AABR News – EOFY

It’s Membership Renewal Time!

By now, you should have received an invitation to renew your AABR membership for another year, or perhaps even longer. Thank you for being part of Australia’s bush regeneration community. Your membership helps AABR advocate for our profession, deliver training and events, support accreditation, share best practice and build a stronger voice for ecological restoration across Australia. Highlights this year include the OSCA and Nature Repair Market Submissions, Info sheets on safe chemical use and Glyphosate bans, the Grassland Resurrection Forum, and monthly Walks & Talks and webinars.

If you haven’t seen an email with the subject line “Renew your AABR membership for 2026–27 FY” from accounts@aabr.org.au, please check your junk, spam or other “mystery” inboxes—it may be hiding there.

All the renewal options are here, inlcuding the new Business Membership for those with an ABN

EOFY Fundraiser – Growing Skills. Growing Community. Restoring Nature

At 40, people often reach a stage where experience meets confidence. They’ve developed their skills, built lasting relationships, found their voice and are helping the next generation find theirs. AABR is at a similar point in its journey.

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re investing in the future — expanding our education, outreach and communications so we can support even more people restoring Australia’s ecosystems.

This EOFY, we’re raising funds to strengthen AABR’s national network, support our growing state branches, expand learning through the ERIK Project, and help the next generation of bush regenerators build the skills and confidence to care for Australia’s unique ecosystems.

AABR’s 40/40 Forum – Save the Date

What have the first 40 years of bush regeneration taught us, and what must we do differently over the next 40?

In November 2026, AABR will celebrate its 40th anniversary with the 40/40 Forum, a national conversation about the future of ecological restoration. Bringing together practitioners, Traditional Custodians, researchers, land managers, volunteers and decision-makers, the forum will explore the knowledge, partnerships and actions needed to restore Australia’s ecosystems over the next four decades.

Workshops hosted by AABR’s Working Groups and Special Interest Groups will be held on the Thursday.

Planning is now underway, and we’re looking for members to help bring this milestone event to life. Whether you’d like to organise speakers, assist with logistics, support communications or simply lend a hand, we’d love to have you involved.

Join our online information session to learn more and find a role that suits your interests and skills.

Register to attend the planning meeting

Thursday 23 July | 6.00 pm (AEST) | Online

More information about the early thoughts and event updates are here:

Don’t Pea afraid

Yellow with red markings? Or something much more interesting?

Learn with Shirley McLaran as she takes the mystery out of Australia’s native pea flowers. Clear images and great explanations show how to use features such as the keel, calyx, bracteoles, stipules and phyllodes to confidently separate genera including Dillwynia, Pultenaea and Bossiaea. Along the way, Shirley also explains why these remarkable Fabaceae play such an important role in nitrogen fixation, soil seed banks and post-fire regeneration.

A practical webinar packed with field identification tips for anyone working in bush regeneration or ecological restoration.

Grassland Resurrection Forum –Connecting Knowledge, Research & Management

Missed the Grassland Resurrection Forum? The presentations are now available on regenTV.

Hear from leading practitioners, researchers and Traditional Owners as they explore the restoration of Australia’s endangered grasslands. Topics include three decades of restoration at Iramoo, Caring for Country with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, urban grassland connectivity, restoration planning, grazing and fire, invasive species management, biodiversity offsets and building lasting community connections.

Whether you’re a bush regenerator, land manager, researcher or volunteer, you’ll find practical insights and real-world experience to support your work.

Watch the full Grassland Resurrection series on regenTV:

Good Governance for a Growing Association

AABR is reviewing its governance, policies and procedures to ensure the Association continues to grow with confidence.

With increasing membership, the establishment of State and Territory Branches, more walks, talks and events following COVID, and our move towards ACNC charity registration, now is the right time to review how we operate as an organisation.

Seeking Contractors to Support AABR 

AABR is seeking to develop a preferred contractors list to help them deliver products, projects and activities. Much of the work will be ad hoc and relatively small in scale, though some grant funded projects will likely entail longer term contracts. A preferred contractors list will assist the Association in engaging appropriate contractors while both ensuring rigorous procurement and minimal bureaucracy.

ERIK Project update: Ecological Restoration Guidance Assessments underway

The ERIK Project Team is excited to share that we’ve had a fantastic response to our invitation for ecological restoration practitioners to join Expert Panels for specific vegetation types.

As a first priority, panel members have assessed 25 resources using the online assessment form. Assessors are reviewing the quality of each resource, identifying where improvements are needed, and noting any caveats that should accompany resources before they are uploaded to the ERIK Platform…read the full update

Every bush regenerator has a story to tell.

Whether you’ve been restoring bushland for five years or fifty, you’ve witnessed changes in the landscapes you care for, the techniques we use and the knowledge that guides our work. Across Australia, AABR members are trialling new approaches, solving local challenges, monitoring long-term projects and learning valuable lessons in the field. Those experiences deserve to be shared.

Past editions are available to inspire your ideas, and our editor, Louise Brodie, is happy to discuss potential topics, article ideas and timelines. To get started, contact newsletter@aabr.org.au.

Your story could help shape the next generation of bush regenerators.

From international standards to Australian practice.

The newly released third edition of the SER Standards marks an important milestone for ecological restoration. With AABR contributing to the Australian National Standards, this update is expected to inform their next revision. Join the online launch, 24/9/26 at 12-2pm to hear from the authors, possibly including Tein McDonald, about what has changed and what it means for restoration practitioners. Find out more about the changes, or review the Summary.

Co-host a Walk & Talk with AABR

Our Walk & Talk events continue to sell out, and we’re looking for more great projects and presenters to meet the growing demand.

Whether you’re restoring a local reserve, managing a large-scale ecological restoration project, or have practical insights into bush regeneration techniques, we’d love to help you share your experience with the wider restoration community.

The AABR Walks & Talks Working Group is seeking expressions of interest from members and partner organisations interested in co-hosting a Walk & Talk event or contact Peta Lilley at whatson@aabr.org.au. More details here.

Koorinderie Ridge Community Bush Regen Festival 5-9 August

Join the Korinderie Ridge community for our 23rd Annual Bush Regen camp, a relaxed eco‑camping-festival experience in beautiful bushland near Bundjalung National Park, close to Evans Head (Northern NSW). More details

The collaboration between SERA, CRC TiME and ACRN is taking shape with a call for abstracts now open

SERA’s theme, Connected Restoration, Inspired Action, captures the spirit of this moment in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It speaks to the strength we find in connection across disciplines, communities, cultures and landscapes and to the power of shared knowledge in turning vision into action

2026 ACRN Symposium — Future-proofing restoration.

Abstracts for short talks will be welcomed under the following themes:

1. People & Communities
2. Governance, Coordination & Funding
3. Environment & Future-Climate
4. Tools, technologies and approaches

The NSW Landcare and Local Land Services Conference

…will be held in Corowa from 26 to 29 October 2026. ‘The Sum of It All’, conference will celebrate collaboration, collective impact and the vital connection between land and community.

Save the date and keep an eye out for updates and registration details.

Vale Dr Tony Parkes AO– From the Big Scrub News

It is with profound sadness that the Big Scrub Foundation shares the news of the passing of our Founder and former Executive Chairman, Dr Tony Parkes AO.

Tony devoted more than three decades to the conservation and restoration of the Big Scrub rainforest and was one of the driving forces behind the revival of Australia’s critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest. Through his vision, leadership and tireless commitment, millions of rainforest trees have been planted, hundreds of hectares of rainforest restored, and a remarkable community of landholders, conservationists, scientists, supporters and volunteers brought together in a shared mission to protect our extraordinary natural heritage.

AABR was fortunate to Tony at our 2022 AGM sharing his passion for the Big Scrub Landcare’s innovative Science Saving Rainforest project

An enduring identity for the RDA is the NRAA

In January 2026, The Nature Restoration Alliance Australia Inc (NRAA) was formerly incorporated. The new entity reflecting the desire of the Restoration Decade Alliance (RDA) to continue beyond the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. As an incorporated organisation the NRAA is governed by a Board, drawn from the Steering Committee Members.

A new Tick Resource

Tickerepeller, is a website with free evidence-based tick prevention for Australians. Written for hikers, gardeners, and anyone spending time outdoors on the east coast, and that includes bush regenerators. The website is a passion project of Thomas Burdon, inspired by receiving a tick bite and frustrated that information was hard to find, he created this resource.

AABR’s Tick Management Review Page has lots of resources too: 

Frogs Vic 2026 Mini-conference 1/7/26, 7pm

Wednesday 1st July, Check the Frogs Vic website for details Evening starts at 5:30 pm for dinner and drinks (available for purchase), talks start at 7pm, Elgin Inn Hawthorn

Nature Conservation Council NSW -Video

Voices for Nature video explores the story of Nature Conservation Council and the NSW environment movement. From bushwalking clubs to urban residents to unions to activists, the movement to protect nature has always been led by small groups of people who dedicate their time and energy to creating positive change.

Environmental Biosecurity Webinar 1/7/26, 2pm

Join us on Wednesday 1 July from 2:00pm to 2:45pm (AEST) for our next webinar on the Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program with special guest presenter Dr Angie Reid, from the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA).The webinar will be hosted on Microsoft Teams Live. To join the webinar, CLICK HERE.

ARI eNews Issue 47 June 2026

The latest edition features the use of drones as a powerful tool to support environmental monitoring and research; the use of modelling to assess disease risk to both native and introduced wildlife and the survey methods ARI is trialing at Mud Islands to better understand water bird populations and to inform long-term monitoring programs. Download edition #47 here.