January 2020 news – Highlighting the importance of ecological restoration as NGT turns 8!

On the 16th of January, NGT quietly passed another milestone, marking eight years since we launched the organisation from humble beginnings back in January 2012.

We’re recognising this milestone by shining a light on a few timely announcements that really promote our core theme of putting the proven science of ecological restoration into practice. Since day 1 when NGT began, this message has not changed!

Firstly, NGT has just made public the news that our seventh permanent reserve has been created at Green Swamp – a magnificent restored wetland in the southern Grampians, situated close to our other reserves at Walker Swamp and Long Point. The restoration and protection of Green Swamp unfolded gradually over the past decade – and you can read all about the story of the new reserve here.

It also turns out that the Green Swamp announcement, ahead of World Wetlands Day (WWD) on the 2nd of February, really beautifully illustrates the theme for World Wetland Day in 2020 – which is all about wetlands and biodiversity, and the recovery potential of restored wetlands.

The 2020 WWD material (see below and here) could have been written specifically for NGT – after all, we work in regions where the vast majority of natural wetlands have been drained. But we have also now shown, time and time again, that there is hope – because we need functional and healthy wetlands in our environment and thankfully, wetland restoration really works!

Secondly, this January is also an important time to start thinking about what we are going to do to repair our environment over the next decade.

Led by El Salvador, and together with over 70 countries, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration on March 1, 2019. In its resolution, the UNGA cited the United Nations Environment Assembly’s resolution calling for the conservation and restoration of all ecosystems, with a goal of taking action to “Prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide”.

Although the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” doesn’t ‘officially’ start until 2021, we’re pretty keen to get on with the job here at NGT – after all, ecological restoration is a core part of our mission and we all know this work is needed! Looking ahead, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the next decade could see our reach and impact grow to support more farmers and other land owners across south-eastern Australia to restore their wetlands and rehydrate our landscapes?

If you enjoy our monthly newsletter, with positive news about what we are doing to restore our environment, then please forward this latest edition to your family and friends and perhaps consider asking them to sign up to our free mailing list (the form is at the bottom of our web-page).

The more people we connect with and motivate to act over the next decade, the more wetlands, waterways, other habitats and species we will be able to restore, conserve and protect through our work. And as you know, at NGT we are all about practical action.

To close, thanks again for being a part of the NGT journey over the past 8 years – your ongoing involvement in our projects and support for what we do, is a big reason for our success so far!

Mark Bachmann