The Nature Conservation Council of NSW delivered a Team Program – Fire, Biodiversity, and Community: connecting people through nature – at a Kangaroo Valley Workshop, on Saturday 7 May. In this issue we publish a report of that workshop from the Kangaroo Valley Fire Brigade, and some thoughts on it from the perspective of the Kangaroo Valley Environment Group.
The aim of the workshop was to develop community knowledge, capacity, and skills in preparing for fire, and in protecting threatened species and other wildlife through a community workshop.
Objectives:
- build community connection (including with land managers)
- increase knowledge on how to recover from, and prepare for fire
- increase knowledge of wildlife and habitat, and how to monitor and protect these in the post-fire environment.
As an introduction, Nature Conservation Council Bushfire Program Coordinator Dr Evelyn Chia said:
“The Kangaroo Valley workshop was a great example of how communities and government agencies can work together on big complex issues like bushfire preparation and protection of biodiversity.
“It has not only given the community a deeper understanding of bushfire preparation and the environment, but it has also given government agencies a better appreciation of community perspectives and needs.
“Perhaps the most valuable outcome is the deepening of networks within the community and between the community and government agencies.
“The workshop is not the end of the journey – there is always more to do to prepare for bushfires and improve communication between stakeholders. But it has clearly built on the capacity and knowledge that this beautiful community needs to thrive.
“The aim of the workshop was to develop community knowledge, capacity and skills in preparing for fire and protecting threatened species and other wildlife through a community workshop.”
The program was attended by a diverse range of the Kangaroo Valley community residents and groups, as well as representatives of the Rural Fire Service, Shoalhaven City Council, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Gaia Research.
More information about the Nature Conservation Council’s Bushfire Program can be found at this website: https://www.nature.org.au/bushfire_program.
Whilst most residents are aware of the different government departments previously mentioned, Gaia Research, founded in 1996, specialises in construction ecology, developing and disseminating sustainable design strategies and technologies for the built environment.
More information can be found on their website: http://www.gaiagroup.org/Research/.
The workshop provided attendees with information and also a feedback mechanism. There were quite robust discussions and in my opinion the workshop was well delivered and received.
Neil Breeze
Community Engagement Officer
Kangaroo Valley Brigade
