The Fire Wise Nature Project
This nature project is a collaboration between Second Nature Conservancy and
The Mount Barker District Council. It is supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife who have
received grant funding from the Australian Government, through the Preparing Australian Communities local stream.
The Objective
The Fire Wise project explores, experiments with, and showcases how planting indigenous flora can lower the threat of bushfires while also improving local biodiversity and habitat quality.
Improving community education and resilience will be achieved through a series of activities including community workshops, propagation and planting of low flammability native species, and development of resources for future use.
Our project forms part of a larger collaborative effort in South Australia and beyond. Local project partners include Fleurieu Environment Centre and the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia.
Further Details…
Activities within this project will aim to improve bushfire resilience and enhance biodiversity in the Mount Barker, Alexandrina and Adelaide Hills Council districts. Key activities as part of this project include;
Demonstration Gardens
We’ll design and plant a garden showcasing a variety of local native low flammability plants. Easily accessible by the community, the garden will be used to demonstrate how these plants can help reduce fire risk whilst enhancing biodiversity and form a living seedbank for future plant propagation activities.
Community Workshops
We’ll host interactive workshops to share knowledge about fire-wise landscaping, propagating native species and community planting events. Educational resources will be developed including an update of the Mount Barker ‘Sustainable Garden Design’ booklet.
Community Nursery and Seed Bank
Plants will be grown at the Mount Barker Community Nursery for the project. A range of activities will be held at the nursery, including a community nursery network session, aimed at increasing capacity and efficiency for hard to propagate species. We will also establish living seed banks to increase the diversity and availability of appropriate seed.
Project Timeline…
Year One Activities
A number of community workshops will be held in Mount Barker and Strathalbyn
Existing regional seedbank will be reviewed, catalogued and tested for viability, with new seed being collected for the project
Plant species list will be developed and propagated for the demonstration garden and other planting sites
A Demonstration Garden will be designed and an appropriate location approved
A literature review of fire wise journal articles will be conducted and new learnings incorporated into education materials and shared with other project partners
Mount Barker ‘Sustainable Garden Design’ booklet will be reviewed and updated for a new print run
Year Two Goals
A series of community planting events will be held
Community education workshops will be continued
Successful planting and establishment of Demonstration Garden and Living Seed Bank sites