Reference Ecosystems

Revegetation guides can provide a valuable resource in determining a local indigenous reference community- Principle 1 of the National Restoration Standards. Gill Earl provides a walk through of the Murray-Riverina vegetation guides that are widely accepted as the go-to resource for revegetation projects in that area. The elements of the guides are outlined and why [...]

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 [...]

Martin Driver's 5000ha grazing property has been in the family for many years. Martin outlines the transformations that have occurred as a result of fencing, the resilience of the landscape and the lessons he has learned in managing the land for grazing, protection of endangered plant communities and environmental outcomes. The talk is presented within [...]

Councils undertaking ecological restoration projects have an additional suite of challenges to deal with. This presentation outlines the reality of working on-ground within a council system, how bush regeneration principles are applied under strategic parameters and the critical role and importance of volunteers in enhancing on-ground outcomes, education and leveraging funding. This video also provides [...]

Just add water...Three wetland restoration case studies are presented by Mark Bachmann which outline the historical basis for the degradation, the process of identifying viable project sites and the setting of goals to deliver significant wetland restoration. Mark references the Six Principles in the National Restoration Standards to highlight their relevance in designing, monitoring and [...]

The reconstruction of saltmarsh at Penrhyn Estuary, Botany Bay, Sydney for migratory shorebirds is an insightful case study that details the process of accommodating habitat shifts in an industrially impacted intertidal zone. Project planner Geoff Sainty effused about the 15 year long project, ‘if there’s any chance to get involved in working with saltmarsh get [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Reconstruction of native plant communities on rock dumps in Kosciusko National Park explores the process of redressing the impacts of 400 disturbed sites that were created during the construction of the Snowy Hydro scheme, a $1,548,443 project. Elizabeth MacPhee talks through the logistics and the process of reshaping steep rock dumps, organic enhancement with scavenged [...]

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 [...]