By Lizette Salmon, Gardens for Wildlife Albury-Wodonga Project Officer
As we head into uncertain seasons, what should we be thinking about when planting into our parks and gardens? Does our changing climate mean we need to think differently about retaining and improving biodiversity, and how should we do that?
This year Parklands Albury-Wodonga’s Annual General Meeting will include a climate focused event created with Gardens for Wildlife and Wodonga Urban Landcare Network.
A brief report back to the community on Parklands social enterprise based bush management works will lead into a featured panel discussion – ‘Planting locally for a warming world’. Experienced local practitioners Martin Driver, Paul Scannell, Claire Coulson and Fleur Stelling will discuss bush, park and garden plants and planting considerations in a warmer Albury-Wodonga.
“It’s impossible to be absolutely certain about how climate change will unfold. We cannot wait for ‘perfect knowledge’ – we need to learn as we go, be proactive, conduct local experiments, monitor and adjust according to lessons learnt,” said Ms Stelling.
“We know that ecosystems are changing around us – some species are becoming increasingly ill-adapted to local sites, while other species may colonise new places. We do know that to be sustainable it is vital that future revegetation is built from seed with high genetic diversity. And we know it will be even more important to connect larger patches of native vegetation to help these areas adapt to climate change.”
There are some excellent online tools available that enable us to see what the projected climates are for our districts and regions. For example a simple online search shows that by 2050 Albury is likely to have a climate similar to Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes and Cowra. The online Climate Adapted Revegetation Guide for NRM Managers allows us to check local species and ascertain if they are likely to be suitable for our planting sites as the climate changes.
Following the panel discussion, the Bhutanese community catering team will provide a delicious lunch featuring vegetables grown on the community farm. A Gardens for Wildlife display will provide further talking points over lunch.
Join us for this important discussion, enjoy the company and share lunch with the Parklands Board. Tickets are free but numbers limited and bookings essential via eventbrite.com.au
When: Tuesday 26th November, 10.30am-12.30pm
Where: Robert Brown Room, AlburyCity Council building
Enquiries: info@parklands-alburywodonga.org.au
