Project Description
Innovation in Conservation Symposium – May 10, 2024 – Ryde TAFE
Expert panel – The Future of Urban Biodiversity
This insightful expert panel dives into the future of bush regeneration under a shifting climate. From rising heat and unpredictable rain to bureaucratic hurdles and funding gaps, the conversation unpacks what it really takes to regenerate resilient ecosystems.
Panelists: Bev Debrincat (Greater Sydney Landcare), Mark Walters (TAFE) , Peter Dixon (AABR), Agata Mitchell (TAFE)
Key topics include:
Climate adaptation on the ground
- Early starts, shaded hand-weeding, multi-skilling and site flexibility
- Supporting regenerators’ wellbeing while meeting ecological goals
SERA-aligned restoration approaches
- As per Principle 2, adapting strategies to changing levels of ecosystem resilience
- Recognising when assisted natural regeneration isn’t enough—especially in severely degraded landscapes (Lithgow–Oberon region)
Monitoring for meaningful outcomes
- Reinforcing the call from SERA Principle 4 to measure recovery over time
- Emphasising the need for long-term monitoring, not just short-term visuals, to prove that bush regeneration works
Knowledge exchange, not cookie-cutters
- Sharing site-specific learnings to avoid replicating mistakes
- Integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern best practice
The session is a timely reminder: in a hotter, drier, more uncertain future, we need smarter, more flexible and resilience-informed bush regeneration. And above all we need to monitor and learn, not just plant and hope.