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Adding to the Gold Coast’s 714 kilometres of trails, a new 120 metre long boardwalk within the Schuster Park Natural Area has been opened, forming part of the Tallebudgera nature trail experience.

Opening the trail today, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate also inspected an innovative program that creates artificial tree hollows to help wildlife flourish and shelter.

Schuster Park offers a range of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors and is a popular area for families enjoying the playground, barbecue facilities, walking trails, off-leash dog exercise area, horse riding and shoreline fishing.

Part of the Park’s peninsula trail and offering excellent opportunities for nature observation and bushwalking, the boardwalk was built using long-life, composite fibre technology to withstand the tidal environment and protects sensitive marine vegetation. It cost $181,500.

Speaking at the opening, Mayor Tate stated “our Natural City Strategy sets a target that 51% of the city’s land area will be covered by native vegetation by 2020.

“To see this boardwalk link other nature-based sections of Tallebudgera reinforces why we need to continue to invest in our green space. It is a truly magical part of the coast.’’

The City of Gold Coast has more than 2200 parks and reserves as well as gazetted national parks.

The opening also saw the  City’s Urban Habitat Creation Program on show with a large gum tree hollowed out to provide shelter for native fauna in the park.

Hardwood trees are perfect, allowing officers to core-drill or cut hollows for the fauna to take up residence. The trees are chosen based on form, size and location. Following a canopy reduction, the trees are retained for habitat whether the tree is dead or alive.

Mayor Tate added “this is about promoting biodiversity by managing tree hollows and promoting wildlife habitat throughout our City, as an alternative to tree removal, where possible.”

The program creates new homes for rainbow lorikeets, galahs, cockatoos, corellas, sugar gliders, possums, micro-bats and more than 300 species of fauna.

To date, around 350 tree hollows (in 71 trees) have been created city-wide with 70% of the hollows taken up by new ‘residents’’.

For detail to go www.habi-tec.com

Image: Gold Coast Council Greening Officer Saraya Robinson and Mayor Tom Tate unveil a plaque marking the boardwalk extension.

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