Friends of Dudley Peninsula Parks

Dudley Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, is home to seven conservation parks covering more than 5000 hectares - more than we can handle. We focus on manageable projects that protect biodiversity and plant communities.

Our Friends group formed in February 2002 when Baudin Conservation Park was dedicated to protect and expand the area of Allocasuarina verticillata, Drooping Sheoak, whose seeds are the sole food of the endangered Glossy Black-cockatoo. In the early years Baudin CP was the focus of the group's efforts and now about 60% of the park is revegetated. Now we mainly plant understorey as bulk reveg efforts concentrated on trees, and kill boxthorns.

Current membership of Friends of Dudley Peninsula is about 20 households and the average attendance at working bees is about six.

We don’t work in the large intact vegetation blocks of Simpson, Lesueur and Dudley conservation parks, but take an annual boundary walk to check for weed incursion from roads or farming land. We can complete all land boundaries in about six years.

That leaves about 1,140 ha to be getting on with – still too large an area for our small group to adequately service. Our projects and working bees mainly run during the wetter periods of the year when we can plant and weed.

Over several years we've reduced the boxthorns on Pig Islet in Pelican Lagoon CP and planted natives. That work continues and one day we'll move on to the next islet.

With funds from a Landscape Board's Grass Roots Grant and nursery manager Jo McPhee's expertise, we're building a shadehouse and potting bench at the local school campus of KI Community Education to introduce the students to the joys of environmental care and restoration.

We continue a focus on reducing the spread of Arum Lily in Lashmar CP, which is showing results with the use of chlorsulphuron. Digging out bulbs and glyphosate are a waste of time and energy.

Lashmar Conservation Park has large areas of the endangered Eucalyptus cneorifolia (Narrow-leaved Mallee) plant community, listed under the EPBC Act. The plant community is also protected in Dudley Conservation Park.

If you'd like to join us, email friendsofdudleypensinsulaparks@gmail.com