Just in time for our Extreme Green Infrastructure masterclass on 4 June it turns out that Jon Hazelwood principal at Hassell who’s one of our excellent presenters, is also a coauthor of the New South Wales Government Architect’s Biodiversity in Place Framework.
It was released on Wednesday which in case you didn’t know it, was International Day for Biological Diversity. The guide is living proof that even if it’s hard to get more than three tree species approved at many council levels at least at the state government level people are hearing the concerns of our shrinking list of birds insects and plants in our urban areas. The report opens beautifully:
Missing in action in many of our cities and suburban streets is an abundance of birds, bees and butterflies. Superb blue wrens, willy wagtails and blue banded bees are lying low when they should be making merry. As our suburbs become more built up, wildlife keeps exiting. Biodiversity in Place is a place based, multiscale approach to bring our built environment to life by creating and supporting urban biodiversity.
At long last!! And:
A city park with bushland trails, a creek and a wetland may be rich in urban biodiversity because it is home to many types and large numbers of trees, birds, frogs, fish and beneficial microbes. In contrast, another nearby city park that features sports fields and picnic areas is also an example of urban nature but supports little biodiversity
The report is great injection of practical ideas that we will explore in more details at our masterclass.
It urges us to see our “critical infrastructure” of “roads, creeks and river ways, plazas, parks, backyards and verges, as potential connections to nature. No space is too small.”
It talks about the plantings we need to get the right habitat, and even goes into rewilding – a word that drove local government wild not so long ago (trust us – some were horrified!)
The term is still controversial and the report avoids using it but because consultation with Indigenous communities revealed that Country was never wild in Australia, it was managed. So integrating sensitive Indigenous management practices is key.
Instead of lawns and concrete how about natural grasses?
Part of it is the linking connectivity value of a blue and green grid so species can move as they need to.
What’s above is what we need to do.
It references case studies and in Melbourne the Pollinator Corridor which will be an eight kilometre long “community-driven wildlife corridor linking Westgate Park to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne” championed by Emma Cutting’s Heart Gardening Project.
At Extreme Green Infrastructure, we’ll dive even deeper into the opportunities and include deep dives into the plants we need to deal with a hostile climate and the changes that local governments can make to work with us and yes, protect public safety, but with a view to the long term nature of our health and happiness.