Bushtracks Summer 2024

We start the year with a big opportunity to help achieve our goals of doubling and deepening our impact by the end of the decade. With your support we're on the way to securing our largest reserve. Located 150 kilometres north of Coober Pedy in South Australia on the ancestral lands of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people, Evelyn Downs comprises over 235,000 hectares of irreplaceable Country.

The acquisition’s timing is vital. This season, we're witnessing widespread destruction from bushfires, flooding and the impacts of a changed climate – the need to actively protect and manage our ecosystems could not be more urgent.

Guided by science and the knowledge of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners, we build resilience into our landscapes to prepare them for major climatic events. Despite our efforts, catastrophes still happen, and when they do, we rely on our Conservation Management Process to adapt and quickly return Country to good health.

In ‘Burrin Burrin heals’, read about our process in action, as our team help the reserve recover from the 2019–20 bushfires, Ngambri, Yuin walbunja muncata and Ngarigo Country in New South Wales. 

This experience taught us a great deal about preparing our reserves for fire, preventing the harm caused by catastrophic fires, and helping the landscape to recover.

Recently, we have applied these learnings to the bushfires that threatened Carnarvon Station Reserve and the surrounding region, Bidjara Country in Queensland. The region’s recovery is extremely important for all of Carnarvon’s species and a rare butterfly that you will get to know well in this edition.

To achieve landscape-scale conservation, we must look beyond our reserves’ boundaries. In ‘A natural link’, learn about our self-funded work supporting Farming for the Future’s efforts to trace the correlation between healthy natural systems and farming profitability.

Behind all of these impactful processes, discoveries and projects are people. In ‘Nurturing community’ we celebrate the people behind Bush Heritage, in particular the community that has contributed to the success of Charles Darwin Reserve.

We're also thrilled to announce the appointment of Rachel Lowry as Chief Executive Officer. Rachel will step into the role in early February 2024 and formally introduce herself in the next edition.

Thank you for your support. With it, our impact can be ongoing and continue to reach new horizons.

Mark Dwyer, Co-interim Chief Executive Officer