Wattlebewillbe submits its first Environmental Account for certification

In December 2025, Wattlebewillbe submitted its first Environmental Account for Accounting for Nature verification. The Account is now under assessment, with certification expected in early 2026.

Developed by Thriive Ecological, with support from Burnett Catchment Care Association and 4 Elements, and guidance from from Kilter Rural and Natural Decisions, the account has been designed to track the condition of key natural assets and support informed land management decisions. Its purpose is to guide ongoing restoration, target ecological interventions where they matter most, and provide a clear picture of environmental condition over time.

The account also aims to demonstrate how environmental accounting can be applied on small-scale (<100ha) private conservation properties with Wattlebewillbe providing an important opportunity to ground-test the Accounting for Nature® F-02 Woodland Bird Method at a small scale and explore its broader applicability for similar properties.

Monitoring woodland birds as indicators of habitat condition

The Woodland Bird Method was selected as it is well suited to assessing habitat condition on small properties by using woodland bird diversity as an indicator. Results from this account will help guide restoration and management decisions at Wattlebewillbe, while also showing how transparent, repeatable monitoring can be used to communicate environmental condition over time.

Field data were collected over a one-week period in October 2025, following Accounting for Nature® protocols. Surveys recorded bird sightings and calls at each monitoring site using standardised 2-hectare, 20-minute survey methods.

More than just birds

While this Environmental Account focuses on woodland birds, incidental observations confirm the presence of a diverse range of native fauna across the property. These include feathertail gliders, sugar gliders, rufous bettongs, northern brown bandicoots, and brush-tailed phascogales.

Several bird species listed as Endangered or Vulnerable under state or federal legislation have also been recorded outside the formal monitoring program, including the Powerful Owl, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Common Greenshank, and Grey Plover.

Together, these observations highlight the ecological value of Wattlebewillbe and reinforce the importance of ongoing restoration and evidence-based land management.

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📩 To contact Thriive Ecological email: info@thriive.com.au

*Wattlebewillbe is a 22-hectare Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary in the Brigalow Belt, managed for conservation and ecological restoration since 2010. Previously cleared for intensive grazing and timber harvesting, it is now being restored as a regenerative conservation landscape that integrates low-impact food production with biodiversity recovery, with a particular focus on habitat for the endangered greater glider.