The Shire of Murray in Western Australia has unveiled a unique bush-tucker trail in Cantwell Park, Pinjarra.
The project was undertaken with the Peel Harvey Catchment Council through their Healing Bilya Program, and was funded by the Australian Government.
Designed in consultation with Murray Districts Aboriginal Association, the works were undertaken by the Shire of Murray, GP Forestry and the Bindjareb Rangers.
The bush-tucker trail includes several endemic plants that provided food and medicine for the Bindjareb Noongars such as Balga (grass tree), Koola (Emu Plum), Gumug (Sandplain Bottlebrush) and janda (Harsh Hakea).
Western Australia has a unique biodiversity characterised by significant regional endemism, meaning it is populated by plants and animals that only live in that particular location.
The Southwest Australia Ecoregion is an area of WA recognised as one of only 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world. A biodiversity hotspot is a place with more than 1500 endemic species of plant.
There are 8000 plant species in the ecoregion, and half are unique to Western Australia. From a biodiversity perspective, the Southwest of Western Australia is on par with places such as the Galapagos Islands and Madagascar. There are more unique plants found in the Southwest of Western Australia every two years than there are in the entirety of the UK.
