The Margaret River region is one of just 36 internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots – a title that brings both opportunity and challenge. While home to unique flora and fauna, more than 70% of its original vegetation has already been lost, largely due to human activity. With 1.6 million visitors each year, and growing, the pressures on this fragile landscape are keenly felt by locals.
For more than 20 years, Nature Conservation Margaret River Region has driven coordinated, collaborative action to protect the area’s natural heritage. To support this work, they used a $5,000 Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grant to purchase a mobile watering unit for planting sessions.
According to Water Corporation, rainfall in South West WA has fallen by 20% since the 1970s, and this drying trend is set to continue, with winter rainfall expected to decrease another 15% by 2030. As they note, “Declining rainfall means the soils in our catchment areas are a lot drier than they used to be. So, when rain does fall, they act like huge sponges soaking up the water.”
The mobile watering unit is specifically used to improve seedling survival, boost biodiversity, reduce physical strain for volunteers and increase the success of bush regeneration efforts. It also enables Nature Conservation to build watering sessions into their annual schedule, helping restore habitat and biodiversity across the region.
The purpose-built trailer has already proven to be a game-changer, particularly through one of the driest and hottest seven-month periods on record. Thanks to the unit, thousands of native seedlings planted by students, volunteers and community groups not only survived but thrived. What could have been devastating losses following unprecedented weather events has instead become a story of resilience and renewal.
Beyond emergency watering, the trailer has become an essential tool at community planting days. It allows volunteers to pre-soak planting holes and water in seedlings, giving every plant the best possible start. This practical support has lifted local spirits, as people can see the immediate benefit of their efforts, making their contribution more rewarding and encouraging ongoing involvement.
In the past year alone, the watering trailer has:
- Supported the establishment of nearly 2,000 plants at a large-scale community planting on the banks of the Wooditjup Bilya in May 2024, where almost 200 attendees saw firsthand the difference it made.
- Helped secure the survival of more than10,000 native plants at priority coastal, riparian and forest sites across the Capes Region during extreme heat and drought. These plantings were led by NCMRR, Undalup Association, local Friends Groups, the Shire, and the Margaret River Wine Association, with each site receiving multiple waterings.
- Provided ongoing support to smaller groups and volunteers across the region, ensuring their restoration projects are not only possible but successful.
The visible presence of the watering trailer has also inspired hope in the community. Seeing it in action reassured volunteering locals that together, they can respond proactively to the challenges of climate change and safeguard the biodiversity that makes this region so unique.
The unprecedented seven-month dry spell that followed its acquisition meant the trailer was in even more demand than the group expected. This led Nature Conservation to schedule additional watering sessions, while also giving the community a much-needed morale boost during difficult conditions.
Special Projects Officer, Jodie Passmore, said, “We did not anticipate the level of community gratitude felt and expressed by the presence of doing this work, nor the impact on community morale the sheer presence of the mobile watering unit had for community during this dry.”
In addition to all this, having their own mobile unit has enabled Nature Conservation to expand its professional services, delivering bush regeneration and biodiversity management while generating revenue to strengthen their long-term impact across the Capes region – reducing reliance on government grants and maximising environmental outcomes.