An ambitious restoration project in the heart of the Great Southern has been recognised as a leading example nationwide by the Biodiversity Conference.
The Boorokup Restoration Project will accept the inaugural Sponsored Restoration Project for the Biodiversity Conference 2025 at their Perth event on October 28-30.
Designed and driven by WA-based Threshold Environmental, the project has tackled degrading farmland on a large-scale and has successfully transformed five distinct ecosystems in the Cranbrook region.
More than one million native trees and shrubs have been planted and 250 hectares of ecological restoration works completed since 2022.
The site encompasses threatened Wandoo and Banksia Woodland habitats and more than 4km of frontage along the Gordon River, including deep freshwater pools providing refuge for wildlife during summer months.
Threshold Environmental founder and managing director Justin Jonson said positive change has already arisen from the project’s early years.
“This is not easy work. Restoration is a highly technical field, and it takes years before results are realised,” he said.
“The good news is we’ve already recorded over 100 bird species, six species of native bats, echidnas, long-necked turtles and threatened Carnaby’s black-cockatoos on and around the site.
“That shows the land is ready and responding.”
Working in ecological restoration for two decades, Mr Jonson said Boorokup is part of the bigger picture to rehabilitate cleared farmland subject to salinity, declining biodiversity, and pressure on water resources.
He said the project requires a combination of science, community and hard work to prosper.
“We’re not just landscaping or establishing a plantation, we’re reconstructing entire ecosystems,” he said.
“That means using detailed soil mapping, direct seeding, and planting matched to soil type to ensure a diversity of habitats can thrive.”
The operation is being delivered in collaboration with Binalup Aboriginal Corporation Indigenous Ranger team to ensure cultural and traditional knowledge engagement.
Biodiversity Conference chair Renee Young said Boorokup’s integration of restoration with community and cultural connection made the project a standout.
“The review panel was particularly impressed by the way the project links ecological outcomes with social wellbeing — from biodiversity enrichment to community events that bring people together on country,” she said.
