Much of the alpine regions of south eastern Australia and lutruwita/ Tasmania are public land, and much of that is included in national parks, World Heritage Areas, or other conservation reserves.
But many threats remain, from climate change, logging, over development, weed infestation and feral animals and so on. More than ever the alpine environments need your support.
Here are some practical things you can do to support the Alps.
Get active on climate
If you don’t already, join and support a climate action group. Without meaningful action on climate change, the impacts on the Alps will continue to escalate. Here’s a few ideas:
- Protect Our Winters Australia
- Outdoors People for Climate Action
https://www.outdoorspeople.org/problem
- School Strike 4 Climate Action
https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com
- Friends of the Earth
https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/
- Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance (AFCA)
AFCA is a network of grassroots volunteer and career firefighters who want to see our governments take stronger action on climate change.
https://www.facebook.com/ausfca
Get active in the politics
Build our fire fighting capacity
Remote area firefighting. It’s great that the Victorian government has invested in more career firefighters. We need to also establish a remote area firefighting team responsible for tackling fires in our national parks and state forests. NSW, Tasmania and the ACT already have volunteer units. Victoria should do the same.
Background information is available here.
Sign the petition calling on the Victorian government to intervene investigate how to better protect alpine forests from fire and other climate change impacts.
A national, publicly owned air fleet. One of the recommendations of the recent Bushfire Royal Commission report recommends the creation of a national publicly-owned aerial firefighting fleet, which can then be allocated to the states “according to greatest national need”. The federal government has refused to adopt this recommendation.
For background information on fires and the need for a fleet, please check here.
Increase funding for national parks. Check the campaign information from the Victorian National Parks Association here.
LOCAL GROUPS – VICTORIA
Get active in a local environmental advocacy group
- Upper Ovens Sustainability Group.
‘Sustainable Upper Ovens (SUO) is community-based organisation formed in 2018 aimed at helping householders and small businesses to adopt improved energy efficiency measures, switch to renewable energy and maximise opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle our resources.
https://sustainableupperovens.org.au/
- Ecoportal
The Ecoportal has a great list of groups who are active in north eastern Victoria plus upcoming events.
- Friends of the Earth North East Alps
A new environmental advocacy group in the north east mountains of Victoria
https://www.facebook.com/FoENorthEastAlps/
- Friends of Bats and Habitat
This group tracks logging and fire threats to forests throughout Gippsland and the north east.
https://www.facebook.com/batfriendsgippsland
- Save the Little Dargo River
An informal group who is opposing logging which is planned in the headwaters of the Little Dargo River in the Victorian high country.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/552475918182699
Get active in a ‘Friends’ Group
These groups do practical work in and around the Victorian High Country.
- Friends of Baw Baw
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Baw-Baw-National-Park-910175075779040/
- Friends of Bogong
http://www.friendsofbogong.org.au/Intro.html
- Friends of the Cobberas
https://www.friendscobberas.com.au
- Friends of the Mitta Mitta
http://www.friendsofthemitta.org
- Benambra Dinner Plain Omeo Landcare
https://www.landcarevic.org.au/groups/northeast/bdpo/
- Upper Ovens Valley Landcare
The Upper Ovens Valley Landcare Group is interested in empowering our community to ensure a sustainable future for our land, water and biodiversity. We cover the Ovens River Valley from the town of Ovens south to Bright, Harrietville and into the Victorian Alps and river headwaters.
We promote sustainable land and water management practices that balance: economics and ecology, productivity and resource protection.
Recent projects have focussed on riparian areas along the Ovens River with over 8000 trees planted at sites near Porepunkah at the confluence of the Ovens and Buckland Rivers, and at Germantown.
- Up 2 Us Landcare Alliance
Up2Us Landcare Alliance is a community organisation within Mansfield Shire which aims to lead in the preservation, protection and enhancement of our land and water ecosystems by empowering community and individuals to act.
- Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation (BTAC)
‘Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation (BTAC) focus is on tracks and trails strategies, exploring opportunities for new or upgrading tracks, articulating a vision that bushwalkers want for the future, and undertaking fieldwork in Victoria’s national parks and state forest’.
BTAC Volunteers carry out hands-on work on tracks and conservation projects.
Get involved in citizen science
- Snow Gum citizen science project.
Friends of the Earth runs mapping fieldtrips to identify the scale of ecological collapse of snow gum woodlands due to fire impacts.
https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/snow_gums_and_citizen_science
OTHER STATES
Please send your links and contacts and we will update this page with groups from the ACT, NSW and lutruwita/ Tasmania.
cam.walker@foe.org.au
Mountain Journal 
Leave a Reply