The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board held its final Young Environmental Leaders workshop for 2024 at the CLLMM Research Centre in Goolwa. Students were from all over the region Ranging from Truro, Meningie and Cambrai, 30 Student came in Years 4-5. They had the chance to explore the region's unique landscapes while engaging in hands-on learning about environmental sustainability and cultural connection.
A highlight of the day was working with a state-of-the-art laser sand box, allowing participants to manipulate topography and learn how to create wetlands and mitigate fire risks.
Adding an artistic touch, Ngarrindjeri artist Kyla guided students in creating vibrant communal murals for the local nursing home. The artwork beautifully tells the story of the river, connecting generations through creativity and shared heritage.
The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board continues to provide meaningful environmental programs for students, and heartfelt thanks go to Rosheen, Cindy, and the team for their dedication to fostering learning opportunities for young leaders in our community.
First Q&A Panellists asked big questions about Climate Change Impacts in the region. Summer Series Event No.1 Recap
Friday 29 November
Algae blooms, ageing barrages, wind and water - key concerns raised by the community at the first panel discussion in our Summer Series of Science.
The inaugural event invited representatives from three local Landscape Boards (Limestone Coast, Murraylands and Riverland, Hills and Fleurieu) two Local Councils (Alexandrina and Coorong District) and the Department of Environment and Water to exchange information with the local community.
A short formal presentation from each gave the 40+ local attendees insight into
What they do
How they do it
Responsibility /planning for current and future developments impacting the area
Questions followed from the community raising key concerns about recent events and activities, and how/who is addressing them.
Blue green algae
In 2024 the lower reaches of the Murray River experienced an extensive algal bloom of a type not seen here before. Originating upstream, this led to extensive period restricting activity on and in the waters. The panellists agreed that to avoiding a repeat event, more water is needed to flush out the system.
Managing Salinity
More water is also a solution to reducing the effects of high salt levels and their impact on local ecosystems. Until this occurs, we all need to be more efficient with what we’ve got.
Barrage technology
20th century technology for 21st century problems requires investment and innovation if the current barrages are to retain functionality. SA Water is the agency responsible and is considering Kevlar and other technologies to help extend the life of the current system, and address issues already highlighted – salinity, blue green algae, and healthy ecosystems.
Wind
Local observations are of more frequent strong winds, damaging to coastal habitats. Drones can help better monitor the impacts especially in more remote areas where significant shorebird nesting sites are located. Both Green Life and Birdlife Australia are monitoring the birds, while Coorong District Council is working with local landowners reporting the loss of groundcover plants in already fragile environments.
Panellists highlighted the need to shift our thinking – planning for the environment not just planning for the people.
Emerging issue
A major cause of concern is the pressure for greater housing development in this region and how it will impact water quality, biodiversity and our unique marine and estuarine environments. The community needs to know how the design of new developments acknowledges and plans for current and future climate change…
And whether the enormous efforts over many years by local volunteers to revegetate sites will be lost by poorly regulated housing development in environmentally important areas. 20 - 30 years of growing native trees, now being cleared for sub-division for housing developments.
This gave panellists the opportunity to describe what is already in place, how their own agencies can contribute, and what/how limited resources can be managed to provide direct feedback to decision makers to better protect and prepare our ecosystems.
Updated: Dec 19, 2024
Summer Series Event No.2 Recap
Spotlight Speaker - Tim Jarvis AM Friday 6 December
Environmental scientist and advocate Dr Tim Jarvis AM: first talk in the second event of the inaugural Summer Series of Science.
Major "Moogy" Sumner AM opened the evening with the Welcome to Country – a far more modest event than earlier that day when he performed at the Australia v India Test match to a seated audience of over 60,000 at the Adelaide Oval, and global television audience of hundreds of millions! Tim then spoke of his commitment to finding pragmatic solutions to major environmental issues related to climate change and biodiversity loss. Pragmatism is a key feature of his work on the Fleurieu Peninsula, with the South Australia Government on its new Biodiversity Act, what we can learn from the epic stories of survival from the great age of Antarctic exploration – and whether Antarctica can survive the growth in tourism it is attracting. As founder of The Fork Tree Project, a native revegetation project on the Fleurieu Peninsula, Tim describes the restoration of degraded farmland back to nature and growing rare native plants to safeguard them from extinction. Hundreds of volunteers have planted thousands of native trees, shrubs and grasses to encourage natural vegetation on the 133-acre site. Tim remarked, "From the air we breathe to the water we drink, we rely on the earth’s biodiversity."
Tim is currently working with the Department of the Environment and Water, developing new legislation to protect and conserve biodiversity. A new Biodiversity Act for South Australia will protect native plants, animals and ecosystems, with a dual focus on both preventing damage to the environment as well as restoring nature. The draft Bill is currently being prepared, informed by community feedback, with an upcoming public consultation likely to occur early in 2025.
As an adventurer, Tim’s gruelling re-enactments of the Antarctic explorations of Sir Douglas Mawson and Sir Ernest Shackleton have reintroduced their extraordinary achievements to contemporary audiences. This gives him an opportunity to advocate for the protection of Antarctica and sub-Antarctica, including securing 475,000 square kilometres of marine sanctuary off World Heritage-listed Macquarie Island.
Evidence of climate change can be seen all too readily in the pristine environment of Antarctica. And while the expansion of the cruise ship industry into the area is a concern, Tim believes it can also develop greater advocacy as visitors privileged to encounter such unique ecosystem understand their fragility.
Viewing himself as a 'pragmatic optimist' in relation to climate change, he believes Sir Ernest Shackleton could also be described as one!
Shackleton is revered for his leadership qualities in the face of enormous adversity, combining a positive attitude and a practical approach to finding solutions, which kept his party of 27 stranded expeditioners alive after the loss of their ship Endurance in 1915.
Tim has himself endured some of the most treacherous weather and seas in the Southern Ocean recreating Shackleton’s desperate journey to South Georgia. In traversing the island to get help at a whaling station, Shackleton had to cross three glaciers, while Tim and his party crossed two and one lake – evidence of the extent of climate change in just over a century.
Pragmatic optimist that he is, Tim exhibits and champions outcome focused goal setting, adaptability, resilience, and effective teamwork as the building blocks for success in addressing climate change, and biodiversity loss.
Tim’s takeaway message on climate change to us all, “Be the change”.