Case Studies
The retired coal-fired power station at Port Augusta has provided a particularly complicated 320 Ha restoration site. This is a world first recovery program on an ash pit, using a soil cap and vegetation to establish a stable, self sustaining and resilient system on the edge of the regional city of Port Augusta. A high risk of dust pollution is associated with the site and its ash as well as the fine particulate soil used for the cap.
Succession Ecology worked closely with SIMEC Energy Australia to determine effective site preparation and dust management strategies for a 280 MW solar project in arid South Australia.
The Waterloo Wind Farm (130 MW) comprises 43 turbines that are spread along 5 acres of a north-south rocky ridge. Succession Ecology have been involved in recovery works for this site since 2011.
The Gawler East Link Road (GELR) project involves the construction of transport infrastructure for the trownship of Gawler and surrounds. In addition to road building and widening activities, two bridges will be built over the South Para River and a tributory of this river; both include habitat of EPBC-listed species. Succession Ecology have been involved with this project since 2018.
Succession Ecology have been providing revegetation and land management services for Inkerman and Nuriootpa landfill sites since 2012. These sites are covered with a cap and revegetated with varing native species.
The Inkerman revegetation site comprised a 14 Ha semi-arid landfill area capped with highly alkaline clay loam from an excavation pit. We sowed a mix of native grasses (Austrostipa spp. and Rytodosperma spp.), which quickly colonised the site. They formed a dense mass of plants that outcompeted weeds while facilitating the colonisation of native chenopods as well as mosses and lichens. This thriving native grassland requires little maintenance and the grasses continually replenish the soil seedbank, maintaining competitive advantage over weeds, as well as adding organic matter to improve the soil.
