Denmark volunteers to plant native seedlings after stretch of Wilson Inlet foreshore illegally cleared

Stretches of illegally cleared native vegetation along the Wilson Inlet foreshore will be revegetated by volunteers as part of a collaboration between the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee and Shire of Denmark. The ongoing project uses locally sourced plants from the Inlet to restore the vegetation along the water’s edge that was cleared without a permit. The clearing of native vegetation on Shire-owned land is prohibited and can result in fines under the Environmental Protection Act. “A revegetation collaboration like this is important because the fringing vegetation of the Wilson Inlet plays a critical role in the ecosystem,” Shire of Denmark sustainability officer Yvette Caruso said. “It acts as a buffer to encroaching weeds, it filters pollutants and nutrients, it reduces erosion and stabilises the soil while also providing habitat, wildlife corridors and adding to the visual amenity of the landscape. “This planting is the first stage of a number of revegetation projects that the Shire is facilitating along the Wilson Inlet over the coming years in an effort to re-establish these disturbed illegally cleared areas along the foreshore.” Local volunteers and students from the WA College of Agriculture, and the Denmark and Albany TAFE’s have been working to prepare the site, conduct weed control, collect seeds, propagate and plant the seedlings. More than 30 volunteers attended a community planting day on June 12 to help plant more than 7800 native seedlings. To get involved in the Wilson Inlet revegetation project, contact enquiries@denmark.wa.gov.au.