The Torres Strait Regional Authority’s (TSRA) Erub Rangers have established a new plant nursery to support revegetation projects and engage with the local school and community.

The nursery will serve to provide knowledge, resources, plants and seedlings for the community and school to establish their own gardens and help large-scale revegetation projects across Erub.

These projects include restoring areas damaged by erosion and supporting various revegetation, shade tree and beach shade tree projects.

TSRA Chairperson, Mr Napau Pedro Stephen AM, said the nursery would support the community and involve school kids in the planting and growing of plants for their school gardens and landscapes.

“On Erub, like other communities in the Torres Strait, it can be difficult to establish and maintain successful gardens and revegetate communal areas,” Mr Stephen said.

“These projects are now a vital part of the Ranger programme and will help support all areas and communities with the maintenance of their vegetation.”

“The TSRA is grateful for the support of other agencies in improving the island’s vegetation and assisting the community to share their knowledge and skills through sustainable gardening practices.”

My Pathway supported the Erub Rangers by constructing the nursery and landscaping the area with weed mat and gravel and await the arrival of benches and irrigation systems to complete the installation of the nursery.

Recent inspections of the beach shade tree project on Erub provided the TSRA Rangers with a selection of cuttings and seeds to plant in tubes and trays to kick-off the nursery project.

Beach mangroves, Xylocarpus moluccensis and Scaevcla taccada, were also collected along with Golden Shower tree (Cassia fistula) seeds which helped the Rangers develop their plant stock for revegetation.

This part of the process has been set up as a trial for Rangers to compare how long it would take for seeds and cuttings to grow.

With revegetation projects on Erub, the TSRA’s Rangers are monitoring the materials needed to assist their project and to care for young trees when they are not attended to daily and protecting them against changes in the weather during their early stages of growth.

The Rangers also take this opportunity to check in on and support local backyard gardening projects where community members have taken up initiatives supported by the TSRA Environmental Management programme.

Pictured: TSRA Rangers supporting community backyard gardens with seeds.