Engaging Others

A six year - $250,000 Environmental Trust project enabled a community group to formally identify threatened species, record and monitor the local flora and fauna and undertake bush regeneration which has aided connectivity and set the multiple public reserves on a recovery trajectory. An assortment of community engagement events were undertaken and a plethora of [...]

The north Australian savannas are vast and have the potential to provide significant indigenous business opportunities for markets in greenhouse gas emissions, living tree biomass and non-living biomass as shown during the Carbon Farming Initiative. Jeremy Russell-Smith provides an overview of the fire management strategies that have been undertaken within the context of indigenous management [...]

Rainforest restoration pioneers, Big Scrub Landcare, are again at the forefront of restoration ecology investigating solutions to the problem of genetic inbreeding in the hundreds of thousands of Big Scrub plantings. With the long term viability of the Big Scrub and associated investment at stake, they have developed a strategy to test for genetic diversity, [...]

Jen Ford’s presentation showcases a well planned, 10 year funded, Threatened Species offset project. Detailed examples of four Species of National Environmental Significance are discussed and picture-perfect photopoints utilised to highlight the changes that have resulted from dedicated professionals undertaking assisted regeneration supported by hazard reduction burns. The project not only achieved the 2 for [...]

The Koorangie Marshes are part of the Kerang Wetlands Ramsar site that is culturally significant to the Barapa Barapa people. Prolonged waterlogging and rising salinity, which resulted in the death of River Red Gum and Eumong canopies, had historically impacted almost half of the Koorangie marshes. In partnership with the Barapa Barapa peoples the regeneration [...]

Urban creeks in the City of Onkaparinga hold some of the last remnants of bushland within the city as well as containing valuable public recreational space. The ‘Creek Heroes’ project informed and activated the community to care for the creeks by crafting clever ‘heroes and bullies’, listening to the residents and providing opportunities to experience [...]

Why is grassy ecosystem restoration so hard…it doesn’t have to be? Paul Gibson-Roy shines the light on the USA’s approach. In 2015 Paul received a Winston Churchill fellowship to explore the industry in the USA .He shares his findings of the scale and viability of the industry and the government incentives and the structures that [...]

Restoring native vegetation cover on an island dominated by Kikuyu and Coastal Morning Glory poses unique challenges, especially when the island provides critical seabird breeding habitat. The Five Islands Nature Reserve is a culturally significant site and the success of the restoration project has been due to the project bringing together the Illawarra Local Aboriginal [...]

Todd explores the concept of ecocentricity and how it provides an ethical and social framework for both restoration and our relationship to the environment. An outline of the social, and individual benefits that have been produced on the Skyline tier project exemplifies how a changed worldview can unite a community. Todd, along with Michael Leunig [...]

Be prepared to take a deep breath as Prof Lesley Hughes walks through the known data and possible futures in a climate-changing world. The evidence for climate change is outlined, the trends discussed and impacts of extreme events elaborated. Examples of future scenarios are provided within the context of bushfire impacts, particularly in NSW. A [...]

The success and longevity of restoration projects is intertwined with the relationships that are developed with stakeholders at the beginning and throughout a project. By Engaging Others,a project can enable environmental, social, cultural and economic outcomes to be delivered and provide benefits long after ‘the project’ formally ends. The fact sheet provides an overview of [...]

The Popes Glen Bushcare Group utilise strong monitoring regimes and the process of adaptive management to inform the treatment of Willows, Privet, Pine trees and Ranunculus groundcover. By careful observation of the impact of their works they have become adept at reinforcing positive outcomes and considering the recovery trajectory of the site to ensure the [...]

The Popes Glen Bushcare Group set up a vegetation trial to determine what plants would survive in the harsh conditions of the weed infested silt flat. Armed with a successful species list, funding was sought and thousands of plants planted. Bird surveys have informed the revegetation process with bird habitat thickets unintentionally created from weed [...]

Stormwater flows along the first kilometre of urban streams requires energy and nutrient loads to be managed effectively to ensure the downstream integrity of the riparian systems can be maintained. The Popes Glen Bushcare Group, with the support of the Blue Mountains Council have explored and implemented a variety of highly successful soft-engineering strategies to [...]

This video is an introduction to the inspiring story of Popes Glen Bushcare Group who against the odds has successfully put a willow infested silt flat on the recovery trajectory towards an EEC, Blue Mountains Peat Swamp on Sandstone. The three videos in the series cover the topics of weeds, stormwater and revegetation. Topic [...]

Ziggy Marzinelli shares the world of underwater kelp forest recovery. A 70km aquatic restoration project was designed to reinstate Sydney’s Phyllospora comosa - Crayweed forests, a valuable recreational fishing asset as well as a key component of the kelp forest underwater ecosystem. Ziggy’s project successfully reintroduced the missing ecosystem component. In doing so he reinstated [...]

Arid landscapes that have lost their topsoil are subjected to erosive forces of wind and water to form a clay crust that prevents the growth of vegetation. Ray Thompson explains the technique of waterponding, which captures and directs water, slowing runoff and creating an environment for vegetation to reestablish. In the long-term wind erosion is [...]

In pursuing a personal passion to restore the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, Alan Watson Featherstone developed an understanding of the key ecological principles needed to guide positive trophic cascades. By fencing remnant vegetation to reduce herbivory, ecological processes were reinstated to do the hard work of recovery. Rewilding projects are underway to complete ecosystem functionality. [...]

The process of facilitating the regeneration of a heavily weed infested, high profile coastal site at Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve is outlined by Scott Meier. Professional bush regenerators supported volunteers in tackling Bitou Bush, Lantana and a host of other introduced plant species. After three years there has been greater than 90% reduction in weed [...]

The hidden world of Travelling Stock Routes (TSRs) comes to light as Ian Davidson explains their unique role across the Riverina landscape as a stronghold for biodiversity and threatened species. The absence of agricultural production techniques and fertilisers along with their location on flat fertile soils, linearly linked, has enabled the TSRs to remain prime [...]

Hank and Sue Bower describe a unique assisted regeneration project that is aiming for complete eradication of vertebrate and weed species due to the isolation of Lord Howe Island. The World Heritage status and legal framework provides for unhindered access to all terrain across the island, enabling all pest populations to be targeted thanks to [...]

‘It’s as Simple as Spinifex’ is a case study on increasing community awareness to stabilize dunes by erecting a simple fence structure to control pedestrian activity and alerting the public to the issue with explanatory signage. These simple solutions provided the conditions for the natural systems to expand and stabilize the dunes. Topic Mins: [...]

A concise case study outlining an offset transformation of a highly degraded saltmarsh community at Kurnell. Careful planning and extensive community education is helping to address years of degradation from vehicles and timber getting Unrestricted access to the site was curtailed by fencing. The community has been engaged around the benefits of food chain health [...]

This video is a snapshot of the threats and restoration achievements at Wamberal Lagoon Nature Reserve on the Central Coast. Home of rare plants and the only lagoon that is surrounded by National Park in an urban setting it comes with its own unique set of human induced threats. Adaptive management quickly turned an act [...]

This is an inspiring presentation that showcases a variety of strategies that were used to improve aquatic habitat. Approaches undertaken ranged from mechanical bank shaping to altering mowing practices, resnagging with whole trees to purpose built fish hotels. The detailed monitoring and commitment to community engagement has meant that the upward trajectory for in-stream restoration will continue beyond the funded project.

Jen Ford provides a brilliant 10 minute overview of the National Restoration Standards six principles and the contents of the document. Why have standards, what are they and how can they assist with on-ground restoration activities are all clearly explained. Topic Mins: seconds Titles 00:00 Background 00:08 Introduction to the standards 00:35 Relevance of [...]

Councils undertaking ecological restoration projects have an additional suite of challenges to deal with. This presentation outlines the reality of working on-ground within a council system, how bush regeneration principles are applied under strategic parameters and the critical role and importance of volunteers in enhancing on-ground outcomes, education and leveraging funding. This video also provides [...]

Just add water...Three wetland restoration case studies are presented by Mark Bachmann which outline the historical basis for the degradation, the process of identifying viable project sites and the setting of goals to deliver significant wetland restoration. Mark references the Six Principles in the National Restoration Standards to highlight their relevance in designing, monitoring and [...]

Peter Jensen from the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust outlines the tools and techniques that have been trialed to assist the restoration Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS) at North Head Sanctuary. The site holds nearly half of the remaining ESBS (77ha) and professional and volunteers bush regenerators have utilised three different strategies to assist restoration; regeneration [...]

If you want to be inspired by a catchment based landcare group, the video of the Big Scrub landcare group, is well worth a watch. Mike Delaney, from EnVite outlines the strategic approach of the landcare group towards education and re-establishing corridors across the Big Scrub, an area just east of Lismore on the far [...]

Dan Cunningham from Sydney Water describes the reconstruction of ‘one of the most polluted waterways in Australia’, Cooks River, west of Sydney airport. An alternative to reconcreting was proposed to a highly engaged community that involved renewal of trapezoid concrete channels to regraded and naturalised vegetated banks. A great example of a paradigm shift in [...]

Peggy Svoboda has been helping Saltmarsh to recover on the Hunter River Estuary near Newcastle in NSW. This video outlines the significant benefits of the restoration project as a Ramsar site of significance for migratory shorebirds and the process of constructing saltmarsh communities. Contouring of the landscape, Juncus acutus removal and riparian restoration in the [...]

This page contains lots of links to presentations from conferences and field days that align with the regenTV themes and support the learning resources. These videos have been produced by the event organisers.

RegenTV is AABR’s online repository of ecological restoration case studies filmed at field trips, forums and seminars. The three year program has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. The comprehensive and inspirational collection of bush regeneration expertise is being compiled into video format by Virginia Bear of Little Gecko Media [...]