The Restoration Decade Alliance Steering Committee

Peter Dixon

Australian Association of Bush Regenerators
(President)

with government, NGOs, and community to promote best practice techniques in ecological restoration and management, to help set priorities for restoration, and to encourage policy makers and funders to acknowledge the need for sufficient and consistent funding to the long-term restoration of Australia’s terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. I hope to bring my career skills and experience gained as a bush regeneration practitioner, Landcarer, community educator and facilitator and government senior executive to the RDA to work towards these goals."

 

Jason West

Aboriginal Biodiversity Conservation Foundation
(COO Aboriginal Carbon & Environmental Services)

when it is returned to its natural state and preserved for future generations, in successful ecosystem restoration. This includes environmental, heritage, cultural, commercial, and carbon-focused opportunities for current and future restoration efforts. Managing the Aboriginal Carbon and Environmental Services (ACES) carbon development groups is a real privilege, and allows me to better promote the need for Aboriginal people at the heart of the decision-making and dividend phases of each project, ensuring that the value of projects flows back to stakeholders in many tangible and intangible ways. I look forward to incorporating this expertise, rejection of the commercial carbon model, and a strong platform for Aboriginal voices into the RDA."

Nathan Waltham

Australian Coastal Restoration Network
(Principal Research Scientist)

ecosystems, I have a deep interest and passion in my work, and in training and inspiring future leaders. The Australian Coastal Restoration Network is a consortium of scientists, government staff, industry, NGO and community folk, focused on restoring and raising the profile of coastal habitats (seagrass, saltmarsh, mangroves, shellfish, macroalgae). The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is centre stage, but it is also beyond that we need to be focused on."

Jo Lynch

Australian Network for Plant Conservation
(Executive Officer)

natural areas including bushland regeneration weed management, and increased awareness and appreciation of endangered plant species. The Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC)'s membership in the RDA allows us to further promote and raise awareness of the ANPC and native plant conservation in Australia, in collaboration with like-minded organisations across the many facets of ecosystem restoration. I am eager to see what the RDA can achieve together during, and beyond, this vital Decade!

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Bradley Desmond

Australian Seed Bank Partnership
(A/g National Coordinator)

ex-situ conservation seed banks and other flora-focussed organisations across Australia. We collectively have a massive job ahead of us to understand our flora and sufficiently restore landscapes to be biodiverse and ecologically functional ecosystems. The RDA provides us with a huge opportunity to have both sides of the conservation and restoration sectors supporting the ambitious goals of the decade but I also see this as an opportunity to establish effective networks that can persist beyond the decade and well into the future."

Rebecca Spindler

Bush Heritage Australia
(Executive Manager, Science & Conservation)

across Australia in a way that is ready for and resilient to the future changes and connects people back to Country. Bush Heritage takes responsibility and cares for large swathes of the Australian landscape, we are excited to learn with and from Traditional Owners and other restoration experts in the Alliance as we all work to stop the decline of Australian species and habitats and to build and reconnect stronger, more resilient, thriving landscapes."

Keith Bradby

Gondwana Link
(CEO)

scale ecosystem restoration that supports First Nation’s aspirations and rebuild rural communities. It’s a damaged country, but over the last few decades groups across Australia have collectively laid the foundations of the transformative effort that is now achievable. By working together we can add Australia to the already impressive list of countries working ambitiously to achieve a future for the planet that is healthy, productive and resilient."

Blair Parsons

Greening Australia Ltd.
(Science & Planning Manager)

on Ecosystem Restoration cannot be understated, this Decade can, and will be, one of action. I am excited to see the RDA use the collective expertise, energy and reach of its member organisations to translate the vision of the Decade into genuine momentum. To achieve the required impact to protect and restore Australia’s precious biodiversity and tackle climate change, we need to act at an unprecedented scale. I am encouraged by the green shoots of the Alliance, which build on the extensive experience of its participating members so that together, we can collectively deliver a far greater impact than we could acting alone."

Gary Howling

Great Eastern Ranges Initiative
(Executive Director)

to protect, connect and restore healthy landscapes and ecosystems across 3,600km of eastern Australia. The Restoration Decade Alliance (RDA) provides an invaluable forum for other like-minded conservation and NRM organisations to combine efforts in the common pursuit of meeting the critical goals of the UN’s Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. For our part, GER will provide a platform for promoting connectivity conservation and for driving greater regional coordination at the local level whilst creating corridors of restoration impact across multiple landscapes."

James Trezise

Invasive Species Council
(Conservation Director)

extinction crisis. Native biodiversity is disappearing at a rate not seen since the last mass extinction. We need to turn it around and one of the key ways to do that is restoring what we’ve lost. My hope for the RDA is that we work together to build a movement that supports the restoration of native ecosystems in Australia, putting our biodiversity on a path to recovery and in turn tackle some of the major drivers of species loss."

Rob Porter

Landcare Australia Ltd.
(Program Manager, National)

allowed me to see firsthand the extent of ecological damage, degradation and destruction caused to this country over the past 200+ years. The Restoration Decade Alliance aims to improve ecosystem health across the Australian landscape between now and 2030 using science, practice and community for the benefits to nature and people locally, regionally and globally."

Patrick O'Connor

National Landcare Network
(Former Chair)

resources and communities to restoration across Australia. The landcare community led by the National Landcare Network is making every connection count to add evidence, passion, community-connections and partnerships into restoration at local and landscape scales.  As the chair of the national body for landcare I see and hear about the enormous capacity in our communities to mobilise for a successful decade of restoration. We are pleased to bring the voice of landcare to the united voice for restoration."

John Dixon

Global EverGreening Alliance
(Chair, Restore Australia)

the RDA as an exceptional opportunity to consolidate restoration and development activities to restore land and carbon across Australia. The GEA develops major regional land and carbon restoration programs, supports a Campaign to foster the sequestration of 20 billion tons of CO2 per year by 2050, and is part of a Council of more than 70 Fellows with extensive experience in land and carbon restoration. I Chair the Technical Advisory Board for the GEA’s Restore Australia program, and my colleague Sally heads up the Alliance’s Media and Communications Team."

Valerie Hagger

Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia
(Board Member)

the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration where we have an opportunity now and in the coming years to recover our degraded ecosystems. Representing SERA in the RDA keeps me grounded in the needs of practitioners and the power of collective action. It allows me to contribute to efficient, concerted restoration efforts from my experience in coastal wetland restoration and reforestation and through means such as SERA's National Standards for Ecological Restoration."

Simon Branigan

The Nature Conservancy
(Operations Manager, Oceans (Australia Program))

restore endangered shellfish reefs across Australia. The Restoration Decade Alliance Network are collectively working towards reversing the decline of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems and catalysing ecological restoration at the landscape and seascape scale. The next decade provides a unique opportunity create a healthier future for nature and people."

Tim Cronin

WWF-Australia
(Senior Manager, Landscape Restoration & Protection)

protection and restoration, having worked for more than fifteen years at the interface of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. I see the Alliance as a great opportunity to turn the tide on environmental decline, by bringing together our collective strengths to tackle this complex challenge. What I’d really like to see over the next decade is for the multiple benefits of ecological restoration to be properly valued and accounted for in private and public sector balance sheets.”

Craig Copeland

OzFish Unlimited
(Chief Executive Officer)

Australia and supporting recreational fishers to take part in those works. Ecological restoration is hard, costly and time consuming and the best way to make it happen is through good partnerships. The RDA is a great partnership that allows us to share our knowledge and work together to make the policy and program changes needed to deliver the ecosystem restoration that is needed."

Noel Corkery

Landscape Foundation
of Australia
(Founding Director)

urban areas, where the vast majority of people live. The LFA is committed to the protection, restoration and sustainable management of natural environments that occur in and around the urban landscapes of Australian cities and towns. We know that urgent, direct and coordinated action is required to halt the process of decline and to restore a sustainable relationship between people and natural environments, to ensure their mutual health and survival. LFA greatly appreciates the opportunity to work in collaboration with the other RDA member organisations to promote the goals of the UN Decade of Restoration. I am honoured to chair the RDA Government Policy Working Group, which advocates for more effective government policy related to ecosystem restoration and management."

Tein McDonald

Restoration Decade Alliance
(Convenor)

pre-eminent restoration organisations who have come together to harness the power of the Decade.  We aim to make a real difference in reducing degradation and increasing the extent and quality of restoration in Australia, contributing to the global effort. Our member groups have worked magnificently as separate organisations over the last 40 years - now it is time to create a united voice and add value to our collective work through collaboration."

Jes García

Restoration Decade Alliance
(Facilitator)

Australia’s leading restoration non-profits, I feel encouraged by this incredible opportunity for the growth of Generation Restoration and a (much-needed) concerted, inclusive, empowering restoration movement! United not by age, but by our value of and dedication to ecosystem restoration, Gen R is raising awareness and motivation, shifting perceptions, and building capacities for and celebrating a culture of restoration. No matter our backgrounds, identities, or capacities, we can help guide more sustainable, equitable funding and policy ... in this Decade and beyond."