Useful Links
The Backyards for Wildlife (BFW)
This initiative has been promoting the planting of local native species in urban gardens as a way of increasing the connectivity and amount of Adelaide’s bushland habitat, from the coast to the hills. By selecting indigenous plants, gardeners can help re-create some of the important ecological relationships that have been lost from their local areas. These native habitat gardens can provide food and shelter for local wildlife, thereby supporting many of our threatened species into the future.
www.backyards4wildlife.com.au
Million Trees Program -The SA Urban Forests
The SA Urban Forests - Million Trees Program has been created by the South Austalian Government to return three
million local nataive tarees and associataed understorey plants to tjhe Adelaide Metropolitan Area.
Through the return of local native plants we are helping to sequest carbon, return vital habitat for local wildlife, improve our air and water quality, reduce water consumption through changes in irrigation practices, and create greater amenity spaces for all of our residents, visitors and future generations.
Please explore this site, take a look at some of our projects
www.milliontrees.com.au/
Biodiversity - DEH
Conservation of Biodiversity is a shared responsibility between government, the education sector and the community. It has four components:
Understanding - primarily involving Universities, Government and amateur specialist groups.
Planning - primarily involving Government, Local Government and community based consultative groups.
Management - primarily involving the Department for Environment and Heritage, Local Government, private
landholders and volunteer action groups.
State of Environment Reporting.
Using these criteria the site explores in depth, many aspects of biodiverstiy and the role individuals and community can play.
www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/index.html
The Adelaide Botanic Gardens
This site has many useful scientific programs, including conservation Biology, Seed conservation, and climate change research. It also great information sheets on many garden topics which incorporate sustainable gardening.
www.environment.sa.gov.au/botanicgardens/programs/landscapes.html
Biomimicry Institure - The Great TV Rebellion of 2010
An interesting free resource for kids, parents and teachers, desined to encourage kids to get out doors, instead of watching TV. Some activities can be adapted for Australian students but some are specific to North America. Some great ideas.
www.biomimicryinstitute.org/biomimicry-childrens-album/biomimicry-childrens-album/the-great-tv-rebellion-of-2010.html
Creating a Koala Habitat
Trees for Koalas [PDF]
National Geographic Wild World
This website takes National Geographic Society Wild World maps, distinguished by their shared ecological features, climate and plant and animal communities and makes them interactive, adding profiles and photos of more than 1,000 ecoregions, multimedia features, and more.
www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/index.html
Adaptations to living in cities
Cities pose novel challenges to wildlife, but some animals are finding they're suited to city life and are undergoing rapid evolution in their new ecological niche. Read more in this COSMOS Magazine article.
Getting in touch with nature
A documentary that charts the experience of tech savvy kids who go out on their first wilderness experience. Highlights the importance of reducing kids screen time and giving them the opportunity to spend more time out in nature. See the trailers at www.groundproductions.com/playagain/index.php.
Personal Sustainability
Personal Sustainability explores the personal and professional aspects of sustainability and includes articles from the Ecopsychology Journal. Many great articles providing evidence about the why humans need time connecting with nature for health and wellbeing. Evidence from empirical studies is included. http://personalsustainability.com/category/ecopsychology/
Hedgend Maze
An excursion venue in Victoria with a range of useful sustainability resources including the habitat matrix (PDF) which has a range of learning activity ideas.
www.hedgend.com.au