Habitat isn’t just “out there”, it starts in our own backyards. Inspired by the spirit of World Habitat Day, the Southern Highlands Wildlife Sanctuary (SHWS) believes the journey to restoring native wildlife begins in our neighbourhoods. Every patch of native plants, every thoughtfully kept pet, every volunteer planting day adds up.
- Make Space for Nature at Home
You don’t need acres to help. Even small gardens can become stepping stones for wildlife if designed with intention.
- Use indigenous plants suited to your locale (they feed local insects, birds, and small mammals).
- Keep leaf litter, fallen branches, and logs — insects and small creatures call them home.
- Skip or limit chemical use: pesticides and herbicides don’t just kill weeds, they damage the food webs wildlife depend on.
Local groups like WIRES and Nature Australia talk about and promote these practices as part of wildlife-friendly gardening.
When your backyard becomes habitat, it supports animals as they move through fragmented landscapes. For SHWS’s corridor vision — connecting bush blocks across the Southern Highlands — those micro-habitats help fill gaps.
- Be a Good Neighbour to Wildlife
Domestic pets often have unintended impacts. In Australia, cats and dogs are known to harass or kill native wildlife, spread disease, or force native animals into risky behaviours. Responsible practices include:
- Keeping cats in enclosures or indoors during dawn/dusk
- Walking dogs on leash near remnant bush
- Microchipping, desexing, and ensuring pets don’t roam into wild areas
These practices reduce pressure on wildlife near towns bordering bushland.
For koala reintroduction zones like Morton National Park or Bundanoon, maintaining safe edges matters.
- Connecting the Dots: Corridors & Community
Even well-designed backyards don’t succeed in isolation. Wildlife corridors (linking bush patches across properties) are essential. They allow species to migrate, maintain genetic diversity, and adapt to climate changes. The National Wildlife Corridors and Greening Australia initiatives show how connecting habitat at scale benefits entire ecosystems.
SHWS sees the sanctuary, the Education Centre, rescue data, and volunteer work all as parts of a larger network. When people plant native trees, report sightings, or volunteer with restoration days, they plug into regional recovery beyond just a local act.
- Citizen Science: People Power in Data
Wildlife recovery needs data. Across Australia, community reports of sightings, disease signs, or animal road crossings often expose trends before formal research catches up.
SHWS encourages locals to log observations, assist restoration projects, and support data collection via apps or surveys. These citizen contributions inform SHWS’s decisions and the broader reintroduction strategy.
If you sign up to become a member of SHWS, you will receive first access to our Wild Spot citizen science app when it launches in late 2025.
Every Action Counts
Restoring Morton National Park and the broader Southern Highlands won’t happen overnight.
But if hundreds of residents plant native species, manage pets responsibly, volunteer for habitat work, and share wildlife data — the cumulative effect is powerful.
Your backyard can be more than a garden. It can be a sanctuary connector, a habitat patch, a data point, a place of community.
Supporting SHWS means backing real, measurable progress — from local rescues to long-term restoration.
Every donation, every volunteer hour, and every conversation about wildlife care helps strengthen the web of recovery that starts here in the Southern Highlands.
Together, we can build the habitats, knowledge, and community needed to keep Australia’s native species thriving for generations to come.
Become a member today.
