NATIONAL Biodiversity Month in September is a time when we celebrate our conservation achievements and re-energise our conservation endeavours.
It is also a month when Australia lost several famous conservation heroes.
On September 4, 2006, legendary wildlife warrior Steve Irwin, nicknamed the “Crocodile Hunter”, was making an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef off Port Douglas when he died after being stabbed with a stingray barb.
At the time, he was filming at Batt Reef with Philippe Cousteau Jr, the grandson of the legendary underwater French filmmaker Jacques Cousteau.
Steve was snorkelling in shallow waters between filming sessions when the accident occurred. Notably, the tragedy was recorded on video, although this has never been released to the public.
Experts speculate that, when Steve approached the stingray from the rear, his shadow fell over the stingray and the ray’s instantaneous defence reaction was an instinctive response to a possible shark attack.
By coincidence, Ipswich lost two conservation pioneers in the first week of September, three years after Steve’s death.
Legendary ABC radio personality Ric Nattrass, an Ipswich icon, died from a heart attack on September 4, 2009. Two days later, another Ipswich conservation pioneer, botanist Lloyd Bird, also passed away.
Both Ipswich conservationists are remembered with the names of natural features.
Ric Nattrass Environmental Park is a 13.7 conservation reserve along Woogaroo Creek at Goodna. It provides habitat connectivity between White Rock-Spring Mountain Conservation Estate and the Brisbane River corridor.
It is named in recognition of Ric’s advocacy work and contribution to conservation.
Lloyd Bird Park is at Lyons Court, Springfield, and Lloyd Bird Environmental Park is at Mount Crosby.
Ross Buchanan
