Hi, My name is Spencer and I love the Wallum ecosystem at Sunrise Beach, Noosa along with all Wallum Ecosystems. I also love photography. With my photographs I hope to teach others about how important the environment is for us and the future of our planet that we call home. After you have learnt about the environment I hope you will then want to protect it.
I invite you to come on a journey with me throughout the year and do what I do… Observe, Learn & Protect - your local environment.
The Wallum Ecosystem comprises of mainly 5 RE (Regional Ecosystem) types in the Sunshine Coast region. Look out for these RE types when walking in the wallum and lookout for the umbrella species of the RE type.
Spencer Hitchen (15years old)
Wallum Banksia, this is the plant in the Wallum Ecosystem for the indigenous word "Wallum".
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WHAT IS WALLUM? WHO LIVES HERE?
The Wallum Ecosystem differs from other coastal or heathland ecosystems by having extremely acidic soils and waters. Wallum Heathlands, Woodlands and wetlands also grow on sandy soils such as sand dunes and plains, everything that lives and grows here has adapted to the low-nutrient environment.
The Wallum Ecosystem evolved millions of years ago from Rainforest like many of the ecosystems we see across Australia today.
The species that live here have adapted to the acid conditions where most other Australian species could never thrive.
In urban areas runoff and pollution is introducing alkaline into the Wallum causing the acidity levels to change. This makes it hard for species that have adapted to these conditions to compete with other species that move in as the environment becomes alkaline.
Most of the Wallum's endemic species are now under threat and listed threatened species like the Wallum Sedge Frog (right), Sand Yabby (bottom left), Wallum Rocket Frog (bottom centre) and Wallum Froglet (bottom right).
