Resources library
Resources
Educational Video – Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket (SEVT)
Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket (SEVT) - Endangered Central Queensland Species - Educational Video

Semi-evergreen vine thicket (or SEVT), also known as bottletree scrub or softwood scrub, is a unique collection of trees and shrubs mixed with twining plants and vines (hence its name). Together the collection of living things (or ecological community) creates benefits for the CQ environment, animals, and humans! SEVT is the most biodiverse ecosystem in central Queensland. It is also the most carbon-dense ecosystem in central Queensland – storing large masses of carbon both above and below the ground. SEVT’s dense green mass of trees and vines is largely drought resistant. These features provide critical habitat and protection to native animals, safeguard people, homes and businesses from dangerous wildfires and improve the health and productivity of soil. It’s believed that SEVT covered more than 7 million hectares of Queensland and NSW at the start of the 20th century. Burning and clearing for agriculture have significantly reduced the amount of remaining SEVT. With less than 30% of the original SEVT remaining, the community is listed as endangered. Over the last four years we have been working with local land managers, First Nations People, local government and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services to protect the remaining SEVT.
Lake Pleasant – Building Drought Resilience Trial
Building Drought Resilience Through Soil Health - Queensland Trial

At the end of 2020, Justine and Matt McLeod’s property, Lake Pleasant became the home of a large-scale soil experiment that hopes to change the future of farming by focusing on drought resilience. Experimenting with 96 plots, the trial is monitoring the impact of different rates of organic changes, fertilisers and plant species by tracking soil health, water efficiency, plant health, yield and profitability. Through this monitoring, the experiment will compare the profitability of conventional and regenerative farming methods while also measuring the changes in soil health and yield. Ultimatlely the trial hopes to find solutions that decrease reliance on water and artificial inputs while sustaining profits. The Future Drought Fund project was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.