The Guest Speaker at Annual General meeting of the Victorian Branch of The Australian Associaiton of Bush Regenerators was Craig McGrath who shared how as City of Yarra's Biodiversity Officer he is Using the National Restoration Standards in contract management, a Council’s perspective. In 2001, Craig commenced a community engagement role at the City of [...]
Comprehensive strategic planning and site assessments, coupled with thinking creatively around landscape connections are some of the ingredients required to scale up projects. By understanding the capacity of assisted regeneration, a spectrum of bush regenerator skill levels and resources can be utilised to maximise outcomes. Jen Ford provides two examples that explore how the planning [...]
Tein McDonald provides a detailed explanation of the concept of ecological restoration as intended by the National Standards for Ecological Restoration. Tein outlines the restorative activities continuum and provides examples of where various restoration projects may reside along that spectrum. Ideologies such as ‘restorative thinking’ and ‘ecological civilization’ are considered within the context of the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Tim Berryman is at the coalface of restoration, developing strategies and processes to reinstate grassy understory local plant assemblages on mine rehabilitation sites. This presentation outines the who, what, where, when, why and how of grassy understory restoration. Tim discusses the importance of partnerships and the need to push the boundaries in order to develop [...]
Greening Australia’s Cumberland Plain seed production facility is a real eye opener. You can see how they set up a low cost facility that allows for efficient harvesting and promotes genetic diversity. This protects remnants from over-exploitation and allows for much greater quantities of seed to be harvested more economically. Topic Mins: seconds Purpose [...]
The Mt Annan seed production facility is focussed around growing native grasses for revegetation. The video covers the learning that has evolved to understand the process behind the establishment of the seed production areas. Topic Mins: seconds Purpose 00:18 – 00:47 Species, densities and area 00:47 – 2:30 and 9:17 – 9:32 Site preparation [...]
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 [...]