Recently planted trees will take 100 years to restore habitat lost through urbanisation. Ecologists are trying to fill the gap
Two centuries of urbanisation has created a little-known housing crisis across innerAs buildings went up, large trees that served as homes for cockatoos, owls, possums and bats have come down.Over the past month, more than 60 nesting boxes have been placed high in trees dotted around some of the city’s best known green spaces including Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Prince Alfred Park.
Hollows that these creatures would traditionally have called home can take 100 years to form in mature trees. While the city keeps planting trees, it will be a while before they yield a decent habitat. The City of Sydney’s urban ecologist, Dr James Macnamara, and his team have taken matters into their own hands in the hope that “if we build it, they will come”.“Over the last 200 years of urbanisation, we’ve taken out a lot of the large trees which, as they get older, should form hollows where animals can nest, lay eggs and have young [offspring],” he says.
“But it takes upwards of 100 years for a properly sized hollow to form … so we’re installing some real estate for our feathered and furry friends.”He says “biodiversity is critical for maintaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem” so anything that could boost it was good news. The new boxes add to the 43 that were previously placed around Sydney Park, Federal Park and Blackwattle Bay last year.
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