Nature Protection
As the ‘bush capital’ Canberra is fortunate to host some of the most amazing wildlife and landscapes in Australia. But the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution means that we have more to lose than ever before.
Over 100 Australian species are now listed as either extinct or extinct in the wild. Across the country, there are more non-native plants than native ones. Rivers, the lifeblood of inland landscapes like Canberra are drying up, and land is being cleared at alarming rates.
The ACT is not immune to this. Approximately 6.2% of Canberra’s mature trees have been removed in the past 5 years; our beloved faunal emblem, the Gang-gang Cockatoo is endangered; and our natural areas are at increasing risk of pest plants and animals.
Join us in working to protect our region’s amazing nature
Keen to get involved? Join the Biodiversity Working Group
Biodiversity Working Group is chaired by Hugh Coppell and meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5.30pm. Biodiversity Working Group is open to anyone interested in biodiversity including member groups, staff and board members. To become involved please fill in the get involved form.
Latest News
A Biodiversity Network for the ACT
The Biodiversity Network Paper: A Tenure-blind framework for cohesive nature conservation across the ACT.The ACT, like the rest of Australia, is battling an extinction crisis. Approximately 6.2% of Canberra’s mature trees have been removed in the past 5 years; our...
Federal Government’s Environmental Law Reform still Leaves Young People with a Nature Emergency
This week, on the backdrop of scientists’ timely declaration that the fate of the entire living world, including us, hangs in the balance of biodiversity conservation – we held our breath. Hoping that when the Minister of the Environment announced her “Nature positive plan” for law reform, we could finally have a world to look forward to, where we can imagine the future. The news that we had hoped for never arrived. Instead of taking a stand for Australia’s nature, and protecting our nation’s future, the Minister presented a disappointing plan that is entirely ill-equipped to tackle the nature emergency.
Biodiversity: A Year in Review
At this time of year, there is a lot of forward planning and looking ahead to be done, but it’s important to take the time to reflect on the year’s achievements, and it has been a very significant year in biodiversity campaigning. Read Peta’s full review of 2022 campaigning!
Community Screening: FRANKLIN documentary
Come join us for a screening of the popular feature documentary FRANKLIN on Wednesday 14 December!
The Next Step for Lawson Grasslands
Ironically, this year, National Threatened Species Day was also the day that community consultation closed for the Lawson North residential development, a staunchly opposed housing project in Canberra’s Belconnen Region. The project was referred to the National Environment Minister, for a determination on whether it should be regulated. The Council argued that the proposal should be controlled, and found it clearly unacceptable as it proposes to destroy 15.8 hectares of critically endangered grassland.
Undervalued and Under Threat: Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon
The fight to save Lawson Grasslands has been a battle on many fronts. Not only is the community working with ineffective conservation laws; but, a core aspect of this campaign has been putting Grasslands ‘on the map’ as an ecosystem worth saving. It’s worth considering that if the habitat at Lawson had been a eucalypt forest filled with Koalas, it might have been easier to garner attention and support.
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