Case studies

Before European settlement in Western Australia, Quindalup Dune ecosystems extended more than 100 kilometres along the coastline where Perth is now located. The Quindalup Dunes are characterised by a highly mobile beach strand that rises and falls in response to storms and high winds, frontal dunes that are unstable and subject to episodic erosion, and secondary dunes that are stable, mostly with a semicontinuous cover of vegetation. It is estimated that less than 5% of the ecosystem remains. Even this small remaining proportion is often highly impacted by invasive species and human disturbance (e.g. trails, viewpoints).

Ecological restoration work of a central metropolitan Perth section of the Quindalup Dunes by the Cambridge Coastcare volunteer group is a good example of restoration projects executed in line with the National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia (second edition), established by the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia (SERA) (SRG SERA 2017).

The planning stage included careful selection of a suitable reference site to benchmark the restoration progress. The reference site was used to develop a list of plant species, along with their composition and abundance, for the restoration program. The reference site needed to reflect the aspect, soils, topography and geological age of the restoration site.

Indigenous approval for the activity was received and the major template site (known as Dune 1) commenced active restoration in 2000, and activity continues with site inspections, weed control and infill plantings as required.

Monitoring and evaluation of the restoration site was designed at the planning stage, commenced prior to on-ground activities beginning and continued at intervals during the restoration program. Variables being monitored were assessed against the reference site and include aspects such as soil structuring and organic content, faunal composition, plant species diversity and growth, with overall restoration performance assessed using the recovery wheel concept and 5-star rating system of the national standards. For Cambridge Coastcare’s restoration program, the white-winged fairywren (Figure 43) was used as a key indicator for the restoration trajectory, among other variables, because the abundance of this species is an indicator of invertebrate populations (food source) and plant diversity (cover and nest sites). The wren is a noteworthy and highly admired coastal visitor that is a key focal species for assessing restoration success in the project, and highlights the high community value of identifying charismatic species in coastal restoration programs.

Figure 43 White-winged fairywren

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Figure 43 White-winged fairywren

The detailed planning underpinning Cambridge Coastcare’s efforts for this location have resulted in Dune 1 progressing from a 1-star to a 4.5-star ecosystem rating (Figure 44), as per SERA’s standards, including natural migration of the white-winged fairywren.

Figure 44 Six biotic and abiotic attributes and sub-attributes of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia Standards

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Figure 44 Six biotic and abiotic attributes and sub-attributes of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia Standards

Note: See SER Australasia