Ecotourism and education

When Project Eden succeeds in realising its vision to reconstruct a living, vibrant ecosystem on this small part of arid Australia, it will have achieved an enormously important step in the conservation of Australia's embattled natural heritage. It will prove what can be done, and help to illuminate the interconnectedness and complex balance of our arid lands. It will provide a safe refuge for many species which are still, inexorably sliding into oblivion elsewhere on mainland Australia, where the ongoing threats continue to batter them into extinction.

This refuge will provide a unique opportunity to observe and experience the workings of an almost complete and fully functioning ecosystem. A landscape and ecosystem that hasn't been truly alive for 200 years. Australians have been born and lived all our lives within a landscape denuded of half of its life forces. But Project Eden on the Peron Peninsula will provide the unparalleled chance for everyday Australians and visitors alike, to see it as it was first seen and described in the journals of our early explorers. Teaming with small and medium sized marsupials hopping and scurrying about the vast grassy plains and woodlands.

The future direction, then will focus on developing ecologically sound opportunities for people to better enjoy and experience some of this magical ark, and bring them a greater understanding of the beautiful, fragile and hidden life of the arid lands. The area around the old Peron Station homestead is only a short drive off the main Monkey Mia road, and has excellent examples of acacia shrubland habitat that is teeming with bird life. Walk trails follow the story of pastoralism on the peninsula, and the lawn area and waterhole attract much wildlife to the hot-tub and BBQ area. A quiet wait near dusk will often bring emus, crested pigeons, birds of prey and even goanna, in to drink. Here, also there is a visually spectacular visitor centre, which graphically displays the history of the area and the dramatic differences between the land under the influence of pastoralism and feral animals, and the natural, undisturbed ecosystem.

There are future plans to upgrade the Peron road, from 4WD to 2WD access, and to expand and improve the homestead precinct, and information and interactive facilities within the national park. Developments such as these and ideas for improving night time viewing opportunities for all our shy mammals (which are active only between dawn and dusk), would be aimed at enhancing visitors' enjoyment with a valuable learning experience. Greater knowledge and understanding will only encourage an engagement with, and appreciation of this integral part of Australia's heritage and landscape, that is often a challenge to get to know and love.

It will take time and be a slow process to rebuild the fauna and flora of this land, and establish facilities which will allow better access to some of this new Eden, while still providing protection from disturbance for much of the newly restored populations of animals and their habitat.

But for now, those visitors with the desire, patience and willingness to take the time and look closely at the dry landscape, can get the chance to see the wonderful recovery which is already taking place. A careful and patient 4WD journey about the National Park, now has a good chance of revealing the increasingly common occurrence and sightings of residents like the mmu, euro, echidna, goanna, or thorny devil, and a myriad of other reptiles including the rare woma python. Not to mention the profusion of bird life, such as the nationally endangered thick-billed grasswren, and the seasonal waders dotting the coastal margins, that attracts many international bird watchers to the area.

Even our newly restored malleefowl can now sometimes be seen crossing tracks and disappearing into the undergrowth in the cool of the early morning or evening, secure in their place in Eden.