Our summer of bushfires together with persistent droughts and floods and their often devastating impacts on people and communities underscore our need for new ways to manage our land and seascapes.
Indigenous experts, industry practitioners and thinkers came together to discuss an expansive new model for the care and regeneration of damaged ecosystems that bridges Indigenous, agricultural, scientific, economic and social perspectives. This was an initiative presented by the Royal Societies of Australia and Inspiring Victoria, with support from CSIRO, with a three-part virtual series in February-March 2021.
The series makes it clear we cannot continue to rely on a patchwork of individual initiatives. We cannot just vacate the landscape. Our intervention should be to maximise both the natural systems and human wellbeing in the face of rapid environmental change.
There are many things we can do now as part of this transition, as individuals, governments, businesses, educators and land and sea managers. We do not have to wait until everyone accepts a custodial ethic and our laws and institutions are changed so that our land and sea obligations are the foundations of all our actions.
