Aims:

• Lobby for careful planning to ensure the quality of our environment

• To promote the preservation of native flora and fauna in Australia and in particular in South Australia

• To lobby for the deletion of the clauses referring to game reserves in the Australian National Parks & Wildlife Act 1972

• To promote the recording of Natural History subjects by photographic or other remote means. The natural History Society of South Australia has already contributed over 2,000 transparencies to the State Library archives.

• To promote the public access of scientific knowledge relating to Natural History

• To lobby Government through the presentation of positive proposals on many aspects of conservation in South Australia

• To publish the Society's journal "Natural History" to keep members and other interested conservationists informed on matters of interest relating to the Society's activities.

Emblem:

The wedge tailed eagle was chosen as the emblem of the Society when in 1960 members mounted a campaign to prevent the destruction of these birds by pastoralists. Society members were horrified at the way the killed eagles were displayed on fence wires throughout the state. The campaign was successful in gaining recognition for the eagle which is now a protected species. On Nardoo reserve a pair of wedge tailed eagles recently raised a new fledgling to maturity. The hairy nosed wombat is another species towards which the Society directs its conservation efforts, on Moorunde Reserve.

Fellowship:

The fellowship consists of members who have demonstrated dedication to the objectives of the Society through involvement in one or more of its projects. Fellows are appointed for life and are the governing body of the Society.

Membership:

The Society depends on the support of its members to be effective in furthering conservation in South Australia. The reserves need constant care and maintenance to be free of non-indigenous animal and plant pests. We welcome those dedicated people who volunteer to help protect our unique wildlife. Lobbying and promoting are other skills members bring to the Society in volunteer capacity.

Objectives of the Society:

The Natural History Society is a volunteer, non-profit organization existing to promote and raise public awareness of conservation and preservation of indigenous Australian flora and fauna through the maintenance and re-establishment of natural ecosystems and wiser land use.

Research projects:

We carry out grazing monitoring experiments in which enclosures are designed to exclude specific groups of grazing types from set areas. These are in progress on several of our reserves. In addition a long running (25 years) population study was recently concluded by Society fellow Glen Taylor. Proposals for non-invasive research on any of the reserves aimed towards the understanding of our native flora and fauna and their preservation may be submitted to the Society fellowship for consideration.

Wildlife Reserves

The Society maintains four reserves via volunteer effort. This is a unique situation in conservation in Australia. Click on the buttons in the menu on the left for more information on these.