From farmland to wetland: Gippsland conservationists purchase their second island property

For decades a 72-hectare patch of island in Corner Inlet was used as farmland, but in March an opportunity arose to protect the property’s significant wetlands for future generations.

The director of not-for-profit Nooramunga Land & Sea, Steve Enticott, told the Gippsland Monitor the group was approached by the owner of the Bullock Island property early this year about purchasing the land.

Nooramunga Land & Sea was founded by Gippsland conservationists Karl Just, Jim Phillipson and Enticott in 2022, when they purchased a property on Little Dog Island for environmental protection. That site is neighbouring the recently-purchased wetlands site.

“We're all very much driven with the same mindset - this is a critical habitat, it's got to be protected,” said Enticott. “We all put our hands in our pockets and purchased the island, and that's how we all came together.”

The group now has a dozen volunteers.

Enticott said the Bullock Island owner knew the land was an important native habitat and was eager to see its environment conserved.

The property contains a Ramsar declared wetland. Ramsar-declared wetlands are internationally recognised wetlands of ecological significance.

Enticott said the wetlands are “important ecosystems for native bird life, in particular. They require the salt marsh and everything that grows on it to survive”.

The marshes are home to critically endangered native and migratory bird species including  the Far Eastern Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Great Knot and Orange-bellied Parrot.

Aside from protecting native birds and animals, Enticott said the site helps buffer the coastline from storm surges, improves water quality, nurtures fish nurseries and helps regulate the climate by storing carbon in the mangroves.

“Coastal saltmarsh captures carbon 30 to 50 times faster than terrestrial forests, and once stored in the mud, the carbon stays locked away, acting as a powerful, natural carbon sink.”

Nooramunga Land & Sea have been collaborating with the local community, researchers, special interest groups and Traditional Owners to protect the ecosystems of both Little Dog and Bullock Islands.

The not-for-profit was able to purchase the Bullock Island property with the help of Gippsland conservation group Biodiversity Legacy and the Upotipotpon Foundation, a collection of philanthropic funders.