EcoLinks’ Post

ALCA has submitted to the Australian Government’s consultation on its draft National Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) Framework. We support robust OECMs in Australia but are concerned with the proposed 25-year term. There is a long-established history in Australia of long-term protection being the delivery of 99-year plus or in-perpetuity protection. Existing national standards for protected areas, combined with international expectations of OECMs being genuinely long-term, make it inappropriate for Australia to adopt a watered-down timeframe. Adopting this unequal timeframe for OECMs (as compared to protected areas) will lead to lower-requirement, less-enduring, and less-secure conservation outcomes. ALCA supports a range of conservation arrangements, including 25-year agreements, but these should not count as OECMs that contribute to Australia’s 30 by 30 target. When adopting long-term conservation standards, ALCA urges alignment with international norms and Australia's existing national standards for protected areas.

Some early reflections from Natural England on the critical role played by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) when it comes to mandatory #Biodiversitynetgain. The blog celebrates the great work that LPAs and their staff are doing individually and collectively through the Planning Advisory Service (PAS). It also highlights how #BNG can help generate additional local resource to grow capacity to deliver local nature recovery, and other benefits, whilst making optimum use of existing capacity. https://lnkd.in/dKTb64ah

Nothing better for a non-specialist audience than seeing real examples of the science and resulting advice being put to work in making a difference in the physical world. 👵🧒🏽Your 90 year old granny or your (or your friends’) 10 year old school-aged child should be able to understand the headline and first paragraph of everything science-based organizations produce. If not, say goodbye 👋 to the corporate world, unrelated government ministers and departments, the general public, and low level academia (primary and high schools or unrelated disciplines in Uni). All those☝️are people who want to make a difference with the science and analysis you’re providing on a plate. After the initial briefing for non-specialists is done feel free to descend to any technical level you want to keep your primary audiences happy. Your work is worth it. Please just do it. AND It’s not hard. Ask me by DM to explain and help with any of this if you feel like what you’re communicating isn’t getting the wide exposure it deserves. I do this for free because it matters. So is any follow up, and if you’re in my area I’m happy to help advocate with you to your management. Good luck!!

A big shout-out to two of our EITs, Jake Sechrist and Evan Robinson, for representing Buchart Horn at the EPWPCOA Trade Show last week! We're proud to be part of this important event, connecting with industry professionals who are dedicated to protecting and improving our water environment. #EPWPCOA #WaterResources #WastewaterTreatment #BuchartHorn #WaterPollutionControl"

We often use the word nature based solutions in our communications, as our pest monitoring solutions. whether pheromone or food attractant based - are from nature. However there is much, much more to #naturebasedsolutions! https://lnkd.in/eJEaYgPs

If you are internationally active in innovative water approaches, climate adaptation, NBS or the water-biodiversity-food nexus join the information session of Partners for Water in Utrecht next week 18 April to see if you might be eligible for a subsidy #watermanagement #waterinnovation #subsidy #grantscheme #climateadaptation #NBS #biodiversity

Assessments of MPAs are not just scorecards - they are useful in helping understanding quality of MPAs (not just quality) and inform adaptive management. Jenna Sullivan-Stack led this series of case studies showing how the #MPAGuide can be used to help inform MPA progress - and where there is work to be done. While there are a lot of great assessment tools that serve a lot of different needs, what I love about the #MPAGuide is the simplicity in capturing complex information to inform global targets. See paper below! Authors include: Dominic Andradi-Brown, Angelo Villagomez, Joachim Claudet, Steven Mana'oakamai Johnson, Estradivari

Last chance to register for my 2-hour clinic on ‘Accelerating Evidence-based Decision Making in Conservation: From Theory to Practice’. We already have more than 50 participants registered to learn how to apply Adaptive Management principles to quickly and efficiently generate evidence to inform conservation action. The session is TOMORROW at 8 am in the MK Forum at NACCB 2024 in Vancouver! The session is pre-registration only. If you're not attending the conference but would like to receive training in Adpative Conservation, please get in touch! #AdaptiveManagement #AdaptiveConservation #NACCB #ConservationStandards

This week, we are delighted to spotlight the University of Leeds as a participant in the Certificate in International Water Stewardship programme. Participating companies are helping identify ways to achieve both financial and environmental savings within their organisation. This is part of an initiative, funded by the Market Improvement Fund and facilitated by MOSL, which aims to engage non-household businesses in the UK water market. 🔗 Click here to read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/ev-qi9ak This applied research project is a collaboration between Business Stream, Yorkshire Water, 20FIFTY Partners and Water Stewardship UK, who are helping participants implement water stewardship plans for their business. #WaterStewardship #Sustainability #CollectiveAction #MarketImprovementFund Dmitrijs V.

Yesterday, the three Tassie NRM organisations – CEOs and Chairs from NRM South, NRM North and Cradle Coast Authority – got together in Hobart to talk about our collective impact, successes, and collaborative approach. Over the course of the day, we were joined by senior representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas), NRM Regions Australia, and NRM South's own Land and Water Programs. We have these incredibly productive discussions regularly, and I’m endeavouring to share more of this going forward! Through our conversations, we delved into pressing issues such as dry conditions - particularly on King Island and Flinders Island, focusing on strategies for farm resilience amidst climate uncertainties. Emphasising partnerships and resource sharing, we explored ways to strengthen environmental stewardship, while supporting productivity in the agricultural sector in the face of environmental challenges. We also discussed broader environmental agendas, including the Tasmanian Threatened Species Strategy, national policy and legislative reform, and upcoming initiatives like the Global Nature-positive Summit. A highlight was sharing our current and future thinking across our Land and Water programs. Initiatives like the Farming Forecaster and Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnerships projects were showcased for their transformative impact on sustainable resource management, environmental outcomes, and their alignment with emerging industry priorities. These cross-regional meetings are incredibly valuable – they serve as catalysts for dialogue, innovation, and collective action. They help us to trouble-shoot, address shared challenges and foster learning across organisations. I'm looking forward to continued collaboration and shared progress! #TeamTasmania #Collaboration #Sustainability #EnvironmentalStewardship