Caring for our Country

Australia is warming up, making weather more extreme. This is not a natural cycle. To tackle this problem, a rapidly growing number of people across Australia are switching to clean energy and transport and helping protect nature.

Wetlands can soak up greenhouse gases better than most forests, helping slow the warming of our planet.

Trees are homes for animals, birds and insects. They clean and cool the air and provide us with oxygen. They keep water, nutrient and carbon cycles working.

First Nations people have long kept the land healthy through a practice called ‘cultural burning’. A low flame in cooler months safely removes dry plant fuel and helps native species thrive.

➔ Learn more about avoiding big fires through caring for Country visit Firesticks Alliance.

Home-grown food is tasty, full of nutrients and needs no packaging. Chickens and ducks are great for eggs and roasts, plus they eat fallen fruit, keeping pests away.

➔ Kids, have you tried planting your favourite fruits in pots or in a garden?

Bees, bugs, bats and birds are the pollinators of our farms, gardens and forests. We need them to keep plants fruiting and multiplying. Avoid insecticides!

“The closer I work with nature ... the easier it becomes, and the more profitable it becomes ... there’s a lot less risk, and certainly a lot less work.” - Colin Seis, NSW farmer

➔ Read stories from farmers regenerating their farms here.

These farmers grow lots of high quality food without using agricultural chemicals or ploughing. They have built up rich soils with manure from grazing animals and multi-species crops. Rich soil retains water and resists pests and disease.

Livestock are grazed in a paddock for a short time before being moved to the next. This keeps the plant cover in place and protects the soil.

Many farmers around Australia are capturing wind and solar energy as well as growing food. Selling electricity brings income even during droughts and floods.

Can you see the soil below this farm? It is full of life, nutrients and carbon. The farmers are adding organic matter and avoiding toxic chemicals. Healthy soil is central to our food production system.

We need to protect native areas for wildlife to thrive. We need a rich variety of plants, animals, fungi and tiny micro-organisms to keep us thriving. Healthy ecosystems provide us with food, shelter, clean air and clean water.

Forests are home to the majority of the world’s land species. Many medicines and useful materials are found in forests. They keep the water cycle working, absorb excess carbon and help keep us cool.

➔ You can help protect forests: link up with groups like Greening Australia, Landcare, WWF-Australia, and Conservation Volunteers Australia.

First Nations communities have practised sustainable fishing as part of long-term cultural practice, using fishing technologies such as woven and stone traps.

Farmers and researchers have found that feeding cows and sheep a little bit of a red Australian seaweed changes their digestion. They grow better and almost stop burping methane – a very damaging greenhouse gas.

➔ You can reduce air pollution and protect Earth, our home, by planting plants and switching to renewable energy and clean transport.

Land plants, seaweed and other algae soak up carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, and give us fresh oxygen. Over half of the oxygen we breathe comes from ocean algae.

There are new seaweed farms off Australia’s coast. Seaweed boosts the health of oceans and people. Seaweed grows rapidly and is particularly good at converting CO2 to oxygen.

This graphic illustrates the cut-away model of the wave energy generator at King Island. As waves surge in and out of the ‘mechanical blowhole’, each gust of air turns a turbine, creating electricity.

Replanting vegetation in mangrove swamps and sand dunes helps protect our coasts from flooding and erosion.

Australian kelp forests and seagrass meadows, rich in marine life and exceptionally good at capturing carbon, have been disappearing because of pollution and warming waters. Restoration projects are having some success.

➔ Check out the amazing work of Operation Crayweed and sponsor an underwater tree.

Biodegradable fishing nets and fishing line reduce marine animal deaths from entanglement. Nets with lit-up escape holes for small fish support ocean populations. Boat owners can use eco-friendly antifouling paint.

➔ Boat-owners can protect important seagrass meadows by using a raised, environmentally friendly mooring.

Solar power is the cheapest source of electricity. With a battery, there’s power even when the sun isn’t shining. The renewable energy industry employs a large and an increasing number of workers.

Instead of drawing from watercourses, using tanks and increasing organic matter in the soil helps farms and ecosystems to cope with dry times.

➔ Do you have a rainwater tank yet? They let you save on water bills and manage during droughts.

Utes, trucks and tractors can be charged for free from solar batteries or green hydrogen fuel cells. This improves air quality and helps stabilise our climate. Electric vehicles have fewer moving parts and need fewer repairs.

➔ Did you know there are Australian mechanics converting petrol vehicles to electric?

Carbon is an element that cycles through living things, the air, soil and water. Humans have upset the carbon cycle’s balance by burning fossil fuels and farming unsustainably. This imbalance is causing global warming and extreme weather. Sustainable farming helps by looking after soils and forests, pulling atmospheric carbon back into the soil.

Some farmers are including native plants better suited to our drier climate in their crops. Introduced crops like rice and cotton are very water-hungry, leaving less for our river ecosystems.

➔ Landowners can earn money for the tonnes of carbon captured in their soil, trees and biodiversity over time (through the Carbon Farming Initiative).