2017 Conservation Successes

Rescued forgotten shellfish reefs

• Restored around 600m2 of shellfish reef at Wilson Spit and Hobsons Bay in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. That’s nearly the size of a soccer field.
• Created four hectares of a shellfish reef as part of the largest reef restoration project in the southern hemisphere in Gulf St Vincent, South Australia.

These reefs will help improve water quality, prevent shore erosion and become homes for an array of marine plant and wildlife.

Ensured water for plants and wildlife in the Murray-Darling Basin

• Directed water from the Murray River to replenish a nationally significant wetland near Shepparton, northern Victoria. It supported several important and threatened plant species and wildlife. Two weeks after the watering we even saw an Eastern Long-necked Turtle laying eggs in the area!

Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and helped preserve Indigenous lands

• TNC Australia supports Indigenous - led fire management projects in northern Australia that apply both traditional knowledge and science - based practices. These projects have been issued carbon credits under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions - equivalent to approximately 700,000 tonnes of CO₂e. While these credits may be sold as offsets, the projects also deliver vital co-benefits, including new employment opportunities for Indigenous communities and improved land stewardship across vast landscapes.

Laid the groundwork to reduce air pollution in cities

• Mapped the location and density of trees in Melbourne so we know where to plant trees to reduce air pollution—a strategy that could vastly improve the health of the city’s people and wildlife.

We’re so lucky to have such passionate supporters around Australia. Every story shared, every time action is taken to protect our natural world, we’re making a huge difference to conserve nature for now and the future.