Conservation Council ACT

We’re growing the campaign and need more people to help keep the pressure on. Whether it’s helping at events, talking to community members, or supporting actions, there’s a role for you. Come along, meet the team, and get started 💪 Scan the QR code to book your spot. Can’t make it? You can still get involved via the volunteer form in our bio 📩

Swipe to find out all about our new campaign to stop destructive urban sprawl and save Canberra's Western Edge from development. Add your voice to the campaign by signing and sharing the petition to the ACT Government via the link in our bio

Canberra’s Western Edge is 9,800 hectares of beautiful woodlands, grasslands and rivers to the west of Canberra - and the ACT Government is considering destroying it in a terrible case of urban sprawl! We know Canberra can grow sustainably without endlessly sprawling and destroying our beautiful surrounds, but we need your help to set us on this path. Sign the petition linked in our bio to call on the ACT Government to save our Western Edge!

Last Saturday a group of enthusiastic people attended the Branching Out: Canberra Nature Walk at Croke Place Wetlands, Evatt. The walk was led by Bruno Ferronato, ecologist and turtle specialist, working with the Ginninderra Catchment Group, who was joined by a great group, including our director Simon Copland. Bruno explained the role the Wetlands plays in filtering and cleaning stormwater before it reaches Ginninderra Creek. This is a relatively new wetland that is already having a big impact on water quality in the region. Bruno also talked to us about the Eastern Long-necked Turtles that call the Wetlands and the Creek home including their habitat requirements and threats. One of the highlights was looking up close at the macroinvertebrates (bugs) that form part of the turtle's diets. The diversity of bugs found in a wetland is often used as a measure of its water quality, and so it was a lot of fun to get involved in some citizen science. We also saw some beautiful birds that now use the Wetlands including a Pied Cormorant and Cattle Egret. Thanks everyone for a great walk on a cold morning! __ The Branching Out: Canberra Nature Walks events are made possible with assistance from the ACT Government under the ACT Environmental Grants Program.

Want to get involved in protecting Canberra’s Western Edge? 🌿 Join our volunteer info session to meet the campaign community, learn what’s happening next, and find a role that suits your skills, interests, and availability. From community outreach to volunteer calling to campaign actions, there are plenty of ways to help. And if you can’t make it on the night, you can still sign up via the volunteer form and we’ll be in touch 💚 🔗 Link in bio / QR in slide

Last week our Executive Director, Simon Copland, spoke at the Woden Valley Community Council meeting on “The Future of Yarralumla Creek”. He joined other guest speakers from the ACT Government City and Environment Directorate (Tim Rampton and Patrick Paynter) and the Southern ACT Catchment Group (Zohara Lucas) to talk about issues related to the creeks and ways we can improve it in the future. Yarralumla Creek is the sad victim of a program in the 1960s and 70s where the Government decided to turn our natural creeks into concrete drains, all in the aim of moving water quickly through the city. In doing so they destroyed all the biodiversity the creeks provide, and reduced the amenity significantly. And it hasn't always stopped flooding, as we saw in Woden just a few months ago. In his talk Simon spoke about what renaturalising the creek can actually look like. It wouldn't mean returning back to what it used to be like, as unfortunately that brings a lot of flooding risks. But we can do a lot to renaturalise key stretches of the creek, plant a lot more vegetation and introducing more natural components to slow down water. Such programs, both in the ACT and around the country have been shown to be extremely beneficial, improving biodiversity, reducing pollution, and lessening flood impacts. Video of the talks should be online soon and we'll be sharing more about our position in the coming future too.

It was so great to see over 200 people come out for the premiere screening of our documentary On the Edge last night - what a powerful display of community support for protecting our Western Edge! But as we heard last night, the fight to save our Western Edge doesn't stop at the close of this film. We're building a powerful community campaign calling on the ACT Government to protect our Western Edge from unsustainable urban sprawl and instead restore it for nature, for present and future generations, and for First Nations justice. So, that's where YOU come in. We need more volunteers on the ground to keep the campaign growing in its numbers and scope. Whether it’s talking to people about the campaign out in the community, attending meetings with politicians, or helping organise our next mobilisation, there’s something for everyone to get involved in no matter your availability, skills or interests. So please register for our upcoming volunteer information session to get up to date on the campaign strategy, get connected with your local campaign team and walk away with an impactful role that suits you: /save-our-western-edge-and-fund-it-volunteer-information-session (link in bio)

Red Hill is more than a walking spot. It’s become one of the most important known habitats for Gang-gang Cockatoos, thanks to decades of community-led regeneration work. At this month’s Impact Hour, Michael Mulvaney will share the story behind the Red Hill Regenerators and what long-term environmental care can achieve. Come along for a conversation about restoration, biodiversity, and local action 🌿 🎟 Tickets via bio.

Some of our staff and volunteers recently visited a property on the Western Edge. Here’s what they had to say: We were blown away by the beauty of this landscape, with epic views of the Murrumbidgee river corridor and up to the Brindabellas. It was great to see so many paddock trees had been retained - these are so valuable for supporting biodiversity on farms, maintaining agricultural productivity and improving soil structure. We also saw hundreds of migrating honeyeaters using the vegetation corridors, which was a highlight!

Behind many biodiversity surveys, habitat assessments and ecological monitoring projects across the ACT, there’s a team of ecologists helping protect the region’s ecosystems and threatened species 🌿 Capital Ecology works across the ACT and surrounding NSW on projects ranging from flora and fauna surveys to conservation-focused monitoring and environmental planning. We’re also grateful for their support of the ACT Environment Awards. Learn more: .au

💚 Behind so many environmental wins is a group of dedicated people. The Working Together Award is for ACT organisations and groups who've achieved something meaningful for nature or climate through collective action in the past 12 months. Progress counts, not just final goals. Think of a group that deserves recognition. Then nominate them! 📋 Full criteria and nomination form in bio. Closes 9am Mon 25 May. The ACT Environment Awards are proudly sponsored by Capital Ecology.

What happens when people care for a place over decades? Join us for the next Impact Hour with Michael Mulvaney from the Red Hill Regenerators — a community group that has helped transform Red Hill from overgrazed paddock into thriving box-gum woodland. Michael will share stories from more than 40 years of regeneration work, local biodiversity discoveries, and the surprising rise of Red Hill as a key habitat for Gang-gang Cockatoos. 🌿 30 min talk + Q&A + networking 📍 Dissent Cafe and Bar 📅 Tuesday 19 May, 6pm 🎟 Tickets via link in bio.