Stewardship of Country: Perspectives on conservation, transition and regeneration in an Australian context

A public symposium will be held over three, two-hour sessions during February-March 2021, presented by the Royal Societies of Australia and the Inspiring Victoria program.

Join members of all the Royal Societies in Australia for this unique series of three webinars, aiming to generate a discussion of landscape and environmental stewardship that bridges Indigenous, agricultural, scientific, economic and social perspectives, with supporting ideas for practical action and public good. We seek to contribute to a new model for the management of Australian landscapes so that our natural systems are conserved and regenerated for the benefit of future generations.

Stewardship – a Relationship and an Identity

Stewardship describes a deep relationship between people and place. In modern Australia, it is often proposed as the next step of transition for a culture that is emerging from a colonial, extractive relationship to the landscape. The transition to stewardship may require we reorganise around the unique characteristics of the country, undertake significant regeneration of damaged ecosystems and deprioritise constant economic growth in favour of an enduring sufficiency gathered from a prosperous and biologically diverse environment.

The summer bushfires of 2020 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted a need for a new way forward. This series poses a fundamental question – who are we becoming, as Australians, when faced with an increasingly unpredictable and challenging future?

Join us for this series of three webinars, aiming to generate a discussion of landscape and environmental stewardship that bridges Indigenous, agricultural, scientific, economic and social perspectives, with supporting ideas for practical action and public good. We seek to contribute to a new model for the management of the Australian landscape so that our natural systems are conserved and regenerated for the benefits of future generations.

Webinar One: Wednesday, 24^th February from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

The Common Ground: A Convergence of Traditions

This first webinar in the series focuses on the convergence of knowledge traditions, acknowledging the capacity for traditional European farming practices to adapt, the remarkable advances in the ecological sciences based on European classification systems, and the complex Australian Indigenous knowledge systems developed and maintained over a truly astonishing stretch of time, offering a deep cultural understanding and relationships with “country” to help us determine our common future in Australia.

Speakers (from left):

Keynote: Adjunct Associate Professor Mary Graham

Presenters: Professor Peter Bridgewater (Canberra University), Mr Justin O’Brien, Dr Chris Brady & Mr Peter Christopherson (Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation), Mr David Pollock (Wooleen Station)

Registrations: https://rsv.org.au/events/common-ground/

Webinar Two: Wednesday, 10^th March from 6:00 – 8:00pm

Resilience, Regeneration and Escaping the Iron Law of Business-As-Usual

This second webinar in the series focuses on untangling the knots in our system preventing beneficial change, from the fixed thinking enforced by our political culture to the slow-changing traditions of agricultural land management and business practices founded in European soils and ecosystems. We also look at how business, entrepreneurship and private property have an effective role to play in conserving and rebuilding ecosystems and biodiversity.

Speakers (from left):

Keynote: Dr Nicholas Gruen (CEO, Lateral Economics)

Presenters: Ms Carolyn Hall (The Mulloon Institute), Ms Jody Brown (La Trobe Station), Mr Nigel Sharp (Odonata).

Registrations: https://rsv.org.au/events/resilience-regeneration/

Webinar Three: Wednesday, 24^th March from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

From Past to Future – Australian Stewardship of Country

This final webinar in the series takes us to a broad view of the past to define our approach to the future. We range from the natural history of our continent’s diverse landscapes and species, including the traditional approaches taken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to support that diversity, to redefining our relationships with the living world to better rise to the challenges we must collectively face to secure our country’s future.

Speakers (from left):

Keynote: TBC

Presenters: Professor Kingsley Dixon (Curtin University), Dr Michelle Maloney (Australian Earth Laws Alliance, Griffith University), Mr Barney Foran (Charles Sturt University)

Registrations: https://rsv.org.au/events/past-to-future/

All three webinars will feature commentary and input from our distinguished panel, moderated by John Brisbin.

Panellists (from left):

Dr Mark Stafford Smith (CSIRO), Ms Verity Morgan Schmidt (Gheerulla Creek Consulting), Dr Tyson Yunkaporta (Deakin University)

Moderator (left): Mr John Brisbin (Boab Interactive, Royal Society of Queensland)

Rapporteur (right): Mr Rob Gell AM (ReThink Sustainability, Royal Society of Victoria)

Members of Australian Royal Societies are prompted to make use of their promotional code when registering for the webinars in order to obtain a discount. Please check on recent emails from (or make contact with) your Society to obtain your code.