911±¬ÁÏÍø

Image Credit: The Koonamore Project Facebook

Ìýbased in The TGB Osborne Vegetation Reserve at Koonamore, is celebrating its 100^th Anniversary year this year, and which makes it the oldest long term ecological study in Australia and one of the oldest in the world. The site was established in the arid lands of South Australia (some 400 km NNE of 911±¬ÁÏÍø) at a site that have been heavily degraded by overgrazing. Permanent plots and photopoints have been regularly monitoring, documenting a century of recovery of vegetation after stock removal and rabbit control – its an amazing history of ecological recovery.

New work providing high-res mapping of the site has recently been completed at the site by the Uncrewed Research Aircraft Facility team.ÌýThe team completed a week-long field campaign, capturing high-quality RGB imagery (1.8 cm/pixel resolution) and LiDAR data (190 points per m²) across the entire site. Targeted data collection was undertaken within regularly monitored vegetation quadrats (RGB 0.4cm/pixel; LiDAR up to 8000 points per m²) and will provide valuable, high-resolution datasets to support ongoing ecological research. With ideal weather conditions throughout the week, the team was able to collect data efficiently and effectively - resulting in a highly successful trip.

The site is a clear demonstration of the capacity of recovery in Australian arid ecosystems, even after extreme degradation. As the project reaches 100 years, it is time to celebrate the contribution of a large number of organisations, volunteers, academics and students to the work at the site. The celebrations have started with a talk as part of the History Festival of South Australia, and will continue with an event in Yunta and the Reserve inÌýOctober. A book completed by Dr. Russ Sinclair documenting the history of the project is in the process of publication. Hopefully the centenary is also an opportunity to establish the basis for the continuation of the project for at least another 100 years.

Learn more below