The first major project of members and friends of A Rocha Australia in South Australia is at Hart Road Wetlands, a reserve owned and managed by a local government body, the City of Onkaparinga.
Situated on coastal plain behind Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide, the Wetlands were constructed by the council as a stormwater detention system serving surrounding suburbs, some relatively new. Designed to also provide habitat for wildlife, the network of channels, ponds, swamps and patches of planted woodland has transformed the formerly featureless landscape. Walking paths for the public traverse the reserve and are used by many people for recreation. Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park lies adjacent.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding commenced in March 2020, A Rocha volunteers have begun a program comprising three activities: weed removal; revegetation with indigenous plant species; and monitoring of biodiversity. Seasonal surveys of birds are being conducted in six plots each of two hectares, following and contributing to the national protocols of BirdLife Australia. These sample plots have been designed to correspond to wetland and/or woodland habitats in a way that should inform council management of water and vegetation. Over 60 bird species have been recorded from the surveys to date, spanning four seasons, and several migratory or threatened species are known to sometimes occur.
A Rocha Australia hopes to gradually engage local churches and Christian schools in creation care activities and education at the Wetlands.
Here is a report on 2020 A Rocha Australia bird surveys.
