From urban rewilding to global biodiversity resilience

From urban rewilding to global biodiversity resilience

Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026

Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Location: Nelson Meers Foundation Auditorium, Chau Chak Wing Museum

The Global Biodiversity Framework challenges us to learn from and care for local natural systems while recognising the translocal flows between ecosystems. This session shines a light on scientific and community based efforts to restore and ‘rewild’ urban ecosystems which have been denuded by invasive flora and fauna since Colonisation.

Speakers

John Siemon, Director of Horticulture, Royal Botanic Garden

Charlotte Fletcher, Urban Ecology Co-ordinator, City of Sydney

Rob Brewster, Rewilding Manager, Invasive species council

Professor Alexandra Crosby, Faculty of Design and Society, University of Technology Sydney

Chaired by

Professor Alex O’Mara, Professor of Practice, Centre for Flourishing Cities, University of Sydney

Sydney Festival 7-11 September 

National events September – October 2026

Translocality describes the interconnectedness between different places and people, beyond national boundaries. The circulation of people, goods, knowledge and capital, though an ancient process, is facilitated and impacted by new technologies, bringing new opportunities and challenges for cities and regions. Increasingly important, a translocal lens highlights these deep and intersecting relationships between people and places over time – from the legacies of colonisation and environmental change to contemporary patterns of migration and cultural diversity. Through panel discussions, debates, exhibitions, and tours, and featuring thought leaders from academia, the arts, industry, and civil society, the 2026 Festival of translocal Urbanism examines and celebrates the complex social, economic and environmental connections between local and global communities.