Dear Great Eastern Ranges members, partners and supporters,
There is no doubt that this year has been a tumultuous and challenging one for all of us but it has also created new opportunities. The devastating 2019-2020 bushfires stimulated a worldwide surge in awareness and care for our irreplaceable wildlife and protected areas, while COVID-19 has led to people starting to reconnect with nature and to become more aware of their place in it. This year has also seen the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative harness the energy and enthusiasm of our communities to consolidate our place as one of Australia’s most ambitious yet essential conservation endeavours.
As we enter the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we will be ramping up our post-fire efforts to protect, relink and restore Australia’s Great Eastern Ranges and to build resilience through innovative, nature-based solutions that tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our final enewsletter for 2020, which showcases some of our latest news, highlights and impacts which you have helped to achieve.
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2020 IMPACT REPORT
Since our establishment in 2007, the Great Eastern Ranges has grown to become one of the world’s largest connectivity conservation initiatives. View our 2020 Impact Report to read about some of the major highlights and achievements of this year.
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CELEBRATING CORES, CORRIDORS AND KOALAS ON COUNTRY
Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance partners, traditional custodians and one exceptional dog gathered on Gumbaynggirr land on the Coffs Coast on 2 November to view some of the work being delivered through GER’s partnership with WWF-Australia. The Coffs Coast Hinterland is one of six priority regions in the ranges that are benefitting from ‘Cores, Corridors and Koalas’ which is working to restore the health and resilience of habitat for koalas, greater gliders and other forest-dependent native animals post-fire.
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DELIVERING A SCIENCE-INFORMED BUSHFIRE RESPONSE
To provide a science-informed response to the bushfire crisis that optimises wildlife and landscape recovery, GER is supporting a large-scale, cross-tenure research effort. Led by Griffith University and the Australian National University, the project is working to map and assess the fire footprint, post-fire condition and recovery of eastern Australia’s native forests. This information will provide the basis for informing forest recovery plans and actions to improve conservation management, encourage natural regeneration and restoration, inform forest management, and support our forests to adapt to the rapidly changing climate.
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SHARING KNOWLEDGE TO BOOST GLIDER CONSERVATION
To help drive action to secure the future of Australia’s unique gliding possums, GER supported the Victorian Biolinks Alliance’s virtual Greater and Squirrel Glider symposium in October. The two-day, virtual event bought together over 150 researchers, academics and on-ground practitioners from across the country to share their practical and scientific knowledge for glider conservation. The key takeaways from the symposium will help to inform the development of a national GER Glideways connectivity conservation plan.
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BELLO GIVES A FIG
GER is supporting a new community-led project to restore preferred bat food trees and raise awareness in local schools to help secure the future of the Bellingen Shires’ flying foxes. ‘Bello Gives a Fig’, which is funded through a grant from the Bellingen Shire Council, will ramp up restoration of the valley’s diverse forests and build the empathy and support of the Shire community for the region’s threatened mega-bats.
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On behalf of the GER network, along with the staff and directors who make up our team, we thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and enthusiasm for the Great Eastern Ranges vision.
Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge the reappointment of five of our Founding Directors at our recent AGM, and thank them and the rest of the Board for their continued and significant contributions to GER.
We wish you a safe, happy and healthy festive break.
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Gary Howling
Executive Director & CEO
Great Eastern Ranges Initiative
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Bob Debus
Chair
Great Eastern Ranges Initiative
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