UQ volunteers provide new homes for native wildlife

More than 150 keen green volunteers have again teamed up in the name of sustainability to help plant thousands of trees along The University of Queensland St Lucia riverbank.

Stage two of the year-long revegetation project has seen an extra 4000 trees planted on 400m of riverbank along Sir William Macgregor Drive, extending on revegetation work which took place in July.

UQ sustainability lecturer Andrew Wilson said the project was exceeding expectations.

“Thanks to our great volunteers, we’ve already planted almost 10,000 trees along the riverbank this year,” Mr Wilson said.

“By February next year that number will increase to about 15,000.”

“Native plants are great for local wildlife. They help protect the riverbank from erosion and are simply pleasant for people passing by.”

The work included planting of a five-metre-thick hedge from near St Leo’s College down past Thynne Road.

Ian Lowndes, from SolarGreen Landscapes, who designed the revegetation project, said the hedgerow was made up of 35 different native low-growing plants and would l provide a home for native wildlife and help support biodiversity.

“The hedge will be the perfect home for rare native butterflies and small birds, particularly the superb fairy wren,” Mr Lowndes said.

“In an increasingly urbanised Brisbane, it’s rare to have native sanctuaries like this so close to the city.”

The third and final stage of planting will eventually see almost a kilometre of riverbank planted with native vegetation, with corridors running up to the lakes section of the St Lucia Campus.

For more information about sustainability or future tree planting projects, visit the UQ sustainability website.

Media: Casey Fung, c.fung@uq.edu.au, +617 3346 7887.