<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/23/rewilding-tree-planting-regneration-projects-habitat-degradation-australia>
"For Stephen Northey, an environmental advocate in Melbourne, tree planting and
urban revegetation has allowed him to help restore degraded local ecosystems
and foster a much-needed connection with his local area.
The community leader spearheaded a campaign to save Edgars Creek, a tributary
that runs through the basalt plains linking Epping, Thomastown and Reservoir to
Merri Creek in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
“Seventeen years ago, the Edgar’s Creek corridor was a wasteland of noxious
weeds,” he says.
“Yet hiding there was a beautiful watercourse flowing along a natural rocky
course with pockets of remnant vegetation still surviving. I thought the place
deserved better so I organised a meeting in the neighbourhood house to garner
interest and a community group was formed.”
From an initial meeting, locals undertook thousands of hours of volunteer work
using only indigenous plants grown from seeds collected from the catchment.
Indigenous bushland and a wetland habitat was successfully reintroduced over
the industrial wasteland, preventing the area from being sold to developers
after a concerted community campaign.
“Care, vision and inclusion were key success factors, as was access to
knowledge about how healthy ecosystems function at a local scale,” he says.
Aside from the deep satisfaction of restoring a natural environment, the
project transformed the lives of those who participated, says Northey,
especially during Covid lockdowns.
“People want to be custodians for their local environment. Friends groups can
help facilitate and encourage that desire; that need. In fact, more than ever
we need opportunities to connect with our planet and each other,” he says."
Via
Fix the News:
<
https://fixthenews.com/good-news-malaria-india-tolerance-africa-deforestation-brazil/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
