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tasmania.com/things-to-do/hiking-walking/south-coast-track/
SOUTH COAST TRACK
Summon up a map of Tasmania and take a good look. You'll find Hobart in the southeast with plenty of roads leading north to Launceston and Devonport. Then take your eye down to the southwest of the island to see a large swath of green. Look closer. There are no roads, no towns and only one tiny port on the southwest tip of the island. You're marvelling at Southwest National Park and all of its wild glory. You'll find the South Coast Track along its southern edge.
Spanning 85 kilometres from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek, this walk takes 6 to 8 days to complete. It meanders through some of the wildest lands on planet Earth, and, because of this wildness, it is recommended that you gain experience on some of Tasmania's other difficult walks before challenging yourself on the South Coast Track. The Overland Track in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park serves as a good warmup.
While there is a rugged road to Cockle Creek, there are no roads to Melaleuca. The small encampment on the southwest side of Southwest National Park has a small airstrip and Port Davey for the landing of boats. You can only fly, boat or walk your way out of Melaleuca. Boats and planes can be arranged in the west coast town of Strahan.
The South Coast Track by Season
It is advisable to take the track during the summer months. It is warmer between September and March but you are at risk of high winds, cold temperatures and a deluge of rain at any time of year. And while it is possible to complete the track alone or during winter, it is highly inadvisable to complete the track alone in winter. After all, you're a long ways from help if you need it. Always hike in groups of 6 or less.
Here is a wonderful quote from the back of David Attenborough's new (2020) book:
"A Life on Our Planet; my witness statement and a vision for the future":
"We share Earth with the living world - the most
remarkable life-support system imaginable,
constructed over billions of years. The planet's
stability has wavered just as its biodiversity has
declined - the two things are bound together.
To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have removed. It is the only way out of this crisis that we ourselves have created. We must rewild the world."
Natterjack Toad / epidalea calamita. Celtic Reptile & Amphibian workshop. 09/07/22.
An image made at Celtic Reptile & Amphibian breeding facility. This conservation company was established in 2020 with the aim of reintroducing extinct reptiles and amphibians to UK rewilding projects. A photography workshop was organised by Jack Perks Wildlife Media.
The opportunity to see Natterjack Toads for the first time was the main reason I went. Over many years I have hunted for NTs at several known sites, but without success. When I actually laid eyes on this beautiful female, I wasn't disappointed! The intricacy of her skin texture and colouring was remarkable. In this image the focus was on her head detail.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oostvaardersplassen
The Oostvaardersplassen (Dutch pronunciation: [oːstˈfaːrdərsˌplɑsə(n)]) is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, which is managed by the State Forestry Service. Covering about 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi), it is noted as an example of rewilding.[1] It is in a polder which was created in 1968, but in spite of the environment having little time to develop, by 1989 it had international importance as a Ramsar wetland.[2]
Geography
The Oostvaardersplassen are located in the municipality of Lelystad, between the towns of Lelystad and Almere, in the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands. The area of 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi) is situated on the shore of the Markermeer in the center of the Flevopolder. The Oostvaardersplassen can be divided into a wet area in the northwest and a dry area in the southeast.
Wet and dry areas
In the wet area along the Markermeer, there are large reedbeds on clay, where moulting geese often feed. This area is also home to great cormorant, common spoonbill, great egret, white-tailed eagle and Eurasian bittern, among many other animals. Oostvaardersplassen is a Special Protection Area for birdlife.[3]
Before the establishment of the reserve, the dry area was a nursery for willow trees, and in the first year hundreds of seedlings could be found on each square metre. This led to concern that a dense woodland would develop, significantly reducing the value of the habitat for water birds. To avoid this, the park's managers brought in a number of large herbivores to keep the area more open, including Konik ponies, red deer and Heck cattle. These large grazing animals are kept out in the open all year round without supplemental feeding, and are allowed to behave as wild animals (without, for example, castrating males). The ecosystem developing under their influence is thought to resemble those that would have existed on European river banks and deltas before human disturbance. However, there is some controversy about how natural the ecosystem is, as it lacks top predators.[1]
Large herbivores
Heck cattle
Before they were driven to extinction, large herbivores in this part of Europe included the tarpan (wild horse), wisent (European bison), red deer (elk or wapiti in North America) and aurochs (wild cattle). The tarpan and aurochs are extinct, but Konik ponies and Heck cattle are able to act as functional equivalents, occupying a similar ecological niche. The only native large herbivores now missing from Oostvaardersplassen are the elk (moose in North America), the wild boar and the wisent.[citation needed] There is a chance that the wild boar will find its way naturally from the Veluwe.
Head count2010 [4]2011 [5]
Red deer 2,200–2,800 3,300
Konik ponies 1,090 1,150
Heck cattle 320 350
Roe deer 30–40 n/a
Natural processes
Given that the Oostvaardersplassen is below sea level, many of its primary processes have been regulated. As the wetlands have been so spectacular, a dyke was made around it to prevent the process of groundwater-related subsidence. While this had temporary advantages, it created a water body with no open connections to the rest of the polder and the negative effects are only now being understood.[further explanation needed]
The cattle, deer and horses have multiplied in the Oostvaardersplassen. However, there is a limit to the number of animals the area can sustain. In the absence of natural predators the rangers shoot animals that are unlikely to survive. It is quite common for 30 to 60 per cent of the population to die in this way. After a die off, the vegetation has a chance to recover and this will get the first natural afforestation of the area under way.
The large herbivore die-offs are also closely related to the confined nature of the reserve and the flat nature of the reclaimed land, with very little shelter. It is fenced, and thus the large herbivores are unable to migrate away from the over grazed areas in Winter to find either shelter or forage.[6] All the large herbivores have an annual cycle of nutrition. Typically in winter and early spring their metabolism slows down. This is also the period in which they are designed to lose condition (body fat). This is where the ability to seek shelter as they would in a natural environment becomes crucial. Effectively the reserve is too small and impoverished to accommodate the natural processes of large herbivores, as for example in the Serengeti where large herbivores migrate over large distances.
During a particularly harsh winter in 2005, many animals in the Oostvaardersplassen died of starvation, leading to public outcry against alleged animal cruelty.
Future development
In many ways the Oostvaardersplassen is an isolated area; it is in a polder and there are currently no corridors connecting it to other nature reserves. The "Ecological Main Structure" plan proposes connections between nature reserves in the Netherlands, calls for a corridor to be created toward nearby Horsterwold (nl). The resulting network, called Oostvaardersland, would be part of Natura 2000, the European-wide network of habitats to which Oostvaardersplassen belongs.[8] The creation of Oostvaardersland will allow seasonal small scale migration and take some strain off the big grazers in winter. In the summer, Oostvaardersplassen will offer rich grazing and the sea winds will keep biting insects at bay, in the winter, the Horsterwold will offer protection from cold winds and supply browse. Oostvaardersland will comprise a total area of 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi). Furthermore, there is an option for a connection to the Veluwe forest. Eventually this could allow wild animals to move to and from Germany.[9]
Oostvaardersland was expected to be finished by 2014. However, the project ran into financial and political troubles. In 2012 the creation of Oostvaarderswold (nl), the 7 × 1 mi connecting corridor between Oostvaardersplassen and the Horsterwold, was stopped, and four members of the regional parliament resigned.[10] The government then planned to sell back the property to the previous owners for less money than it originally paid for the property; according to European nature laws it would then have to turn other lands into wilderness areas to compensate for the loss of the Oostvaarderswold nature area.[11] The reasons for this plan of action, which would cost a lot of public money and make the future creation of Oostvaardersland impossible, are unclear.
The advocates of natural processes are also planning for the wet part of the Oostvaardersplassen to be drained.[clarification needed] It is expected that the natural subsidence will lower the ground level and that this will result in a more natural and dynamic system.
The largest undeveloped island in San Francisco Bay is a 3,000 acre marsh. It almost became 4,000 houses.
In 1982, 44 people made the difference in a citizen’s referendum - their votes saved the land, now a protected parcel of Don Edwards NWR, and a template for how to rewild the bay.
To the right, just under the plane’s wing, are sterile white salt pans owned by the Cargill Corporation, which refuses to sell the land to conservation organizations offering large sums of money.
Corporations are not people, my friends.
Natterjack Toad / epidalea calamita. Celtic Reptile & Amphibian. 09/07/22.
'ON THE MOVE.'
An image made at Celtic Reptile & Amphibian workshop. This conservation company was established in 2020 with the aim of reintroducing extinct reptiles and amphibians to UK rewilding projects. A photography workshop was organised by Jack Perks Wildlife Media.
The image shows a female Natterjack Toad on the move. Check out her numerous warts, subtle colour tones and the distinctive yellow stripe running the length of her back ... a rare and stunning amphibian.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
In the 1930s, the US Forest Service often replanted Midwest timber harvests with fast-growing loblolly pines. By the common age of the stands and the lack of undergrowth, I assume that's what happened here.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oostvaardersplassen
The Oostvaardersplassen (Dutch pronunciation: [oːstˈfaːrdərsˌplɑsə(n)]) is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, which is managed by the State Forestry Service. Covering about 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi), it is noted as an example of rewilding.[1] It is in a polder which was created in 1968, but in spite of the environment having little time to develop, by 1989 it had international importance as a Ramsar wetland.[2]
Geography
The Oostvaardersplassen are located in the municipality of Lelystad, between the towns of Lelystad and Almere, in the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands. The area of 56 square kilometres (22 sq mi) is situated on the shore of the Markermeer in the center of the Flevopolder. The Oostvaardersplassen can be divided into a wet area in the northwest and a dry area in the southeast.
Wet and dry areas
In the wet area along the Markermeer, there are large reedbeds on clay, where moulting geese often feed. This area is also home to great cormorant, common spoonbill, great egret, white-tailed eagle and Eurasian bittern, among many other animals. Oostvaardersplassen is a Special Protection Area for birdlife.[3]
Before the establishment of the reserve, the dry area was a nursery for willow trees, and in the first year hundreds of seedlings could be found on each square metre. This led to concern that a dense woodland would develop, significantly reducing the value of the habitat for water birds. To avoid this, the park's managers brought in a number of large herbivores to keep the area more open, including Konik ponies, red deer and Heck cattle. These large grazing animals are kept out in the open all year round without supplemental feeding, and are allowed to behave as wild animals (without, for example, castrating males). The ecosystem developing under their influence is thought to resemble those that would have existed on European river banks and deltas before human disturbance. However, there is some controversy about how natural the ecosystem is, as it lacks top predators.[1]
Large herbivores
Heck cattle
Before they were driven to extinction, large herbivores in this part of Europe included the tarpan (wild horse), wisent (European bison), red deer (elk or wapiti in North America) and aurochs (wild cattle). The tarpan and aurochs are extinct, but Konik ponies and Heck cattle are able to act as functional equivalents, occupying a similar ecological niche. The only native large herbivores now missing from Oostvaardersplassen are the elk (moose in North America), the wild boar and the wisent.[citation needed] There is a chance that the wild boar will find its way naturally from the Veluwe.
Head count2010 [4]2011 [5]
Red deer 2,200–2,800 3,300
Konik ponies 1,090 1,150
Heck cattle 320 350
Roe deer 30–40 n/a
Natural processes
Given that the Oostvaardersplassen is below sea level, many of its primary processes have been regulated. As the wetlands have been so spectacular, a dyke was made around it to prevent the process of groundwater-related subsidence. While this had temporary advantages, it created a water body with no open connections to the rest of the polder and the negative effects are only now being understood.[further explanation needed]
The cattle, deer and horses have multiplied in the Oostvaardersplassen. However, there is a limit to the number of animals the area can sustain. In the absence of natural predators the rangers shoot animals that are unlikely to survive. It is quite common for 30 to 60 per cent of the population to die in this way. After a die off, the vegetation has a chance to recover and this will get the first natural afforestation of the area under way.
The large herbivore die-offs are also closely related to the confined nature of the reserve and the flat nature of the reclaimed land, with very little shelter. It is fenced, and thus the large herbivores are unable to migrate away from the over grazed areas in Winter to find either shelter or forage.[6] All the large herbivores have an annual cycle of nutrition. Typically in winter and early spring their metabolism slows down. This is also the period in which they are designed to lose condition (body fat). This is where the ability to seek shelter as they would in a natural environment becomes crucial. Effectively the reserve is too small and impoverished to accommodate the natural processes of large herbivores, as for example in the Serengeti where large herbivores migrate over large distances.
During a particularly harsh winter in 2005, many animals in the Oostvaardersplassen died of starvation, leading to public outcry against alleged animal cruelty.
Future development
In many ways the Oostvaardersplassen is an isolated area; it is in a polder and there are currently no corridors connecting it to other nature reserves. The "Ecological Main Structure" plan proposes connections between nature reserves in the Netherlands, calls for a corridor to be created toward nearby Horsterwold (nl). The resulting network, called Oostvaardersland, would be part of Natura 2000, the European-wide network of habitats to which Oostvaardersplassen belongs.[8] The creation of Oostvaardersland will allow seasonal small scale migration and take some strain off the big grazers in winter. In the summer, Oostvaardersplassen will offer rich grazing and the sea winds will keep biting insects at bay, in the winter, the Horsterwold will offer protection from cold winds and supply browse. Oostvaardersland will comprise a total area of 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi). Furthermore, there is an option for a connection to the Veluwe forest. Eventually this could allow wild animals to move to and from Germany.[9]
Oostvaardersland was expected to be finished by 2014. However, the project ran into financial and political troubles. In 2012 the creation of Oostvaarderswold (nl), the 7 × 1 mi connecting corridor between Oostvaardersplassen and the Horsterwold, was stopped, and four members of the regional parliament resigned.[10] The government then planned to sell back the property to the previous owners for less money than it originally paid for the property; according to European nature laws it would then have to turn other lands into wilderness areas to compensate for the loss of the Oostvaarderswold nature area.[11] The reasons for this plan of action, which would cost a lot of public money and make the future creation of Oostvaardersland impossible, are unclear.
The advocates of natural processes are also planning for the wet part of the Oostvaardersplassen to be drained.[clarification needed] It is expected that the natural subsidence will lower the ground level and that this will result in a more natural and dynamic system.
Read my blog on The reintroduction of beavers to Wales here.
markwarnes-photography.co.uk/beaver-reintroduction-wales/
© Copyright 2017 Mark Warnes Photography All rights reserved. This image is not free for use www.markwarnes -photography.com
Following Linnaeus's first descriptions of the species, several tiger specimens were described and proposed as subspecies. The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999. Most putative subspecies described in the 19th and 20th centuries were distinguished on basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size, hence characteristics that vary widely within populations. Morphologically, tigers from different regions vary little, and gene flow between populations in those regions is considered to have been possible during the Pleistocene. Therefore, it was proposed to recognize only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely P. t. tigris in mainland Asia, and P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands.
Results of craniological analysis of 111 tiger skulls from Southeast Asian range countries indicate that Sumatran tiger skulls differ from Indochinese and Javan tiger skulls, whereas Bali tiger skulls are similar in size to Javan tiger skulls. The authors proposed to classify Sumatran and Javan tiger as distinct species, P. sumatrae and P. sondaica with Bali tiger as subspecies P. sondaica balica.
In 2015, morphological, ecological, and molecular traits of all putative tiger subspecies were analysed in a combined approach. Results support distinction of the two evolutionary groups continental and Sunda tigers. The authors proposed recognition of only two subspecies, namely P. t. tigris comprising the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South Chinese, Siberian and Caspian tiger populations, and P. t. sondaica comprising the Javan, Bali and Sumatran tiger populations. The authors also noted that this reclassification will affect tiger conservation management. The nominate subspecies P. t. tigris constitutes two clades:
a northern clade composed of the Siberian and Caspian tiger populations
a southern clade composed of all other mainland populations.
One conservation specialist welcomed this proposal as it would make captive breeding programmes and future rewilding of zoo-born tigers easier. One geneticist was sceptical of this study and maintained that the currently recognised nine subspecies can be distinguished genetically.
In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy and recognized the tiger populations in continental Asia as P. t. tigris, and those in the Sunda Islands as P. t. sondaica. The following tables are based on the classification of the species Panthera tigris provided in Mammal Species of the World. It also reflects the classification used by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017:
Since we arrived in December we have been kept entertained by the antics of our furry and distinctly horny neighbours. Unfortunately the farmer has been made a very good offer and they are off to the estate over the hill soon to become a tool of rewilding.
Shame, I am going to miss them.
Since 1966, a remarkable process has been underway in the center of Heerenveen-Midden along Europalaan and President Kennedylaan. In this kilometer-long and 20-meter-wide green space, people, plants, and animals collaborate without any one dominating. It is a place where space is given time, and time is given space.
It is an eco-cathedral, based on the idea of Louis Le Roy (1924-2012). Le Roy advocated that every place in the Netherlands should designate 1% of its territory as an eco-cathedral. This doesn't necessarily have to involve stones, but it should be a place where people, plants, and animals collaborate endlessly. Without a fixed plan, without an end goal, and with free energy (volunteers). Today, you could call it a 'rewilding' project, although people still play a significant role in eco-cathedrals. In 2005, a declaration of intent was signed by the Municipality of Heerenveen and the TIJD Foundation, granting the TIJD Foundation 100-year management of the green space. The municipality's role is limited to maintaining the area's safety by removing dead branches. A master architect has been appointed to ensure the area develops as an eco-cathedral.
DSC00283
7152 wide and goog res...
Planet Earth Landscapes etc
Here is a wonderful quote from the back of David Attenborough's new (2020) book:
"A Life on Our Planet; my witness statement and a vision for the future":
"We share Earth with the living world - the most
remarkable life-support system imaginable,
constructed over billions of years. The planet's
stability has wavered just as its biodiversity has
declined - the two things are bound together.
To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have removed. It is the only way out of this crisis that we ourselves have created. We must rewild the world."
The Fallow Deer herd on the Knepp Rewilding Estate were plagued with flies yesterday and sort refuge under the hedge for some respite.
At the foot of the garden, I created a strip, only 18" wide but around 60' long running alongside a gravel footpath. I wanted this strip to be our contribution to rewilding.
I have left it uncut and unfed. Just allowing it to do whatever it wanted to. Today it is full of daisies, poppies and other wild flowers in amongst the grasses. Not to mention the increased visiting wildlife of bees, hoverflies, frogs, newts, beetles and birds darting in for bugs and besties. I will cut this strip back roughly in around twelve weeks and let it do it all again next year.
I have been writing a report to send to the Duchy of Cornwall, Swale and Kent Council Planing Departments, the Soil Association, RSPB, KWT, Helen Whately our MP, Cratus Environmental and a number of Kent media outlets to oppose the planned development of a new 2500 house village around the Southern aspect of Faversham with all the effects this will have on the air quality, sewage and waste water run off issues as well as the loss of biodiversity on the site. This reort consists of a covering letter about the environmental issues mentioned above and a species list of the plants, animals and fungus that will be lost. Its taking a little longer than expected so I have given myself until the end of next week to complete. Who knows, it may make a difference! This has been my inspiration this week, our rewilded autumnal garden resplendent with our bug hotel, bird table and feeders, mature native trees and bird boxes, pond and hedgehog home and much more.....
Number 25 for 2019 Weekly Alphabet Challenge : Y is for Yearly
The annual battle with my garden's determination to 'rewild' !
Since 1966, a remarkable process has been underway in the center of Heerenveen-Midden along Europalaan and President Kennedylaan. In this kilometer-long and 20-meter-wide green space, people, plants, and animals collaborate without any one dominating. It is a place where space is given time, and time is given space.
It is an eco-cathedral, based on the idea of Louis Le Roy (1924-2012). Le Roy advocated that every place in the Netherlands should designate 1% of its territory as an eco-cathedral. This doesn't necessarily have to involve stones, but it should be a place where people, plants, and animals collaborate endlessly. Without a fixed plan, without an end goal, and with free energy (volunteers). Today, you could call it a 'rewilding' project, although people still play a significant role in eco-cathedrals. In 2005, a declaration of intent was signed by the Municipality of Heerenveen and the TIJD Foundation, granting the TIJD Foundation 100-year management of the green space. The municipality's role is limited to maintaining the area's safety by removing dead branches. A master architect has been appointed to ensure the area develops as an eco-cathedral.
No longer a farm, now a Rewilding project!
Green Farm now belongs to the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.
This hedge is around a thousand years old, which I find fascinating. Monkwood just the other side was owned by the church and that has passed through many hands during its thousand years of history. Notable ownership was the Harris Brush Company who had a policy of coppicing the trees for their brush handles.
This is the site of an old municipal rubbish dump. The landscape can't be more than 40 years old (which makes it younger than me 😬)
Eventually I reached the tree where I have photographed one of the stork families during the last two years. I was delighted to see the nest was again occupied and a second couple had now built a new nest imediately below. A Stork 2-Up, 2 Down you might say!! I was the only photographer at that site but there was one of the volunteer wardens observing and making notes. She told me that this year there are now ten nests at Knepp, all with eggs so they are doing really well.
Back on Flickr after a long break due to living in mountain and jungle areas of Nepal. Now that I'm based in Kathmandu I have some real internet speed and can upload to Flickr.
Some of you may have followed the Leopard Rewilding Program (links at www.wildtiger.org) where at one stage I lived in the Himalayan jungle with Asa, the leopard of hope. Asa is now completely free and living wild. I'm going to be telling that story through images here at Flickr and other places. This image "Touching the Mountain" is very special to me, it was not easy to get as Asa that day would not climb one of his favourite dead trees as he had done many times before when monsoon clouds had hidden the sacred mountain, Machhapuchhre. Eventually I coaxed him up and got a few shots with the mountain clear for the first time in months. It was an incredible experience up there with him, I go back every few weeks to check camera traps. I hope you enjoy the visual journey I bring, it's good to be back on Flickr as the Leopard Rewilding Program evolves with more of these incredible animals.
Cheers Jack.
©Jane Brown2023All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without explicit written permission
This is one of the . . rewilding orlive and let live areas. The local parks now have swathes that are left to their own devices - I imagine it is part lack of funding for staff and part a rewilding programme.
We continued west to the sand dunes, looked down the steep dune and figured there was a way down so descended and followed along in the scrub on a sandy track at dusk until we decided to camp on the track.
We cooked tea and listened to radio play then I set up the moon shot of the camp site!
Quote from by Deborah K Photography
It's in that moment, all the tragedies and pain of the past fade away. Gratitude finds me, for the privilege of being here in this place, right now, taking a picture!
Here is a wonderful quote from the back of David Attenborough's new (2020) book:
"A Life on Our Planet; my witness statement and a vision for the future":
"We share Earth with the living world - the most
remarkable life-support system imaginable,
constructed over billions of years. The planet's
stability has wavered just as its biodiversity has
declined - the two things are bound together.
To restore stability to our planet, therefore, we
must restore its biodiversity, the very thing we have
removed. It is the only way out of this crisis that we
ourselves have created. We must rewild the world."
Just populating the new Group.. www.flickr.com/groups/14772859@N25/?added=6
Eventually I reached the tree where I have photographed one of the stork families during the last two years. I was delighted to see the nest was again occupied and a second couple had now built a new nest imediately below. A Stork 2-Up, 2 Down you might say!! I was the only photographer at that site but there was one of the volunteer wardens observing and making notes. She told me that this year there are now ten nests at Knepp, all with eggs so they are doing really well.