David Holmgren, permaculture co-originator and author of “RetroSuburbia: The downshifter’s guide to a resilient future” has made the section of his book on bushfire resilience freely available to all, as part of their response to the bushfire crisis. David notes: “RetroSuburbia includes 34 chapters across three fields of retrofitting action: the built, biological and behavioural. ‘Bushfire…
Seed bombs (or seed balls) are made from a mixture of clay, compost, seeds and water. The clay in the seed balls helps protect the seeds from being taken by predators, and also helps to retain moisture once it becomes wet by rain, which germinates the seeds. The compost supplies nutrients for the establishing plant.…
A new documentary has been released, outlining a regenerative agriculture visionary’s commitment to a food secure nation and sustainable farming communities. The Soils For Life documentary was launched on World Soil Day, Thursday 5 December. The 10-minute documentary acknowledges the vision and commitment of Soils For Life founder, Major General The Honourable Michael Jeffery. Three…
Sustainable Farms has a program of podcasts featuring short, engaging chats about the research being conducted by the team. Episode One: Talking about Sustainable Farms (Michelle Young). Director of Sustainable Farms, Michelle Young, talks about why the project has been established and its key goals and activities Episode Two: Talking about Farm Dams (David Lindenmayer).…
Discussion paper by John Baker, Hovells Creek Landcare Group Hovells Creek Landcare Group (HCLG) has been implementing a NSW Environmental Trust-funded paddock tree project in recent years, which has seen the Group plant more than 2,000 paddock trees. The Group’s Deputy Chair, John Baker, has been managing the project and in addition to producing five…
Landcare NSW released its 2018/19 Annual Report at its AGM in late November 2019. The full Annual Report can be read here, covering the achievements of the organisation and the Landcare community over the past year. Below is the Chair’s Report, by Stephanie Cameron. Chairs Report and Introduction by Stephanie Cameron: 2019 marked 30 years…
The Climate Council have released a new report, ‘This is What Climate Change Looks Like,’ highlighting recent examples of the impacts of more frequent and severe weather events on our natural ecosystems and wildlife. In many cases, our ecosystems and species were already under threat from other human-associated causes – like land clearing, over-harvesting, and…
Silverleaf nightshade has long been a problem in the Riverina, with some local shires feeling the effects greater than others. This weed is a very persistent weed, so it can be a long road to successful management. Researcher Hanwen Wu delivered two “Weed Roundup” events, in the Morundah and Leeton areas. At Morundah, Hanwen showed…
ABC Education, in partnership with Nalderun, have created this digibook celebrating the resilience of Aboriginal Australian cultures, which are believed to be the oldest continuous living cultures on Earth. The colonisation of Australia led to many Aboriginal people being forcibly removed from their land and denied the opportunity to practise their cultures. But Aboriginal cultural…
A new article by Peter Spooner and colleagues at Charles Sturt University, titled “The New South Wales Travelling Stock Route and Reserve (TSR) network: Historical extent, spatial distribution and drivers of loss 1884–2017”, has been published in the Australian Geographer journal. The paper documents the original extent of the New South Wales TSR network and changes during…