THE AUSTRALIA
WE LOVE Take part in Australia’s National Nature Conversation 2015
What places do you love?
T
he places we love unite us. Our natural wonders, our wild beaches, our healthy rivers and our urban parklands are part of what makes being Australians great. We travelled the country interviewing everyday Australians who spend time looking after our environment. We asked, ‘what motivates you?’ One unifying response stood out:
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My wellbeing is tied to the wellbeing of nature.
” Get involved in the National Nature Conversation 2015
Now we want to hear from you. We are inviting Australians from all walks of life to join the rising tide of people across the country who believe in our right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and enjoy the places we love. Contribute your expertise, your ideas and your passion to the plan for our shared future. Register for the National Nature Conversation at www.placesyoulove/ NationalNatureConversation or #OzNatureConvo.
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Cover photos: Tourism Australia and Graham Freeman, James Fisher. Above photos: Tourism Australia and Anson Smart, James Fisher.
What places do you love?
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Everyday Australians looking after the places they love
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KERRY COCHRANE We want farmers to think ‘what is my connection to the land, what is my relationship to it?’ On the basis of that, then make farming decisions. By understanding the ecology and how parts connect, we make better farming management decisions. There is a different way of doing things.
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President of the Ecological Agriculture Association of Australia
The use of hydrocarbons has to be phased out. We cannot keep putting chemicals on the planet in the volume that we have. Our future farmers will need to be energetic, creative and motivated to challenge and to explore. That’s what it’s all about.
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MATTHEW CHARLES JONES We know we can do things differently. We are already doing things differently. We are working toward making our town 100 percent renewable by the year 2022. Other towns, states and countries are doing this around the world - we’d like to see whether it is possible in our town. We’re working with people locally to identify what a new energy supply could look like.
Founding member of Totally Renewable Yackandandah
Everyday Australians looking after the places they love
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Nyikina Traditional Owner, Managing Director Madjulla Inc
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Photo: Mark Pearce.
DR ANNE POELINA Several years ago the Kimberley came under extensive threat from mining.
diverse economies that are sustainable and bring mutual benefit.
Over the past few years I have been working with very senior elders, with other Aboriginal leaders and the communities, to work out how we can protect the Kimberley. We must develop
This is about our country – the river, the sea, the hill country and the desert. We need to preserve the land if we want to preserve humanity.
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THEA ORMEROD I am not used to doing things to make other people feel uncomfortable or obstructed – but when all other avenues have been exhausted, there comes a point where the only thing left is civil disobedience. Taking care of God’s planet for future generations is part of what our faith calls us to do. This is about a public voice. Joining of Hindu voices with Jewish voices, with Islamic voices and Christian voices to actually speak publicly about the importance of acting in relation to climate change. At the moment our lifestyles are not compatible with maintaining a world that can continue for future generations.
President of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Everyday Australians looking after the places they love
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Photo: Sean McPhillips.
‘ Eco-fashion entrepreneur
Photo: Shaun Denaro.
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EMILY KATE SYMES People want to know where their clothes come from, how they’re made, how their purchase choices are impacting our environment. The fashion and textile manufacturing industries are some of the most polluting industries in the world. We are creating options for Australians to shop sustainably.
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DEANNE ECCLES
It became clear that we needed to act. Tourism is the way forward. Clear-fell logging is keeping us in the past. The Knitting Nannas want to draw attention to the clear-fell logging in Melbourne’s water catchments – the Yarra Valley, where we live.
Tourism operator and founding member of the ‘Knitting Nannas of Toolangi’
We set up with banners, our fold out chairs, our thermos, we enjoy the forest and we knit together. We are very loving, caring people. We want to make a stand for these forests but we want to do it in a peaceful way.
Watch our short interviews with these everyday Australians at www.placesyoulove.org
Everyday Australians looking after the places they love
Photo: Deanne Eccles.
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How we are tracking – Australia’s natural systems
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e have just completed a landmark survey of the health of Australia’s environmentour rivers, energy, climate, food, forests, waste and pollution, land management, oceans and reefs. We drew on the best science and research available to build this important picture of how our natural systems are tracking. Here is what we found: Pressures on nature are increasing. Landclearing and habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species, water scarcity and mining are impacting our natural systems.
Humans in Australia • B y 2100, Australian population is projected to be between 42 and 70 million people. • Total consumption per person in Australia is one of the highest in the world, and is projected to increase by up to 27% by 2030, with far-reaching impacts on nature including biodiversity, land use, climate and water. • By 2050, energy consumption in Australia is projected to increase by around 21%, with only 14% from renewable sources.
Climate Change • Concentrations of greenhouse pollution in
the atmosphere are higher than any time in the last 800,000 years, and emissions are projected to increase by 50% by 2050. • We will likely see four degrees of warming by the end of this century. • Two degrees of climate warming will likely mean the loss of most coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef, 80% of freshwater wetlands from Kakadu National Park, and Queensland’s tropical forests. • It is estimated that by 2050, increases in climate change-related bushfire damage in south-eastern Australia will have cost an additional $1.5 billion per year, (over and above the costs if no climate change took place).
Pollution • M ore than 3,000 Australians die each year from air-pollution-related illness, nearly twice the national road toll. • Each Australian family contributes enough rubbish each year to fill a threebedroom house from floor to ceiling, and the total amount of waste generated in the future is projected to increase. • The health costs of air pollution in Australia are estimated to be in the order
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Oceans • Since 1985 more than half of the coral cover of the Great Barrier Reef has been lost. • Remaining coral cover is predicted to be lost with two degrees warming through climate change.
of $11.1 billion to $24.3 billion annually. • S ince the 1970s, application of agricultural chemicals in Australia has been steadily rising, contaminating water systems.
Feral animals and plants • I nvasive species have significantly contributed to extinctions in most regions of Australia, including more than 40 native mammals, birds and frogs.
Freshwater • M ore than 85% of rivers in Australia have been modified due to irrigation, dams and weirs and other development pressures. • O f the sixty-eight zones of the MurrayDarling Basin, Australia’s most significant agricultural region, only one zone is rated in good health. Thirty-eight zones are rated in poor health and twenty-one in very poor health. • O ngoing impacts of development and disturbance and the projected impacts of climate change will result in further decline of freshwater resources. • Almost one-third of the 851 nationally important wetlands in Australia do not have adequate water supply or flow to maintain their health.
How we are tracking
The Australia We Love Report gives us a factual state of play against key indicators. Armed with the facts we can work together to create new pathways and solutions for nature. While the facts are sobering, the changes we need to make are already underway. Everyday Australians all over the country are already acting to look after nature. Small steps make a big difference on the path to securing our healthy future. Take a small step with us and join the National Nature Conversation in 2015 – #OzNatureConvo. See the full Australia We Love Report at www.placeswelove.org/AustraliaWeLove
Habitat Change • We cleared an average of 1 million hectares of native vegetation per year between 2000 and 2010. • At least 50% of all wetlands in Australia have been drained, filled or destroyed. • 1259 plants, 396 animals and 67 ecological communities are listed as threatened by the Australian Government.
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Good people & good laws
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e live in a great country, bursting with extraordinary people and spectacular landscapes. But we all need to work to protect and restore what we have. The solutions we need to see in the next decade involve all of us. We need to act within our communities, as well as making sure the legal frameworks that preserve our air and water and biodiversity are most effective.
Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law The Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law was established by the Places You Love Alliance in 2014 to review and make recommendations about a new generation of national environment laws. Australia is home to more than a million different plants and animals, making us one of the most biologically diverse countries on earth. Australia needs robust and integrated environment laws. To find out more about the Expert Panel go to www.placesyoulove.org/ExpertPanel
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Photos: Tourism Australia, Maxime Coquard. Solo climber, Jess Abrahams.
Good people & good laws
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Join the National Nature Conversation 2015
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hat do you value about Australia’s nature? What matters to your community and what changes do you want to see?
Get involved in the National Nature Conversation The Places You Love Alliance is Australia’s largest coalition of environment organisations. We want to hear from you.
Why? Your contribution will help create a powerful national picture of the environmental issues that matter.
How? There are many ways to participate. Spend 5 minutes taking a quick poll, attend a community event, or visit a pop-up conversation booth in your area.
Let’s get started Register now to take part in the National Nature Conversation: www.placesyoulove. org/NationalNatureConversation
More info www.placesyoulove.org www.facebook.com/PlacesYouLove Twitter @Places_You_Love
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Photo: Tourism Australia, Hugh Stewart.
Join the National Nature Conversation 2015
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Photo: Tourism Australia, Robert Seba.
Get involved - JOIN US Go to www.placesyoulove.org/joinus/ Facebook at www.facebook.com/PlacesYouLove Twitter: @Places_You_Love
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