Wayne Wescott
CEO, Greenfleet

The sun had barely risen on a very cold Gippsland morning when Fred the scat-seeking dog led his handler, Laura, through the Strzelecki Nature Link Forest on Boonwurrung Country in Victoria. They were in search of koala poo. But not just any poo – ideally, scat from the Strzelecki koala, famous as the ‘original’ gene pool of the koala in Victoria.¹

The Significance of Scat

Koalas in Victoria have a complicated history. Hunting, land clearing, and bushfires in the early 20th century brought them to the brink of extinction. To rebuild populations, koalas from King and Phillip Islands were relocated to mainland Victoria. In 2024, the descendants of these translocated koalas have grown in numbers to dominate the state’s gene pool. Only a few small, resilient colonies of ‘native’ koalas – like those in the Strzelecki Ranges – remain.^1,2

Months after Fred’s scat-collecting adventure, laboratory tests confirmed what we had hoped: the Strzelecki koala was living in the restored Strzelecki Nature Link Forest.

It was a small but significant victory. This forest, planted by Greenfleet in an area stripped bare for agriculture, spans four adjoining properties purchased for restoration in the Strzelecki Ranges.³ The presence of a Strzelecki koala meant it had either travelled some distance to reach the forest, or had been surviving in nearby remnant vegetation yet to be explored.

Either way, the discovery moved the dial a little on protecting a species that might hold the key to the future of Australia’s koalas.

Greenfleet: Restoring Nature, Removing Carbon

This discovery reflects the work of Greenfleet, a 27-year-old environmental not-for-profit focused on removing carbon, restoring nature, and advancing reconciliation in Australia.

Greenfleet does not rely on government grants but instead is supported by thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies. This independence allows us to maintain integrity and focus on our mission.^4,5

The removal of carbon is a critical part of climate action, though not without challenges. Many other organisations in our sector have made carbon offsetting politically difficult. The Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and Australia’s Climate Active program have been marred by controversies around greenwashing, financial manipulation, price gouging and poor business practices. But despite these difficulties, the need to remove carbon from the atmosphere is undeniable—and this is where Greenfleet’s approach stands apart.

Our method involves planting mixed, locally native forests and securing their long-term protection through legally binding agreements. These agreements ensure that the forests cannot be cleared or developed – no harvesting, no housing construction – even if the land is sold. By protecting forests with an on-title agreement for up to 100 years, we minimize the risk of reversals due to policy changes – a vulnerability of the 25-year cycle of the Emission Reduction Fund, for example – and maximize their impact on biodiversity and carbon sequestration. 

This means the forests will be sequestering carbon right through to the time when, hopefully, we have completed the transfer from legacy fossil fuels to a future powered by renewable energy. 

Picking Up What They’re Putting Down: Why Collect Koala Scat?

Collecting koala scat serves several purposes:

• It helps us to better understand the Strzelecki koala as a target for ecological restoration.
• It contributes to meeting the methodological requirements of our standards.
• It allows us to validate the scientific methodology behind our impact.
• It provides a compelling story for our supporters.

Greenfleet operates in the voluntary carbon offset market, where success is driven by quality rather than price. Our supporters value stories of hope and progress, which inspire them to set personal and organisational carbon reduction goals.

To ensure scientific rigor, we adhere to best-practice forestry standards and use tools like the Full Carbon Account Model (FullCAM) to measure carbon uptake. While we have always brought carbon removal and nature restoration together, we are now working with a major Australian university to develop a best-practice standard that formally aligns them. Already, we utilise tools to measure the broader ecological outcomes of our projects.

For example, studies comparing moth populations in open paddocks, remnant forests, and restored ecosystems show that within three to seven years of planting, restored forests begin to support species diversity and population density similar to remnant forests. While not conclusive, this encouraging result suggests we can restore ecosystems to a similar state that existed before clearing. 

Other research includes bird counts, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to detect species like platypuses, studies of carbon accumulation in soil and ongoing work with the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (a particular favourite of Greenfleet). These initiatives position our sites as living laboratories for sustainability research.

Advancing Reconciliation Through Collaboration

Our relationships with Traditional Owners are incredibly important for us and we know we are working with the longest standing land managers on Earth. First Nations peoples’ immense knowledge of local environments complements our Western ecological scientific knowledge and practices, enhancing restoration efforts through an effective collaboration.

These partnerships take time and effort. The political climate, including the recent referendum outcome on a Voice to Parliament, has not made collaboration easier. Nevertheless, we continue to develop relationships with groups such as the Boonwurrung people in Victoria and the Kabi Kabi in Queensland where we are providing resources, creating jobs, and fostering mutual learning.

Restoring Over Conserving

Greenfleet’s mission is rooted in restoration, not conservation. While conservation protects what remains, restoration brings degraded land back to life. Our work focuses on areas that have been cleared and on bringing back the ecosystems that once existed.

This dual approach—combining carbon offsetting with “carbon plus nature” ecological restoration—offers a powerful model for the restoration movement to address both climate change and biodiversity loss. As the restoration movement grows, Greenfleet is committed to ensuring our contributions are backed by science, not greenwash and disinformation. No amount of assertion will help us if we cannot prove our case scientifically.

For example, at one site in Gippsland, we are using eDNA to identify the presence of platypuses at the headlands of the Lang Lang River, and testing how riparian habitat improvements downstream might extend their range. 

Self-funded research like this, alongside partnerships with universities, is central to our mission. It not only proves the impact of our work but also inspires others to join the restoration movement. We would like to expand that even further, as our sites are living laboratories for important research over the coming decades on broad sustainability issues. 

A Call to Restore

Greenfleet believes in restoration as a key activity for this century. By combining rigorous science with inspiring stories, we aim to engage communities, restore ecosystems, and sequester carbon for a sustainable future.

The discovery of the Strzelecki koala in our restored forest is just one example of what’s possible. It’s a small victory but a meaningful one, pointing the way toward a future where degraded landscapes can thrive again—and where science and community work hand in hand to protect life on Earth.

A key part of this is securing locations to restore, in order to ensure that they have these protections. As a land manager, we have 11 properties of our own and, working with many other partners, we have planted over 550 sites in the last quarter of a century.

Greenfleet believes strongly that we need to decide and fund our own research direction – slightly unusual for a not-for-profit. We seek partners in developing long-term research programs based on the need to prove the science, create data sets over time, and encourage more of our community to become engaged in restoring forests that sequester carbon around Australia. This becomes a daily demonstration of the business value of research for our organisation.

References:

1. Attachment 3 – Parliamentary Submissions on the Strzelecki/South Gippsland Koala. Parliament of Australia. www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=d6b70c36-1e62-4fd9-8011-2161af4ec50e
2. Moyal, A., & Organ, M. (2008). Koala: a historical biography. CSIRO Publishing.
3. Strzelecki Nature Link, VIC. (2016). Greenfleet. www.greenfleet.com.au/blogs/forest/strzelecki-nature-link
4. Greenfleet Australia – Financials & Documents. (2024). ACNC. www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities/ad09e587-3aaf-e811-a963-000d3ad24077/documents
5. Publications. (2023). Greenfleet. www.greenfleet.com.au/pages/publications