4040 Forum - Where Experience informs the future of ecological restoration.

AABR 4040 Forum

40 years of bush regeneration. One big day to celebrate where we’ve come from and help shape where we go next.

AABR’s 4040 Forum will be an end-of-year cerebral and social celebration of bush regeneration. The practices. The people. The problems we set out to solve. The solutions we’ve developed. And the opportunities ahead.

Forty years on, ecological restoration has growing momentum. The challenge now is to scale up, skill up and measure up, while ensuring the quality of restoration outcomes keeps pace with the ambition.

The Forum brings practitioners, researchers, volunteers, land managers and restoration thinkers together to share knowledge, question assumptions, make connections and consider what bush regeneration needs for its next 40 years.

Presentations, workshops and conversations will explore four themes:

• Roots of Regeneration: People, Place & Purpose

• Restoration That Works: Science, Standards & Practice

• Regeneration Futures: Scale, Technology & Investment

• People Power: Participation, Skills & Careers

Roots of Regeneration: People, Place & Purpose

We’ll start by looking back, around and ahead.

AABR President Peter Dixon will reflect on a provocative question: Why haven’t we won yet? What continues to block effective restoration and what needs to change?

From Central Australia, Max Arkley-Smith, Buffel Grass Officer in Alice Springs, will ask another big question: do older methods work when the weed is Cenchrus ciliaris and the landscape is Central Australia?

Together, these opening presentations will set the scene for a day that celebrates the foundations of bush regeneration while being willing to challenge how we apply them in a changing world.

Restoration That Works: Science, Standards & Practice

What does good restoration look like on the ground? And how do we know it is working?

Experienced practitioners and researchers will share insights from across the sector.

Mark Schuster will explore the role of fire in restoration.

Jen Ford will look at scaling up restoration and building the skills and workforce needed for the next 40 years.

Tein McDonald will explore how AABR accreditation recognises bush regeneration expertise, the rewards of helping others gain recognition, and how mentoring and new service models could strengthen accreditation for the next generation.

Tristan Simpson will look at how mapping, data tracking, drones, smart spray equipment and AI identification tools are changing the way bush regenerators plan, deliver and document their work.

Petra Holland will share how citizen science platform iNaturalist is supporting bushland management and community engagement in a local government context.

And Mareshell Wauchope will share her research and an urban rewilding story of boguls, bushland and buildings.

Regeneration Futures: Scale, Technology & Investment

After lunch, it’s over to you.

This interactive workshop session gives us an hour to exchange knowledge, test ideas and turn discussion into action for the years ahead.

Topics currently being developed include:

• What makes a magnificent mentor?

• How could AABR support a Bushland Managers Network?

• How can the National Restoration Standards be implemented in local government?

• How can better data collection help us measure ecosystem change, demonstrate restoration outcomes and better understand the true costs and benefits of professional restoration practice?

Workshop outcomes and ideas will be brought back to the room later in the day, giving participants a chance to contribute to conversations that can continue well beyond the Forum.

A cuppa with the pioneers

Afternoon tea brings a special opportunity to connect with some of the pioneers of Australian bush regeneration as they gather to catch up, reconnect and share stories.

Say hello. Ask a question. Swap a story.

Because some of the best knowledge sharing happens away from the lectern, cuppa in hand.

People Power: Participation, Skills & Careers

Bush regeneration has always been about people as much as practice.

In our final presentation session, Christian Marando will share the latest research on The ‘lifework’ of volunteering in Bushcare.

Estella Xia will explore engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse communities in bush regeneration.

Jessie Panazzolo, The Lonely Conservationist, will join us online to explore how community, connection and honest conversations about mental health can help environmentalists respond to isolation, impostor syndrome and burnout, and sustain themselves for the long haul.

We’ll finish the session with a panel exploring career pathways in bush regeneration, the skills the sector needs and where the next generation of practitioners might take us.

From ideas to action

Before we move into celebration mode, we’ll bring the day’s conversations together.

Workshop outcomes will be shared. Ideas and interests will be captured. Connections will be made for what comes next.

And, of course, there will be a hearty thank you to everyone who contributed their experience, curiosity and knowledge to the day.

Then comes the social…

After a day for the grey matter, it’s time for three hours of informal conversation, food and celebration at the same venue.

Finger food will be provided and beverages will be available for purchase from the bar.

Expect good company, conversation starters, a little trivia and karaoke flavour, and the presentation of the AABR Awards, recognising:

• a Major Pioneer in Bush Regeneration

• Outstanding Contribution to Community Bush Regeneration

• Outstanding Contribution to Bush Regeneration Communication/Education

• Outstanding Service to AABR

Most importantly, it’s a chance to spend time with people who understand why bush regeneration matters and celebrate the people who have helped build the practice over the past 40 years.

The program is growing

This is an evolving program, with more speakers, details and a few surprises still to come.

What we can promise is a day of insightful presentations, practical conversations, opportunities to contribute your knowledge, plenty of networking and the particular joie de vivre that happens when nature-passionate people gather in one place.

Cant wait till November?

Get involved in the T-shirt Design competition

Nominate a great Bush Regenerator for an AABR Bush Regenerators Award

Start practicing for the karioke (songbook coming soon)

Come for the ideas. Stay for the people. Help shape the next 40 years of bush regeneration.