supporting healthy natural environments and biodiversity

Actions and initiatives that seek to stem biodiversity loss through creating, restoring, protecting and maintaining habitat for extra-human species.

Celebrating & Appreciating the Box-Ironbark Forests

Offering an inclusive space for community members to gather, celebrate and encourage learning and appreciation of our local natural heritage through the creation of field guides, photographic exhibitions and talks by local naturalists as well as conducting monthly bushland walks.

Advocacy & Support for the Box-Ironbark Forests

Advocacy and support by FOBIF (Friends of the Box Ironbark Forest) centres on maintaining constructively critical interaction with Park managers on matters such as road management, ecological effects of management burning and weed control.

The Buzz project

Working with landholders to provide habitat stepping stones for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale, and support volunteers to monitor 450 established nest boxes across Mount Alexander Shire

Habitat for phascogales

Working with landholders to provide habitat stepping stones for the threatened Brush-tailed Phascogale, and support volunteers to monitor 450 established nest boxes across Mount Alexander Shire

Bursaria for butterflies

Protecting and restoring habitat for the Castlemaine populations of the threatened Eltham Copper Butterfly by working with landholders to reduce threats to the butterflies – and improve the quality, quantity and connectivity of available butterfly habitat.

Future-proof our forests

Researching ways to climate proof our forests by developing and monitoring two ‘climate future plots’. The plots includes local species as well as plants native to hotter and drier areas that are anticipated to match our future climate.

Regenerate before it’s too late

Engaging the community about the importance of large old trees and how to protect them. A project using citizen science to collect key data on old trees while providing the community and landholders with support to protect them through workshops and on-ground actions.

Elphinstone Cool Places

Regenerating the habitat value of a derelict semi-industrial landscape and creating an outdoor space where the community can gather on hot days. The project explores and documents regenerative methods of invasive species removal and solicits the community engagement.

Wilderhoods

Creating networks of urban habitat and connecting people with nature and neighbours. Through knowledge sharing and a regenerative design process, the project supports residents to develop an ecologically informed and achievable vision for their shared habitat with extra-human life.