About VicNature2050

VicNature2050 is a project that has drawn together scientists, environmentalists and government agencies to explore ways we can protect Victoria’s natural environment from the coming impacts of climate change.

In 2015, a group of people came together at a symposium called Managing Victoria’s Biodiversity under Climate Change, in Melbourne. More than 200 scientists and audience members with years of practical experience discussed the state-of-play and options for the future.

The 2015 symposium was organised by the Victorian National Parks Association, the Royal Society of Victoria and University of Melbourne, and made possible with the generous support of major sponsors Parks Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

One outcome from that conference is a list of 10 things we all can do to help nature adapt to a new climate. All ten actions involve people, nature, science, politics and every single one of us, personally. Some of the actions are new, some are as old as the hills. Many will be discussed, experimented with, and refined as we learn more in the future.

In 2016 we followed up with a second symposium, Our Changing Landscapes: Acting on Climate Change.

And in 2017, leading scientists, land managers and community groups attended our third symposium, Building ‘Climate Future Plots’: designing trials to usefully inform management. It investigated ways to support species and ecosystems that might fail under climate change, for example, by setting up a series of experimental plots across the state to help inform management interventions, and provide resources of climate-ready genetic stock.

This paper outlining ways to involve local communities, scientists and government agencies in planning, setting up and monitoring these plots, grew from that symposium:

• Download preface >>
• Download final paper “Creating resilient habitat for the future: Building Climate Future Plots” >>

You can find some of the presentations to the symposium here:

• Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 >>
• Scoping the adaptation challenge >>
• Building Climate Future Plots: trial design considerations >>

 

VicNature2050 Partners

• Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne
• Royal Society of Victoria
• Victorian National Parks Association
• Deakin University
• Arthur Rylaah Institute, DELWP
• La Trobe University
• Greening Australia

VicNature2050 Advisory Group

• Professor Andrew Bennett (La Trobe University & Arthur Rylah Institute)
• Dr Bill Birch (President, Royal Society of Victoria)
• Professor Ary Hoffmann FAA (School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne)
• Professor Lynne Selwood (University of Melbourne and Royal Society of Victoria)
• Phil Ingamells (Victorian National Parks Association)

Sponsors

• Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
• Parks Victoria

Publications

• Symposium 1: Managing Victoria’s Biodiversity under Climate Change
• Symposium 2: Our Changing Landscapes: Acting on Climate Impacts
• Symposium 3: Building “Climate Future Plots”: designing trials to usefully inform management
• 10 things we can all do to help nature adapt to a new climate

 

For more information about VicNature2050, please contact the Victorian National Parks Association