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Conservation Success Stories: CVA’s Impact Across Australia

Conservation Volunteers Australia has a long history of working with volunteers all across Australia to protect, restore and revive important sites that are significant for biodiversity, wildlife and surrounding communities.

Our various projects and programs span a wide variety of habitats, cities and towns. From protecting the Glossy Black-Cockatoos in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, cleaning rivers and beaches in Mackay, restoring wetlands in Beeliar Regional Park in Western Australia – to caring for country at Londonderry Woodlands in New South Wales.

Find out more about some of our conservation efforts at these sites, our achievements, and how you can get involved as a conservation volunteer.

Protecting Glossies in the Northern Rivers (New South Wales)

The Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is known for its rich biodiversity. This region is home to a diversity of ecosystems including forests, woodlands, heathlands, and wetlands.

Conservation Volunteers Australia has been working in the Northern Rivers  to help conserve the Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

We work with a range of partner organisations to coordinate and collaborate on conserving Glossies and their habitats. This includes Brunswick Valley Landcare, National Parks & Wildlife Service, Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council, Tweed Shire Council, the Glossy Black Conservancy, Wildbnb/WWF Glossy Black-Cockatoo Project Glossy Squad Northern Rivers, WIRES/BVL Top–of–the–Range Glossy Black-Cockatoo/Greater Glider Nest Hollow Project and the BVL Glossy Black-Cockatoo ‘Food for the Future’ Project.

The Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservation Project is working to protect and restore vital habitat for one of Australia’s most threatened and charismatic bird species. Led by Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) in partnership with landholders, Traditional Owners, community groups, and local councils, the project focuses on planting she-oak trees — the cockatoo’s food source — and safeguarding existing habitat across key regions of eastern Australia.

Through hands-on volunteering, habitat restoration, citizen science, and community engagement, the project empowers people to take action for nature. Together, we’re creating safer, more connected environments where Glossy Black-Cockatoos can thrive — now and into the future.

• Since 2021, CVA has planted over 4,500 food and habitat trees – the key food source for Glossy Black Cockatoos – across degraded and fragmented landscapes.
• More than 100 volunteers have contributed their time to restore habitat, monitor populations, and raise awareness to help secure the species’ future.
• The program also champions citizen science, with Glossy Black sightings recorded and shared through national databases, contributing to critical research and recovery efforts.
• More than 18,000 square meters planted with native habitat

“It’s been fabulous to watch the growth of our Glossy Black Cockatoo project. We’ve seen so many more landowners and partners come on board to help save this magnetic species. I truly believe we have made — and can continue to make — a significant contribution to securing the future of this magnificent bird.” Kelly Saunderson, CVA.

Get involved in helping to protect Glossies in the Northern Rivers by:

• Sign up to attend a volunteering event in Northern Rivers and help restore habitat for Glossies.
• Download the CVA App and join a community of conservation volunteers.
• Donate directly to the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Campaign here. Every contribution is a step towards a more biodiverse and resilient Australia.
• We also welcome new corporate partners to help us fulfil our mission of empowering another million actions for nature by 2030.

SeaToSource in Mackay (Queensland)

Mackay in Queensland is a popular coastal city located around 820 kilometres north of Brisbane, with the Pioneer River running through it.

Mackay and the surrounding areas are abundant with biodiversity and endemism. The Central Queensland Coast bioregion in which Mackay is located, is home to over 550 native animal species and 2,200 native plant species.

Despite this rich diversity of biomes, species and landscapes, there are many threats facing the survival of biodiversity in Mackay. This includes land clearing, habitat fragmentation, invasive species invasions, and pollution.

Conservation Volunteers Australia has been working in Mackay for 21 years. Our main focus has been protecting and restoring riverine and ocean ecosystems in the area through our SeaToSource Program.

SeaToSource has already had many impressive accomplishments, making the program a model for river and ocean restoration:

• Since May of 2024 CVA has engaged with 165 community members over 22 community events.
• Volunteers and local project partners assisted in collecting more than 3000 litter items, weighing over 500 kilograms.
• The BMA #SeaToSourceMackay project has allowed CVA to deliver meaningful community events that not only make an impact by reducing marine debris but also enables us to facilitate educational workshops with school-aged and tertiary students to encourage positive environmental behaviour change.

Thanks to generous funding from BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) we were able to undertake activities at Mackay.

Our aim over the next 5 years is to activate a community of volunteers to help remove 30 tonnes of rubbish from rivers and the ocean to help protect our natural environment.

Get involved in helping to protect and restore Mackay’s coastline and rivers by:

• Sign up to attend a volunteering event in Mackay.
• Download the CVA App and join our community of conservation stewards.
• Donate to CVA and help us protect Mackay’s rivers and oceans through SeaToSource activities.
• Learn about the importance of biodiversity, rivers and oceans, and the work we’re doing on the CVA blog
• We also welcome new corporate partners to help us fulfil our mission of empowering another million actions for nature by 2030.

Wetland Restoration at Beeliar Regional Park (Western Australia)

Beeliar Regional Park, just south of Perth in Western Australia, comprises 19 lakes including Bibra Lake, Booragoon Lake, Thomsons Lake and Lake Coogee.

This area of diverse habitats including wetlands is a popular stopover for migrating bird species and supports a number of rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals such as the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, Hackett’s Hopbush, Southwestern Snake-Necked Turtles, and Quendas.

Thomsons Lake, together with Forrestdale Lake, is a wetland of international importance, designated under the Ramsar Convention.

To help restore areas of the park that have become degraded due to invasive weeds, CVA’s Revive Our Wetlands initiative is helping to remove weeds and plant native plant species.

CVA has been working continuously within Beeliar Regional Park, specifically at Forrestdale Lake and Bibra Lake, since the launch of our Revive our Wetlands initiative in 2021, however we have worked periodically on projects within this region since 2000’s.

Listed under the RAMSAR convention for its international importance for migratory shorebirds, and additionally as a ‘bush forever site’, Forrestdale Lake is a beautiful and significant lake, however, it is under threat. From losses in biodiversity to habitat degradation from past years’ bushfires, invasive weed species have become overruling and threaten the overall health and diversity of the lake.

Similarly, Bibra Lake is an integral ecosystem which provides vital habitat for native wildlife within our urban landscape, however, previous land uses have resulted in areas of the bushland surrounding the wetlands to become degraded and inundated with invasive weed species.

Both at Forrestdale Lake and Bibra Lake we have been working to improve the wetland bushland environment through various conservation and restoration activities, including planting native seedlings, removing invasive weed species and surveying the native and non-native fauna and flora to determine the health and biodiversity of these ecosystems.

In the first 3 years of our Revive our Wetlands initiative we achieved some great conservation and restoration outcomes, including:

• 23 community events delivered,
• Over 1000 community volunteer engagements,
• 12,168 native seedlings planted,
• Over 200,000 sqm of wetland improved through invasive weed removal, and
• 12 fauna and flora surveys conducted.

During this project, we worked closely with the Friends of Forrestdale, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the City of Cockburn to achieve our project conservation and restoration goals which aligned with both the Forrestdale Lake Nature Reserve Management Plan (2005) and Beeliar Regional Park Management Plan (2006). We were also fortunate to work with a number of community groups and Aboriginal organisations including, for example, Yelakitj Moort Nyungar Association, the SOSNT group, and BirdLife Western Australia, on theme focused community events such as NAIDOC Week, Threatened Species Day and Shorebird Day.

“With the continuation of our Revive our Wetlands project for another 3 years, we are hoping to continue our conservation activities to have an even larger and long lasting positive impact at Forrestale Lake and Bibra Lake. With the community’s help, we hope to double conservation and restoration outcomes which we achieve in 2021-2024.” Yasmin Tulloch-Medigovich, CVA Project Coordinator.

Get involved in restoring wetlands in Beeliar Regional Park:

• Book your spot to join CVA for a volunteering event at Beeliar Regional Park
• Learn more about the importance of wetlands on the CVA blog
• Support nature conservation and restoration by donating to CVA
• Download the CVA App and join our community of conservation stewards.

Caring for Country at Londonderry Woodlands (New South Wales)

Londonderry Woodland Reserve in Sydney, New South Wales, is one of the last remaining fragments of mature grassy woodland vegetation on the Cumberland Plain. Nestled within this sanctuary are ancient trees and rare plants that provide a vital refuge for a rich tapestry of wildlife. From the elusive Little Lorikeet and endangered Cumberland Plain Land Snail to the iconic Boobook Owl and Red-bellied Black Snake, the reserve is teeming with life.

Every corner of Londonderry Woodland tells a story of resilience and interconnectedness, with a vibrant understorey of rare herbs, orchids, and grasses bursting into a kaleidoscope of colour throughout the seasons. Rickaby’s Creek meanders through, not just as a waterway, but as a lifeline and corridor for eastern grey kangaroos and swamp wallabies, linking patches of Cumberland Plain Woodland across the landscape.

Conservation Volunteers Australia has been caring for Londonderry Woodland Reserve since 2016.  With the support of over 1000 volunteers, we are continuing to protect and restore biodiversity by removing weeds, monitoring threatened species and supporting “Caring for Country” activities with Dharug Traditional Owners.

Here are some of our achievements to date:

• Over 1000 volunteers have participated in habitat restoration activities.
• The return of fire by Dharug traditional owners, for the first time since colonisation
• The entire 5.7Ha site has been weeded an estimated 50 times over!
• Conservation Volunteers Australia has played a key role in securing an insurance population of the endangered Nodding Geebung (Persoonia nutans). This delicate shrub, known for its yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, is listed as endangered at both the state and federal level and is found exclusively within a 40-square-kilometre area of the Cumberland Plain. With fewer than 6,000 plants remaining in the wild and the  notoriously difficult task of germinating from seed, the species faces a high risk of extinction. Through dedicated habitat restoration and species management at Londonderry Woodland Reserve, we’ve increased the local population from just 72 individuals in 2017 to over 1,000 today—making it one of the largest protected populations of Nodding Geebung anywhere.

“I love introducing people to this special woodland—there’s always something new to discover. From kangaroos and Boobook owls to carnivorous plants and colourful wildflowers, no two visits are ever the same.” David Jones, Program Manager, Conservation Volunteers Australia.

Get involved in Caring for Country and ecosystem restoration at Londonderry Woodlands:

• Book your spot to join CVA for a volunteering event at Londonderry Woodlands. Volunteering is the best way to experience the magic of Londonderry Woodland Reserve, the only way to access this protected area—and a chance to help restore habitat while discovering the incredible wildlife and rare native plants that call it home.
• Learn more about the importance of wetlands on the CVA blog
• Support nature conservation and restoration by donating to CVA
• Download the CVA App and join our community of conservation stewards.