Where orchards become ecosystems
Macadamia orchards are living ecosystems, intentionally designed and managed to work in partnership with nature. The trees themselves provide habitat and food sources for countless species, supporting biodiversity in ways few other crops can. Growers actively build biological systems within their orchards, strengthening the natural processes that underpin long-term productivity and stability.
Spaces between and around trees are no longer seen simply as access routes, but as productive ecological zones. By planting diverse ground covers and native vegetation between rows and along orchard boundaries, growers introduce the plant diversity that underpins healthy macro and micro-organisms. This creates refuges for beneficial insects and pollinators, encourages natural predators that keep pests in check, and supports more balanced orchard systems over time.1
Biological solutions in action
Australia’s macadamia industry has a long history of combating pests and disease through biological controls. For many years, growers have used the Trichogramma wasp as a natural tool in the fight against nut borer, while barn owls provide a chemical-free means of protecting the macadamia crop from rodents.
Alongside these established practices, active long-term research is underway into entomopathogenic fungi as a natural form of pest control, reflecting the industry’s commitment to expanding its biological toolkit.2
While honey bee populations are under threat globally, Australia’s macadamia growers are using Australian native bees to pollinate crops. These remarkable insects are ideally suited to crawling into the delicate, long strands of tiny flowers of a macadamia tree in bloom, supporting pollination in a natural, locally adapted way.
Watch this video to see regenerative agriculture in action.
1 Dr Abigail Makim and Dr Christopher Carr, “Piccadilly Park” – Macadamia Inter Row Project Results, April 2020
2 Kim Khuy, University of Southern Queensland in collaboration with NSW Dept. of Primary Industries and QLD Dept. of Agriculture & Fisheries
