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Insurance population of endangered Bulberin nut planted after fire threatened entire species

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Dappled sunlight falls on a collection of potted saplings ready for planting that could change the course of a native species' survival.

The Bulberin macadamia nut, macadamia jansenii, is extremely rare, found only in Bulburin National Park near Miriam Vale, six hours north of Brisbane.

Just 200 known plants grow there and in 2019 bushfires almost wiped them out.

A portrait of a woman with a dirt track and bush behind her.

Alison Shapcott says bushfires in 2019 demonstrated how vulnerable the Bulberin nut is. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

"The fire demonstrated just how vulnerable this species is in the wild," University of the Sunshine Coast associate professor of vegetation and plant ecology Alison Shapcott said.

"A fairly substantial part of the population was burnt," she said.

"Fortunately, a lot of those are resprouting and regrowing."

Insurance for rare nut

The Bulberin macadamia was first described in 1983 by a group of naturalists.

Macadamia nuts in their shells, in someone's hand

The common macadamia nut, macadamia integrifolia, side by side with the Bulberin nut, macadamia jansenii. (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)

Unlike commercial macadamias, the nuts only grow to the size of a five-cent piece and cannot be eaten due to their bitter flavour and ability to produce cyanide.

On private bushland just east of the national park, Dr Shapcott has been working with traditional owners and conservationists to create "ex-situ" plantings, or alternative populations, of the nut.

"It's an insurance to have another population somewhere nearby," she said.

A woman crouches down on the floor of a forest with a white bucket beside her, hands in the dirt, planting a seedling.

Plantings mimic the natural growth of the Bulberin nut in the wild. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

"We deliberately planted this close enough that it could have some benefit to the wild population by pollination, but not too close that we could interfere with the wild populations."

Volunteers with shovels and buckets have made their way to Granite Creek on Thornhill Station, a property owned and run by traditional owners.

This year is the first planting since the fires, and not-for-profit environmental organisation Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) has joined the efforts after receiving a federal funding injection through the Saving Native Species Program.

A man with brown hair smiles with blurred tree branches in the foreground

Ben Hoekstra is pleased to be working on a long-term approach to managing the Bulberin nut. (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)

BMRG project officer Ben Hoekstra said a key highlight of the initiative was bringing together experts to create a consortium and long-term approach for managing the species and its challenges, including weeds and feral animals in the national park.

"We really need to isolate what these threats are and then apply measures to improve the chances the Bulberin nut has," Mr Hoekstra said.

Kelvin Rowe is a coordinator with Gidarjil Development Corporation which runs Thornhill Station.

A man in work clothes stands in the middle of a forest, looking at the camera.

Kelvin Rowe is enjoying learning more about native species on country. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Mr Rowe said projects like this helped get rangers back on the land and learning more about native species.

"We do traditional fire burns and try and bring back our natives and vegetation to help the ecosystem to come back, the way it used to be," he said.

"We know it doesn't happen overnight, but at least we can start by planning it slowly to help it for the future."

A woman crouched on a forest floor planting a small sapling in a hole.

It's hoped the plantings of the Bulberin nut will benefit wild populations. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Recreating wild population

Dr Shapcott said Thornhill Station was an ideal location for strategically planting a secondary population, given its proximity to Bulburin National Park.

"The aim here is that we're trying to recreate not a garden, but populations that resemble wild populations," she said.

"So, we've planted them in clusters, which is mimicking the natural growth of the species in the wild, and the hope is these will become self-sustaining."

A vine growing up a tree, with a woman in the distance of the forest.

The Bulberin nut is found on the banks of Granite Creek, which runs through Bulburin National Park and Thornhill Station. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Curator of Tondoon Botanic Gardens in Gladstone Joel Cohen grew the saplings in pots and was on hand to transfer them to the wild.

"This is what we all dream of, it's why we get into what we do," Mr Cohen said.

"Being able to connect with First Nations people on country and enable this conservation work is just really fulfilling."

A man in a large hat bends down to inspect the tag on a sapling on the back of a ute.

Joel Cohen says there's still lots to learn about the species. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Tondoon Botanic Gardens holds the master collection of trees for distribution to other botanic gardens.

"One of the difficulties with this species is that initial propagation and getting it to grow and sustain into large plants," Mr Cohen said.

"There's a lot we don't know about it.

"For some reason, certain plants will perform really well, and for some reason, some individuals seem to strike really readily and grow well."