Far Northerners who want to better protect native vegetation on their properties can now access an information pack outlining all the options.

Terrain NRM’s Tony O’Malley said many people put a lot a lot of work into maintaining habitat on their properties.

“Some property owners might want their investment to be more secure in the long run,’’ he said.

“A series of new factsheets make it easier for people to find out about the range of options available, and to see which of them might suit their situation.”

The information pack was prepared by the Environmental Defenders Office, following a request from Terrain NRM.

“These factsheets cover voluntary programs including nature refuges, statutory covenants, conservation agreements and voluntary declarations,” the Environmental Defender’s Office’s Kirstiana Ward said.

“Landowners can volunteer to place environmental covenants or other protections over their land. These protections are negotiated between landholders and the Queensland, Commonwealth or local government. Protections can be for various periods of time, and can still apply when land changes owners.”

Mr O’Malley said four Kuranda landholders were currently working with Kuranda Conservation, Terrain NRM and Queensland Trust for Nature to create nature refuges on their land. There are more than 100 nature refuges already in place in the Wet Tropics region.

“We can provide resources, like covering the costs of a nature refuge assessment for landholders with important habitat, and potentially helping with revegetation or weed control as part of our Rebuilding Rainforest Resilience project,’’ he said.

“A lot of important Wet Tropics habitat is actually on private land. We are keen to help people with habitat or corridors for threatened species.

“We want to make it easier for people who are passionate about their patch to preserve it well into the future. The Environmental Defenders Office factsheets are a great new resource.”

Hundreds of trees are being planted to help the endangered mahogany glider.

Crews of tree-planters are extending wildlife corridors between Tully and Townsville – the only region in the world that this glider calls home.

Terrain NRM’s Jacqui Diggins said the work was being done on private land to connect sections of woodland, as part of a five-year project benefitting mahogany gliders and other threatened species including ant plants and broad-leafed tea tree.

Two hundred native trees were planted on a Bilyana property, just south of Tully, this week and there have also been trees planted on grazing land north of Townsville.

“This is a real collaborative effort with landholders and groups including the Girringun Aboriginal Rangers, Herbert River Catchment Group, Cassowary Coast and Hinchinbrook Council nursery staff and volunteers,’’ Mrs Diggins said.

The ‘Biodiversity Bright Spots -Tackling Woodland Threats’ project is supported by Terrain NRM through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. It also includes mahogany glider population monitoring work and controlled burns in glider habitat.

Mrs Diggins said mahogany gliders could glide for about 30 metres on average.

“Sometimes connecting relatively small sections of land can make a huge difference,’’ she said. “It can help gliders to move between habitat areas for feeding and the flow of genes.”

The last population estimate for mahogany gliders was 1500 to 2000, and this was before Cyclone Yasi wreaked havoc in glider habitat between Cardwell and Tully.

Bilyana property owners Steve and Lisa Roeger said it was great to be part of the project.

“By planting select native trees along a fence line, we are linking two sections of existing woodland mahogany glider habitat,” Mrs Roeger said.

Three years of tree-planting at Thomatis Creek in Holloways Beach is reaping rewards for volunteers.

Wildlife is returning to a stretch of eroded land where almost 200 people have helped plant thousands of trees. The land is beside Thomatis Creek about 2km from the ocean – a stretch that was once cleared but later left unused and partly swept away by floods.

Terrain NRM’s Rowan Shee said many of the trees were now three metres tall.

“We’re working to reconnect two areas of beach forest and mangroves so that there is an unbroken wildlife corridor, more fish habitat and a creek bank that’ll stand up to floods better,’’ Mr Shee said.

Three hundred seedlings were planted at a community event on the weekend, bringing the total to almost 3,500 for the site. Terrain NRM has worked with Holloways Beach Community Garden volunteers, cane farmer Mark Savina, Cairns Regional Council, Dawul Wuru Rangers, Queensland Corrective Services, Holloways Beach Coastcare and people from all over Cairns since securing funding from the Queensland Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for the project.

Holloways Beach Community Garden’s Cameron Blackley said woodland birds were among the species returning to the patch.