Klaus was the chair of the Friends Management Committee for 8 years, from 2016 to 2024.
An article in a local newspaper in October 2010 about the Friends of Kensington Bushland made him curious, and it turned out to be a great opportunity to get to know the local bush flora and fauna and to meet and work with some really interesting and environmentally dedicated people.
We asked Klaus a few questions:
What has been your involvement in the Bushland to date?
- This group is incredibly active, and we can look back at some major achievements from the past 8 years:
- Landcare: multiple hand-weeding, planting & watering projects in cooperation with ToVP and SERCUL; incl. almost eradicating the Pink Gladiolus (introduced from South Africa).
- Bird Waterer: we facilitated the manufacturing of the first bird waterer, a genuine ToVP design.
- Events: regular Walk&Talk events with accredited guest speakers, two photo competitions to raise awareness for and promote the importance of our urban bushland.
- Education: educational signages about trees, plants, reptiles and birds in Jirdarup Bushland.
- Sandpit: we pushed for the reclassification to “contaminated – restricted use” to enable revegetation, followed by our 2017 petition for revegetation and creation of a vision for the sandpit’s future design & use, advocacy at numerous Council meetings over many years, facilitating the involvement of Curtin Uni and Prof. Kinglsey Dixon’s team, experts for Banksia Woodland restoration.
What makes the Bushland special to you?
- We are very fortunate to have a parcel of Bush Forever land so close to the city. It is an asset that must be conserved and protected.
- It is a place for the community of all ages to relax and discover Western Australia’s wonderful biodiversity at their doorstep.
- If you want to hear the sound of the bird, don’t buy a cage. Plant a tree. If you can’t do that, just take a walk in your local bushland.
What are your favourite species of flora and fauna? Why?
- The unique collection of plants and animals that make up a Banksia Woodland are only found together around the Swan Coastal Plain of WA. Do I have a favourite? I couldn’t tell, as I love them all.
- This ecological community has a prominent tree layer of Banksias; in our case Banksia attenuata (candlestick banksia), B. menziesii (firewood banksia), and B. ilicifolia (holly-leaved banksia). But you will also find scattered eucalypts and other tree species and an understory that is species rich with many wildflowers, including sclerophyllous (hard leaved) shrubs, sedges and herbs.
- They all live, function and thrive together. Us humans can learn a lot from nature.
