FAUNA-FRIENDLY FURNITURE

Unique infrastructure provides safe passage to Australian wildlife in the newly constructed community of Springfield Lakes.

Fauna Furniture may not be a term we hear on a regular basis, but this type of infrastructure is a life saver for local wildlife and maintains a safe environment for road users — keeping everyone in the community happy.

 Located in the new residential estate of Springfield Lakes in Queensland, a distinctive series of built structures provide platforms and climbable formations that allow animals to safely traverse the newly constructed area without interacting with human inhabitants. Designed and installed by Evolve Environmental Services, these infrastructure poles form landing points for possums, gliders and the like to navigate their normal foraging routes, which have been interrupted by construction. Placed close enough together to encourage movement, the poles also make it possible for animals to remain connected with the wider species groups in the area.

Studies done by ecologists and conservationists have documented the opposing conditions created for wildlife due to road construction and the encroachment of suburban life. The four main concerns experts arrived at are: a decrease in the amount and quality of wildlife habitat; increase in wildlife mortality due to vehicle collision; wildlife cut off from resources on the opposite side of the road; and, a divide between wildlife populations, creating smaller more vulnerable groups that can impact species numbers over time. Erecting fauna infrastructure that creates safe passage for wildlife is one way to combat the threat to natural habitats created by urban sprawl.

As experts in the preservation and rehabilitation of natural landscapes, Evolve was contracted to erect seven 18-metre-high poles to service a new section of the developing estate. Initial site inspections conducted by Evolve established where construction had most impacted the site, allowing them to determine the best locations for the poles. In collaboration with civil contractors, the client and a fauna consultant, Evolve selected the ideal positions for the fauna furniture to ensure wildlife could and would use the infrastructure without impediment.

Given the site is still under construction in some areas, Evolve was required to coordinate with contractors to erect the poles. Traffic management, road closures and logistical collaboration with the suppliers was required to install the infrastructure safely, within the project parameters of time and budget. Overcoming the obstacles associated with manoeuvring and installing oversized structures required heavy-duty equipment — namely cranes with a long reach! No stranger to a challenge, Evolve successfully erected all seven poles safely in the allotted time frame with minimal disturbance to traffic and ongoing construction.

Now able to safely move about their natural habitat unimpeded by the humans living in their backyard, the wildlife of Springfield Lakes have a new playscape of their own thanks to the innovative design of Evolve’s Fauna Furniture.

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PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Lendlease
Location Springfield Lakes, Queensland
Civil Contractors Shadforth
Project Engineer Saunders Havill Group
Design & Install Evolve Environmental Services