment.

Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Inc

The management of the helmeted honeyeater began in 1965. By 1989, there were only about 50 birds left! This led to a lot of public interest, and the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Inc group was formed.

Their main goals are:

• To protect the places where honeyeaters live now.
• To plant new habitats for them in the future.
• To make people aware of the honeyeater's problems.
• To get community support for saving the bird.

These "Friends" are very active, volunteering their time and effort to restore habitats. They have also been very important in getting political support for the honeyeater.

Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possum Inc

On National Threatened Species Day in 2004, another group of volunteers started the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc. They work to protect the possum population. Besides supporting projects at Yellingbo, they also work towards creating the proposed Great Forest National Park to ensure the possum's future.

The Leadbeater's Possum Advisory Group

This group was set up in 2013. Their goal is to suggest ways to help the possum recover while also keeping a healthy timber industry. The group includes people from Zoos Victoria, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries, VicForests, Parks Victoria, and the Leadbeater's Possum Recovery Team.

Benefits for Nature and the Environment

The biggest success of managing Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve has been saving the helmeted honeyeater and the lowland Leadbeater's possum from disappearing forever. For over 40 years, volunteers have helped by controlling weeds and pests, planting new trees, building fences, and doing other important conservation work. Without these efforts, the helmeted honeyeater, and possibly other species, would likely be extinct.

Current Status of the Animals

As of May 2016, the wild population of helmeted honeyeaters was about 200 birds, and their numbers were going up! This is thanks to changes in the recovery program. For example, captive-bred birds are now trained to avoid predators and are released when they are older (around 12 months old) into areas that have been replanted for four years. Understanding the health of the soil and environment has also helped. The biggest challenge for the honeyeater is still the lack of suitable places to live.

In May 2015, a count of the lowland Leadbeater's possum population found 48 individuals in ten family groups. Their numbers were stable over the previous year, after a big drop of 60% in earlier decades. Sadly, fifteen groups have been lost since 2003 because the plants in the reserve are not as healthy as they used to be.

Zoos Victoria's Role

Zoos Victoria runs special breeding programs for both the lowland Leadbeater's possum and the helmeted honeyeater. These programs are part of their 'Fighting Extinction' effort. The possum breeding program started in 2012 to prevent this unique population from going extinct. As of October 2015, 16 possums were part of this program. These captive animals act as a "safety net" in case the wild population faces a disaster.

Zoos Victoria has been involved in the helmeted honeyeater recovery program since 1989. They help by breeding birds in captivity to add to the wild populations. They also do research to improve breeding success and monitor the honeyeaters after they are released.

Improving Habitats

There has been good progress in stopping cattle from grazing along the creeks in the Yellingbo Conservation Area. This helps improve the habitat for the Leadbeater's possum, helmeted honeyeater, and other threatened species. It also makes the water cleaner and protects native plants along the waterways. These healthier creek areas are vital for both the honeyeater and the possum.

Partners continue to raise money to buy more land next to the reserve. For example, Trust for Nature announced the purchase of an additional 3 hectares in May 2016. Both the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc and the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Inc regularly plant new trees and plants.

Funding and Support

In 2014–15, the Victorian Government announced a $3.2 million program to plant new habitat at Yellingbo. This program will plant over 80,000 understory plants to create more diverse habitats and provide more insects for the birds to eat. The government also plans to stop about 186 water frontage and grazing licenses by 2018. This will help improve the health of the rivers and the plants along them.

In April 2014, the Victorian Government gave $11 million over five years to support the recommendations from the Leadbeater's Possum Advisory Group. These recommendations include 48 actions to help save the possum.

In 2015, Greening Australia started a three-year project to increase habitat and improve plant health for the wild populations of the helmeted honeyeater and Leadbeater's possum. They are working with six partner agencies and two "Friends" groups to:

• Improve habitat quality and connect existing populations.
• Provide more food and nesting sites for honeyeaters by planting 650,000 new trees and shrubs.
• Expand the area of Eucalyptus camphora woodland and related creek-side plants by 100 hectares.

Visiting the Reserve

There is no general public access to the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. However, groups like the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and BirdLife Australia sometimes organize special birdwatching walks and counting tours.

Images for kids

• Volunteers assisting with revegetation work, planting 1,955 plants on 30 April 2016.