L-R Dr Judy Friedlander of PlantingSeeds Projects., Michelle Cameron, Board Member of Tangaroa Foundation, Dr Dean Miller of Great Barrier Reef Legacy, Rachel Ward, Filmmaker
The inaugural ‘Awards for Nature’ program recognises individuals and organisations safeguarding the future of Australia’s biodiversity, marine life and our greatest natural asset – the Great Barrier Reef
The Australian Geographic Society is delighted to announce the inaugural Awards for Nature, a new program which provides tiered funding support to vital conservation projects across Australia. The awards ceremony, held on Thursday, 17 October 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, saw $100,000 in grant funding presented to three outstanding projects dedicated to combatting biodiversity loss through community-based initiatives and mitigating climate change.
The event, which featured a special screening of celebrated Actress and Filmmaker, Rachel Ward’s inspiring documentary ‘Rachel’s Farm’, brought together environmental champions, conservationists, and supporters of Australian Geographic to celebrate three innovative projects making a real difference to Australia’s natural future. Rachel Ward presented each of the Grant Recipients with their Award.
Chrissie Goldrick, Chair of the Australian Geographic Society, said: “We are thrilled to announce the Grant recipients of our inaugural Awards for Nature. These projects address urgent conservation efforts in Australia and embody the spirit of innovation and dedication that are crucial for preserving our unique ecosystems. By supporting these initiatives, we are investing in a sustainable future for all Australians.”
The Grant recipients, selected through a comprehensive process by the Australian Geographic Society Advisory Board and Review Panel, are as follows:
The $50,000 Gold Tier Grant was awarded to The Forever Reef Project, led by Dr Dean Miller of the Great Barrier Reef Legacy. This project aims to collect and preserve samples of all 415 known coral species in a living coral biobank, or ark, safeguarding the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef against the threats of extinction. The ark currently holds 200 coral species and with the grant funding, The Forever Reef Project will embark on a major coral-collecting voyage to the Northern Great Barrier Reef, with an expected 50 additional coral samples to be collected.
The $30,000 Silver Tier Grant was presented to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI), spearheaded by Heidi Tait of the Tangaroa Blue Foundation. Their work centres on utilising data from the Australian Marine Debris Initiative – the Southern Hemisphere’s largest database of marine debris, where individuals and organisations enter data on debris collected during clean-ups and work on solutions to identify the origins of the litter. Tangaroa Blue takes this data to produce research that can initiate clean-ups and source reduction programs, inform public campaigns and ultimately, influence policy. The funding will allow Tangaroa Blue Foundation to run workshops in four states to upskill participants to implement the AMDI framework in their local community, beginning with clean-ups, monitoring and recording of the debris recovered. Since 2004, more than 27 million litter items have been recorded at 4,700 clean-up sites.
The $20,000 Bronze Tier Grant was awarded to PlantingSeeds’ flagship program, the B & B Highway initiative (Bed & Breakfast for Birds, Bees and Biodiversity), led by Dr Judy Friedlander of PlantingSeeds Projects. This project aims to create regenerative pollinator corridors in urban areas while educating students, individuals and businesses about the importance of biodiversity and pollinators – which are in serious decline. Since its inception five years ago, the initiative has engaged with 200 sites and through its schools program, educates students on their local native flora and fauna species and the role of pollinators in the ecosystem. With this funding, Dr Judy Friedlander will introduce five new schools across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The Australian Geographic Society is committed to supporting these projects beyond the initial grants. From next year, the awards will expand to include two applicants in each funding category, and in the future, it hopes to offer continued funding to projects showing substantial growth and impact.
The funds that drive this program are raised through subscriptions to Australian Geographic magazine, which automatically makes subscribers members of the Australian Geographic Society – the not-for-profit charity arm of Australian Geographic.
The Australian Geographic Awards for Nature 2025 will open for entries on 6 January 2025. For more information and to learn more about the Grant Recipients, please visit www.australiangeographic.com.
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