Emu faeces saving species on the Eyre Peninsula

SA Water is trialling a new revegetation program across the Uley South borefield, south of Port Lincoln, and has recruited an unexpected team of volunteers to participate – native emus.

The emu’s natural foraging and digestive processes – in the form of their droppings – are showing promise in supporting plant growth throughout the area.

As part of the trial emu droppings are being collected from tracks and feeding hotspots.

The droppings are then being put to the test in pots in a nursery setting to see which plants germinate, as well as to track germination rates in fenced monitoring plots which have been established in the site’s revegetation area, protected from kangaroos and rabbits.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Environment and Energy James Crocker said it’s exciting to see whether this natural seed dispersal method can be used to enhance efforts to restore native plant habitats and provide an alternative to manual seed collection and distribution.

“If it proves as successful as we hope, we’ll continue collecting emu droppings each year and spreading them throughout the broader revegetation area at Uley South,” James said.

“Collecting native seeds can be a delicate and time-consuming task due to the short seed selection window, different growth cycles of each plant and the need to extensively search across large areas.

“The Southern Basins bushland on Eyre Peninsula provides a rich variety of native fruits that emus consume and as the seeds pass through the birds’ digestive systems, their dormancy is broken, increasing their chances of successful germination.

“The seeds are then conveniently deposited, complete with natural fertiliser, as the emus move through the land. This is a crucial method of seed distribution that helps maintain and restore native vegetation.

"Emus are basically the unsung heroes of natural regeneration, as they spread seeds across the land in a way that’s efficient and effective, highlighting the important role native wildlife plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

“The findings from this project will help guide future revegetation efforts, supporting the long-term sustainability of the Uley South Borefield and the surrounding bushland.

Contact: Tara Miko

Phone: 0448951418

Email: tara.miko@sawater.com.au