Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region

Our Achievements

Since inception in 2007, Connecting Country has supported significant on-ground conservation works, coordinated community education and awareness raising activities, provided assistance to the local Landcare movement, and implemented a rigorous monitoring and evaluation program.  Since 2010 Connecting Country has installed over 450 phascogale nestboxes on private and public land across the Mount Alexander region, in collaboration with academic experts, landholders and volunteers. Nestboxes are located systematically across the landscape to allow scientific analysis of results to better understand phascogale distribution and habitat preferences. Connecting Country staff and volunteers have conducted several rounds of nestbox monitoring, when funding allowed.

Connecting Country also works with volunteers to monitor 50 bird survey sites located in various habitats across the region, collecting ongoing data from 2010 to 2018. This provides invaluable information about the current status of woodland birds, and whether our revegetation efforts are successful in establishing wildlife habitat. Our regular educational events attract over 1,000 participants annually, engaging our community to appreciate and protect our local plants and animals.

Our achievements are highlighted in the table below and links to our annual reports follow.

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 TOTAL
Organisational
Projects operational (no.) 1 1 4 5 5 4 12 18 32
Staff (no.)** 1 3 4 6 15 15 17 11 12 6 27
Volunteer (hours)* 2187 2133 2530 2710 1577 11137
On Ground Works
Site management plans (no.) 22 19 20 87  21 43 28 15 17 251
Remnant vegetation protected (ha.) 914 307 800 1087 180 561 283 234 189 4555
Revegetation (ha.) 60 292 396 391  150 200 121 97 67 1624
Pest plant control (ha.) 974 146 800 2878  330 676 405 304 6183
Pest Animal control (ha.) 974 146 675 2407  330 688 405 304 5599
Total habitat enhanced (ha.) 974 1569 1800 3199 330 729 405 304 67 9377
Community Engagement
Education events (no.) 18 27 31 23 12 20 21 35 22 209
Participants (no.) 270 395 1149 472 322 1080 847 1298 400 6233
Brochures / Information Sheets (no.) 1 2 4 1 5 4 10 1 28
Blog Posts (no.) 17 86 39 178 154 138 180 161 163 135 1251
Blog subscribers (no.) 130 270 330 357 454 506 562 624 624
Videos 2 2 1 2
Facebook likes (no) 448 580 790 790
Community plans (no.) 3 3 4 8 1 1 0 3 0 23
Landcare groups supported (no.) 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 31 31 31
Monitoring
Nest boxes (no. boxes) 339 360 430 430 430 430 450 450 450 450
Nest boxes (no. checked) 270 300 0 330 0 444 0 300 1644
Woodland birds (no. of surveys) 60 200 200 200 216 200 200 180 1276
Habitat (no. surveys) 22 49 120 92 60 68 64 51 51 526
*officially started record volunteer contributions in 2013/14
**no individual employed in 12 month period, including works crews

 

Further details of our achievements are highlighted in the annual reports below:

Annual Reports

2020-2021 Annual Report

2019-2020 Annual Report

2018-2019 Annual Report

2017-2018 Annual Report

2016-2017 Annual Report

2015-2016 Annual Report

2014-2015 Annual Report

2013-2014 Annual Report

2012-2013 Annual Report

2011-2012 Annual Report

2009-2011 Project Report

2009-2010 Final Report