I think most people would agree that conservation of our native wildlife is essential. Farmers, as land managers, have a particularly important role to play in their protection.
Farm dams and swamps, while having little direct productive value for conventional agriculture, are of great value as wildlife habitat:
• Wildlife has a high aesthetic appeal to a broad cross-section of the community.
• This aesthetic appeal can add greatly to the value of the property.
Birds provide natural forms of pest control which are both continuous and free.
Birds eat large quantities of insects and pest such as rats, mice, hares and rabbits. They also clean up carrion which could otherwise breed blowflies. Ducks and other hunted birds provide hunting opportunities for a great number of people including farmers.
Fish are valuable from both a recreational and commercial viewpoint and farm dams can be improved for both fish and birds at very little cost if planned before construction.
Weeds are a major environmental issue.
Weeds are defined as “the wrong plant in the wrong place”.
An on-line weeds identification systems for Australian weeds is found at www.weeds.org.au/weedident.htm. This is an excellent weed identifier which gives a considerable amount of information about each weed and methods of management and control. Other countries have, or are developing, similar resources.
It is possible to conserve the native wildlife on your farm by careful integration of their benefits into your agricultural enterprise.
