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Where have all the flowers (trees) gone, Hollows as homes

Where have all the flowers (trees) gone
Cramped so close together there’s no room for trees, glorious trees

‘Where have all the flowers done, long time passing’, writes Pete Seeger.

They’ve been blocked out by rows and rows of ticky tacky, to coin another song lyric.

TREES ARE GOOD. They provide shade, improve our physical and mental health, and support birds and wildlife. The research into the benefits of trees is overwhelming.

In Tree canopy target stalls prompting call for more home owner incentives to keep and plant greenery, Rosemary Bolger (ABC Radio Sydney,28 Feb 2024) reports on the decline in green canopy cover in suburban Sydney.

It doesn’t seem to be much different in Lake Macquarie with mature trees being removed  far faster than any real or imagined replanting rate.

“I’d hate to live in a concrete jungle,” says mother Jenna Yee Joy Bland, who has just planted a tree gifted by North Sydney Council for the birth of her son Christian last year.

“When I take him for a walk, he loves looking up and looking at the trees. It captivates him.”

But despite the clear benefits, many other home owners don’t share Christian’s enthusiasm.

“Everybody loves trees, but they just don’t like them on their own property. And they don’t like them in their neighbour’s property,” says Stephen McMahon, former president of the NSW branch of the Urban Development Institute of Australia.   Full story here.

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Hollows as Homes
The ‘loss of hollow bearing trees’ is a key threatening process in the Australian ecological landscape.

TREE HOLLOWS and artificial nest boxes are critical for the survival of biodiversity within the local community. Around 300 animal species rely on tree hollows in Australia, including birds, possums, gliders, microbats, frogs, lizards, snakes, insects and spiders. It is therefore crucial that we know more about the hollows that exist within our local communities.

What is Hollows as Homes?

Hollows as Homes is the first large-scale citizen science project of its kind. Its purpose is to better understand and demonstrate the importance of hollows as habitat for wildlife within our cities and rural areas across the Sydney region.

The project is coordinated by the Royal Botanic Garden, University of Sydney, and the Australian Museum, with Campbelltown City Council being one of 30 Councils getting behind the project and encouraging its community to take part.

Click on the highlighted Hollows as Homes link above for more.

When you come across a tree hollow take a picture, noting the location, and send it to munibunghcs@gmail.com

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Help give Aussie invertebrates a voice
Not warm, cute and cuddly, but important far beyond what our current economic system considers of value when stacked up against huge highly visible infrastructure projects.

INVERTEBRATES AUSTRALIA IS ASKING for our help to protect and conserve the invertebrates that mostly go unseen but are vital to our way of life and sustaining nearly everything that we do. Without them, we wouldn’t be here. There are almost no viable substitutes for what they do.

We have already lost too many species, and there are over 900 species of threatened inverts today.  Invertebrates Australia is calling for us to speak up, to advocate for our native insects, ensuring they are included in conservation efforts.

Our invertebrates are unique and vital to our ecosystems. They break down waste, pollinate crops, and are an essential food source for other species; AND they are fascinating! Let’s work together to ensure our inverts are an integral part of our conservation efforts.

…. First appeared in MMM Issue #44, June-July, 2024