If you’re a farmer in our region, September is a double celebration.
Good seasonal rain and a late cool finish will not only be fabulous for crops this year, but September is also the month of the year to celebrate the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR)’s amazingly diverse smorgasbord of plant and animal species.
Officially recognised as “Biodiversity Month” all around Australia, September is the month when local Australians are encouraged to take the opportunity to find-out more about their region’s species, and what you can do to ensure they are around for generations to come.
If you’re a farmer in the NAR, and have protected (fenced) remnant vegetation, chances are you’ll have some spectacular species living in your very back yard.
Some of these species are found nowhere else in Western Australia, let alone throughout the rest of the country, or even in the rest of the world.
With relatively little of our flora and fauna protected in conservation reserves, farms across WA therefore have a large portion of WA’s native plants and animals, and with them a significant responsibility for their future preservation.
Many farms are most likely home to new and yet-to-be-discovered, unknown species.
This makes these remnant areas extremely important as habitat for native flora and fauna – much of which would face extinction without their protection and management, now and in the future, especially under a changing climate.
We all lead busy lives, but we’re encouraged to take time this month to visit a reserve or farming friend’s bush block, and to take a stroll in and check-out some of the stunning colours, shapes and smells that are currently filling our natural landscape.
As they say, “Do yourself a favour” … and take time to celebrate Biodiversity Month … and enjoy the best what we have for free.
