Greening Australia
Encyclopedia
Greening Australia is an Australia
n environmental organisation, founded in 1982, the International Year
of the Tree, to protect, restore and conserve Australia's native vegetation. Greening Australia was formed by the United Nations Association of Australia
and the Nursery Industry Association of Australia.
In the 1980s tree cover decline was acknowledged as having a serious adverse impact on agricultural
and pastoral productivity. Removal of tree cover was also linked with the development of salinity
, soil
degradation and erosion
, and declining water
quality. On World Environment Day in 1982, then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser
announced the establishment of the National Tree Program, which aimed to reverse tree decline throughout Australia. Greening Australia provided the non-government arm of the National Tree Program. With representation in every state and territory and a national office in Canberra
, Greening Australia became the primary focus for non-government tree projects.
Since its inception, Greening Australia has undergone a natural evolution over the years - from a tree planting-centric organisation to a landscape-focused one. The Gondwana Link and River Recovery projects reflect this change and the need to address the impacts of climate change.
Greening Australia has been involved in many large scale revegetation and restoration projects in Australia since its inception, including the National Tree Program, the One Billion Trees Project, Bushcare Support, National Corrdiors of Green, Florabank and Green Corps
. The focus of its work lies in providing trees and tree planting services, technical advice and education, volunteer coordination and funding for restoration projects.
On World Environment Day 1998, Greening Australia's work was recognised with admission to the United Nations Environment Programme
Global 500 Roll of Honour. This award recognises outstanding achievements in protection of the environment, and represents a significant achievement for Australia's role in world conservation.
Gondwana Link is one of the largest and most ambitious conservation projects in Australia’s history. Designed to protect and restore land across and adjoining the nation’s only global renowned biodiversity hotspot, the completed link will be an arc of bushland
stretching for 1000 kilometres, from the wet forests in Western Australia's far southwest to the edge of the Nullarbor Plain
. Greening Australia is working alongside a host of partners on this project, including Bush Heritage Australia
and The Nature Conservancy
.
Living Flinders
The Living Flinders program covers 1.3 million hectares of internationally significant landscape in the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. It is a national hotspot for native plants and animals including the endangered Yellow-Footed Rock-wallaby and supports critically endangered Peppermint Box and Grey Box Grassy Woodlands. The project aims to increase conservation efforts on privately held land as well as reduce invasion by feral species and reconnect existing reserve systems. It is a ten year project that calls for a $30m investment. Living Flinders is also part of the SA Government's Naturelinks program as well as an important component of the Trans Australia Eco-link.
Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery
River Recovery is Greening Australia's initiative to rehabilitate key river reaches around Australia. The program's focus in the state of New South Wales
is the Hawkesbury
-Nepean
catchment
. Greening Australia is committed to rehabilitating 2500 km of river, creek and stream banks by 2015 to ensure the future of the catchment’s water quality, biodiversity and recreational values. Current work is focussed on restoring tributaries on the urban fringes of Western Sydney
.
Carbon offsetting
Greening Australia has also recently become a supplier of biodiverse carbon offset
s in Australia. The organisation uses its 26 years of experience in managing Australia's native vegetation to offset carbon through biodiversity focused tree plantings that both offset carbon and support major Greening Australia projects such as Gondwana Link. The program is called Breathe Easy.
The Saltshaker Project is an initiative of Greening Australia, SE NSW, the Boorowa
Regional Catchment Committee, and Boorowa Council
, in association with the Boorowa Landcare Network
, to tackle dryland salinity, reduced water quality
, and biodiversity
in Boorowa, New South Wales
. It is funded by the Natural Heritage Trust
, and involves nearly 70 landowners.
At the start of the project, David Freudenberger of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems conducted a bird survey. As of 2004, AUS $1.8 million had been spent, and over 9.3 square kilometres had been revegetated, with over 110,000 trees and shrubs planted and 900 kilometres of tree seeding done.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n environmental organisation, founded in 1982, the International Year
International observance
International observance denotes a period of time to observe some issue of international interest or concern. This is used to commemorate, promote and mobilize for action. Many of these periods have been established by the United Nations General Assembly, Economic and Social Council or by UNESCO...
of the Tree, to protect, restore and conserve Australia's native vegetation. Greening Australia was formed by the United Nations Association of Australia
United Nations Association of Australia
The United Nations Association of Australia is a non-profit, non-government, membership-based, community organization working to promote the aims and ideals of the United Nations, and seek support for the UN, its programs and agencies. It has divisions within all of the States and Territories of...
and the Nursery Industry Association of Australia.
In the 1980s tree cover decline was acknowledged as having a serious adverse impact on agricultural
Agriculture in Australia
Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter. Agriculture and its closely related sectors earn $155 billion-a-year for a 12% share of GDP. Australian farmers and graziers own 135,996 farms, covering 61% of Australia’s landmass. There is a mix of irrigation and dry-land farming...
and pastoral productivity. Removal of tree cover was also linked with the development of salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
, soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
degradation and erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, and declining water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
quality. On World Environment Day in 1982, then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
announced the establishment of the National Tree Program, which aimed to reverse tree decline throughout Australia. Greening Australia provided the non-government arm of the National Tree Program. With representation in every state and territory and a national office in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Greening Australia became the primary focus for non-government tree projects.
Since its inception, Greening Australia has undergone a natural evolution over the years - from a tree planting-centric organisation to a landscape-focused one. The Gondwana Link and River Recovery projects reflect this change and the need to address the impacts of climate change.
Greening Australia has been involved in many large scale revegetation and restoration projects in Australia since its inception, including the National Tree Program, the One Billion Trees Project, Bushcare Support, National Corrdiors of Green, Florabank and Green Corps
Green Corps
Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizing, is a non-profit organization that trains future environmental and social change activists. In its year-long, paid program, 35 recent college graduates go through a program involving direct field work on critical environmental campaigns...
. The focus of its work lies in providing trees and tree planting services, technical advice and education, volunteer coordination and funding for restoration projects.
On World Environment Day 1998, Greening Australia's work was recognised with admission to the United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
Global 500 Roll of Honour. This award recognises outstanding achievements in protection of the environment, and represents a significant achievement for Australia's role in world conservation.
Current projects
Gondwana LinkGondwana Link is one of the largest and most ambitious conservation projects in Australia’s history. Designed to protect and restore land across and adjoining the nation’s only global renowned biodiversity hotspot, the completed link will be an arc of bushland
Bushland
Bushland is any area in Australia that is predominantly indigenous flora and fauna.Bushland is the term commonly used by conservation protection groups and other environmental groups as a blanket term for natural vegetation, which may cover any kind of habitat from open shrubby country with few...
stretching for 1000 kilometres, from the wet forests in Western Australia's far southwest to the edge of the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
. Greening Australia is working alongside a host of partners on this project, including Bush Heritage Australia
Bush Heritage Australia
Bush Heritage Australia is a non-profit organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia that operates throughout Australia. It was previously known as the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, which is still its legal name. It purchases land, assessed as being of outstanding conservation value, from...
and The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
.
Living Flinders
The Living Flinders program covers 1.3 million hectares of internationally significant landscape in the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. It is a national hotspot for native plants and animals including the endangered Yellow-Footed Rock-wallaby and supports critically endangered Peppermint Box and Grey Box Grassy Woodlands. The project aims to increase conservation efforts on privately held land as well as reduce invasion by feral species and reconnect existing reserve systems. It is a ten year project that calls for a $30m investment. Living Flinders is also part of the SA Government's Naturelinks program as well as an important component of the Trans Australia Eco-link.
Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery
River Recovery is Greening Australia's initiative to rehabilitate key river reaches around Australia. The program's focus in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
is the Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
-Nepean
Nepean River
The Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. Greening Australia is committed to rehabilitating 2500 km of river, creek and stream banks by 2015 to ensure the future of the catchment’s water quality, biodiversity and recreational values. Current work is focussed on restoring tributaries on the urban fringes of Western Sydney
Western Sydney
Western Sydney is a major region of Sydney, Australia. It has a number of different definitions but one consistently used is the region composed of the 11 councils which until recently were all members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils:* Auburn Council* Bankstown City Council*...
.
Carbon offsetting
Greening Australia has also recently become a supplier of biodiverse carbon offset
Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere....
s in Australia. The organisation uses its 26 years of experience in managing Australia's native vegetation to offset carbon through biodiversity focused tree plantings that both offset carbon and support major Greening Australia projects such as Gondwana Link. The program is called Breathe Easy.
Past Projects
SaltshakerThe Saltshaker Project is an initiative of Greening Australia, SE NSW, the Boorowa
Boorowa River
-References:...
Regional Catchment Committee, and Boorowa Council
Boorowa Council
Boorowa Shire is a local government area in New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Lachlan Valley Way.It includes Boorowa and the small towns of Rye Park, Rugby, Frogmore and Reids Flat.- Council :...
, in association with the Boorowa Landcare Network
Landcare (organisation)
Landcare began in Victoria, Australia in 1986 with a group of farmers near St Arnaud in central Victoria forming the first Landcare group. Since then, the Landcare concept has developed into a movement, across Australia and now around the world...
, to tackle dryland salinity, reduced water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
, and biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
in Boorowa, New South Wales
Boorowa, New South Wales
Boorowa is a farming town in the South West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Boorowa had a population of 1,070 people. It is located in a valley 243 km west of Sydney and 487 m above sea-level...
. It is funded by the Natural Heritage Trust
Natural Heritage Trust
The Natural Heritage Trust was set up by the Australian Government in 1997 to help restore and conserve Australia's environment and natural resources....
, and involves nearly 70 landowners.
At the start of the project, David Freudenberger of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems conducted a bird survey. As of 2004, AUS $1.8 million had been spent, and over 9.3 square kilometres had been revegetated, with over 110,000 trees and shrubs planted and 900 kilometres of tree seeding done.