Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for ...

Resilient Places,

Resilient Communities: A Blueprint

for Nature Investment in the ACT

Greening Australia submission

to 2021-22 ACT Budget Consultation

Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for Nature Investment in the ACT | 2 Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for Nature Investment in the ACT | 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary of Submission 3

1. Defining the challenge 5

2. Proposed Solution 6

2.1 Aims 6

2.2 Objectives 6

3. Governance 7

3.1 A Partnership Approach 7

3.2 Governance Structures 9

3.3 What Greening Australia Brings to this Project 9

4. Policy alignment 12

5. Implementation 13

5.1 Resilience Planning 13

5.1.1 Activities 13

5.1.2 Output 13

5.2 Community-based Restoration for Nature and People 14

5.2.1 Activities 17

5.2.2.Outputs 19

5.2.3 Monitoring 19

5.3 Evaluation and Guidance 21

5.3.1 Activities 21

5.3.2 Outputs 21

6. Communications 22

7. Budget Table 23

Appendix 1. Nature in Cities Program Overview 24

Contacts 26


SUMMARY OF SUBMISSION

The vision of the ACT Planning Strategy 2018 is to be a sustainable, competitive and equitable city that respects Canberra as a city in the landscape and the national capital, while being responsive to the future and resilient in the face of change. The value of nature in realising that vision is clearly reflected in the ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 2013–23, Canberra Living Infrastructure Plan and the ACT Urban Forest Strategy.

This project will facilitate cross-Directorate (Environment, Planning & Sustainable Development Directorate – EPSDD, Transport Canberra & City Services – TCCS and Education Directorate – ED ) resilience planning to determine and implement simple, practical, and cost-effective actions most likely to achieve success against multiple ACT Government strategies. Greening Australia will deliver significant and measurable progress towards the 2045 targets of 30% canopy cover, 450,000 trees planted, increasing volunteering and considerable nature-derived community health and wellbeing dividends (Figure 1). The project will be implemented through a three-staged approach from FY22-FY25:

• Planning: Providing a resilient urban habitat management plan for Canberra by building on foundation data (Mapping surface heat in Canberra report CSIRO, 2018) and aligning climate and habitat requirements with landscape design, community desires and policy directions for Canberra’s open space network.

• Restoration for Nature and People: Implementing restoration projects in open spaces and schools that demonstrate climate resilient open space that benefits nature and people. In addition to providing canopy cover and biodiversity value, the restoration projects promote a sense of nature connectedness and associated health and wellbeing benefits. The projects will also integrate educational elements that promote knowledge and understanding of local Ngunnawal culture.

• Evaluation and Guidance: Evaluating project efficacy and developing best-practice guidelines for future investment that maximises impacts for nature and people.

This holistic approach will be shared through the production of Resilient Places, Resilient Communities, Australia’s first Best Practice Guidelines for designing and implementing climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects that deliver health and wellbeing benefits. The project will also serve as a blueprint for future government and external investment through the development of an ACT Return on Nature Investment Report.

The project will result in a tested, replicable and cost-effective model for restoring resilient places for nature and people that may be applied to green spaces across the ACT, ensuring that the ACT government achieves its 2045 targets strategically, efficiently and with maximum impact.

The overarching aim of this project is to provide a science-led and field-tested evidence base to assist the government in making strategic investments to achieve climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects for nature and people


Science-led, practical delivery and evaluation OutcomesStrategy Foundations

ResiliencePlanning

Restoration for Nature and People

Evaluation and

Guidance

ACT Parliamentary and Governing

Agreement

Canberra’s Living Infrastructure

Plan

ACT Urban Forest Strategy

ACT NRM Plan (forthcoming)’

ACT Wellbeing Framework

ACT Climate Change Strategy

Inquiry Into NatureIn Our City

The Future of Education –

An ACT education strategy for the next ten years

ACT PlanningStrategy

ACT Urban HabitatClimate Resilience

Roadmap

6 public open spacedemonstration sites

100 Native School Gardens

68,000 shrubs & trees

7,500 students

5,950 volunteers

4,500 community connections

Resilient Places, Resilient

Communities, Best Practice Guidelines

ACT Return on Nature Investment

Report

Figure 1: The proposed project underpinned by multiple ACT Government strategies and plans and delivers practical outcomes for nature and people across FY22 - 25


1. Defining the challenge

Canberra is undergoing rapid densification of urban spaces which is changing the face of the Bush Capital. The Inquiry into Nature in Our City (2020) outlined a number of growing problems in the urban-nature interface including:

• Current urban canopy is ageing and lacks diversity for future climate resilience;

• Urban waterways with extensive weed populations and blue-green algae outbreaks;

• Large areas of mown grass with low biodiversity benefits and higher maintenance costs;

• Newly developed suburbs lacking in open space and vegetation for wildlife and people;

• Discontinuous biodiversity corridors for Threatened species; and

• Continuing trends of declining time outside among urban populations despite strong evidence of health and wellbeing benefits for people who access nature

These challenges are further exacerbated by a changing climate, with Canberra predicted to become warmer and drier in the future with anticipation of longer and hotter heatwaves, more frequent droughts and highly variable rainfall. As a consequence, there is an increasing need for cool refuges for people and wildlife. This is particularly important in the highly developed areas of Canberra, where the heat island effect exacerbates the impact of extreme temperatures. These areas were highlighted in the CSIRO report Mapping surface urban heat in Canberra (2017) as shown in Figure 2 below.

Greening Australia supports the ambitious targets of Canberra’s ACT Planning Strategy 2018, Living Infrastructure Plan and The Urban Forest Strategy 2021– 45 which aim to improve living infrastructure while developing Canberra in a “compact and efficient” manner. However, through discussions with community members and groups, Ministers, Executives, and staff, Greening Australia has found that a holistic, cross-Directorate approach would ensure that Government investment in Strategy delivery is robust and targeted at practical solutions to climate resilience.

Figure 2: Urban Summer Hot-spots in the ACT

Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for Nature Investment in the ACT | 6

2. Proposed Solution

Aligned with broader ACT Government strategic plans and policy, we envision Canberra with a biodiverse, climate resilient network of gardens, parks, schools and waterways where communities connect with nature, engage in its restoration and receive health and wellbeing benefits in return. Realisation of these spaces is led by a community-based approach to design solutions that benefit nature as well as human health and wellbeing.

This project is the practical application of Greening Australia’s science-led ecological innovation and community engagement experience to support the ACT Government’s goals of establishing an urban forest, increasing living infrastructure, adapting to climate change, delivering community wellbeing and conserving nature across the Canberra urban footprint over the next 4 years.

More broadly, the project supports Greening Australia’s 2030 Impact aspirations (see Appendix 1) and priorities aligned with Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan and The Urban Forest Strategy 2021–45. Specific links have been identified in Section 4 of this submission.

The design of the project will likewise consider the contribution that nature-based actions can have to community health outcomes in the ACT in alignment with the ACT Wellbeing Framework.

2.1 Aims The overarching aim of this project is to provide a science-led and field-tested evidence base to assist the government in making strategic investments to achieve the 2045 targets of 30% canopy cover and deliver significant health and wellbeing outcomes. We will do this by:

• Planning: Providing a resilient urban habitat management plan for Canberra by building on foundation data (Mapping surface heat in Canberra report CSIRO, 2018) and aligning climate and habitat requirements with landscape design, community desires and policy directions for Canberra’s open space network

• Restoration for Nature and People: Implementing restoration projects in open spaces and schools that demonstrate climate resilient open space that benefits nature and people. In addition to providing canopy cover and biodiversity value, the restoration projects promote a sense of nature connectedness and associated health and wellbeing benefits. The projects will also integrate educational elements that promote knowledge and understanding of local Ngunnawal culture.

• Evaluation and Guidance: Evaluating project efficacy and developing best-practice guidelines for future investment that maximises impacts for nature and people

2.2 Objectives 1. By June 30, 2022, we will develop an ACT Urban Habitat Climate Resilience Roadmap that identifies practical,

cost-effective actions to achieve ACT strategies (cross-Directorate)

2. By June 30, 2025, we will restore habitat at 9 sites within public open space (encompassing woodlands, grasslands and waterways) and 100 school sites to create a network of habitat for wildlife and mitigate the urban heat island effect in open spaces and schools

3. By June 2025, we will plant 68,000 shrubs & trees across public open spaces (encompassing woodlands, grasslands and waterways) and schools (15% of the 450,000 trees target as outlined in the Urban Forest Strategy)

4. By June 30, 2025, we will engage 13,200 people, including school children and adults, in hands-on habitat restoration to improve environmental awareness, Ngunnawal education, nature connectedness, health and wellbeing

5. By June 30, 2025, we will produce Resilient Places, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines, applying evidence-based best practice for designing and implementing climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects that deliver measurable health and wellbeing benefits

6. By June 30, 2025 produce ACT Return on Nature Investment Report that assesses project performance and inform future Return on Investment scenarios for future government and external investment


3.1. A Partnership Approach

3. Governance

The development process for this submission included discussions with the following Ministers and staff as well as Executives in ACT Directorates:

• Minister for the Environment (MLA Vassarotti)

• Minister for Transport and City Services (MLA Steel)

• Standing Committee Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity (MLA Braddock)

• Standing Committee Planning, Transport and City Services – Chair (MLA Clay)

• Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate

• Transport Canberra & City Services Directorate

• Education Directorate

Discussions covered ACT Strategy goals and potential actions to deliver urban tree canopy expansion, biodiversity connectivity planning and trials, the implementation of heat island overlays in project design, the science of ecological adaptation, opportunities for cooling the schools (tree planting and science curriculum development), and Greening Australia’s capacity to attract co-investment into ‘nature in cities’ work.

The engagement and consultation completed to date in preparing this submission has also revealed clear pathways for a partnership approach with each of the key Directorates through potential co-design sessions, collaborative project teams and the potential of fixed-term team member embedding (in either direction).

Greening Australia proposes the following structure to collaborate with the three Directorates:

Organisation/Directorate Role

Greening AustraliaLead Contractor/Program Manager, Project Governance Group

a. Program Manager

b. Project Governance Group Chair

c. Community Advisory Panel and Expert Advisor coordination

d. Community-based restoration coordination and planting

e. School recruitment, activity delivery and curriculum development

f. Contractor management

g. Budget and reporting management

Environment Planning & Sustainable Development Directorate

Lead Directorate – Heads of Agreement with other Directorates Participation in resilience planning, Integration of on-ground works with Conservation and Research projects Integration of Living Infrastructure Plan on-ground works with project trial sites Project Governance Group participant

Transport Canberra & City Services Directorate

Participation in resilience planning Integration of Urban Forest on-ground works with project sites In-kind support through site preparation and community engagement Project Governance Group participant

Education DirectorateParticipation in resilience planning Lead communication with schools Assess and prioritise schools based on assets and infrastructure limitations



3.2. Governance StructuresGreening Australia will provide draft Terms of Reference documents covering each of the project governance groups listed below for government consideration.

Project Governance GroupThis group will be comprised of representatives from each of the three Directorates and Greening Australia. Its role will be to:

- Guide strategic decision making and the Resilience Planning framework

- Activate appropriate personnel within each organisation to ensure collaboration and operationalisation of the project works

- Bring in-kind resourcing or expert skills to assist in delivering the project on-time and on-budget

- Review and evaluate project progress and efficacy

Reference GroupThe Reference Group will include representatives from different stakeholder groups, including from the Ngunnawal community and from groups that are traditionally under-represented in environmental programs. Their role will be to:

- Provide input regarding community needs that may be addressed by improved access to and quality of urban green space

- Help inform site selection and design elements and guide the development of our engagement and communications strategy for key target audiences

Expert AdvisorsExpert Advisors will be appointed to the project.

- These experts will be leaders in the research or commercial fields related to (but not limited to) Landscape Architecture, Nature Based design for Wellbeing, Threatened Species in Urban Environments, Climate-ready Restoration Ecology and Natural Capital Accounting

What Greening Australia Brings to this ProjectGreening Australia (GA) employs 170 staff in over 30 locations across the country and capital cities with a mobile volunteer force of over 5,000. GA operate an integrated supply chain from native seedbanks, seed production areas and a seed trading business, native production nurseries through to revegetation/restoration/land management programs and carbon and biodiversity offsetting. Everything GA does is driven by impact for healthy and productive landscapes where nature and people thrive.

With dedicated National Programs, Science and Planning and Social Impact teams to develop our ongoing conservation strategy, GA is committed to converting the latest scientific plans into innovative and practical on-ground action in partnership with community, industry and landholders. GA works at the scale required to have large-scale, measurable impact. GA has a broad supporter network who share aligned aspirations for impact. These networks can create potential co-investment opportunities which could enhance this program further.

In Canberra, GA have been a trusted land management contractor with ACT Government for over 20 years. The Canberra team has managed a number of large projects including post-fire recovery and community engagement in the Cotter, Barrer Hill and currently Namarag. Our nursery and seed production area with an embedded volunteer program engages over 150 individual volunteers every year contributing an estimated 5000 hours per year. These facilities have a native seed bank in excess of 1 tonne of native seed from over 100 species and are capable of producing up to 160,000 native plants per year and will play an integral role in supplying native seeds and plants as well as mobilising the community for seed collection, propagation and planting.


With dedicated National Programs, Science and Planning and Social Impact teams, Greening Australia brings expertise in:

• Major project design, implementation, and management;

• Engagement, risk management and communication;

• School engagement and nature-based education programs, including prior success in Canberra with over 120 schools involved in a range of incursions and excursions over the past 24 years;

• Curriculum development – Cooling the Schools program in Sydney (https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/projects/cooling-the-schools/)

• Local Aranda Nursery with seed storage, collection, propagation capabilities;

• Long history of community engagement and volunteer management in Canberra, including 10-year post-fire recovery in the Cotter;

• Development of and actioning interest from co-investors to support greater scale and impact;

• Networks throughout ACT Government, Catchment and Parkcare groups, schools and local landholders; and

• Specialised knowledge and skills in grassland restoration as demonstrated by Barrer Hill and Namarag, woodland restoration as demonstrated by the Box Gum woodland project with ACT NRM and riparian restoration projects delivered across south-east NSW.


4. Policy alignment

Project Objective Project Outcome ACT Strategy/Framework Strategy Target/Objective

Objective 1 – Resilience Planning

• Climate Change vulnerability modelling framework and mapping for Urban ACT

• A Draft ACT Urban Habitat Climate Resilience Roadmap

• Cross-Directorate Operational Plan

• Prioritised list of local habitats

• Indicator Species of Urban Habitat health

ACT Planning Strategy 2018, Direction 3.5: Protect biodiversity and enhance habitat connectivity to improve landscape resilience.

Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan Goal: reduce the risks from the key climate change impacts of heatwaves, droughts, storms and bushfires, and build resilience to a changing climate

The Urban Forest Strategy 2021–45 Objective 2: Grow a Resilient Forest Action 2.3 Species that are planted are suitable for a changing climate.

ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 2013–23

Strategy 1: Enhance habitat connectivity and ecosystem function Strategy 4: Enhance biodiversity value of urban areas

ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019 Goal 7.1 Identify opportunities to increase resilience of terrestrial and aquatic habitats at risk from climate change and implement land management changes and relevant works with delivery partners

Goal 7.3 Identify suitable sites in the ACT for ‘carbon sinks’ and develop a plan for planting trees in these areas to sequester carbon with consideration of biodiversity outcomes and competing land uses

Objectives 2 & 3 – Habitat restoration

• 68,000 plants propagated

• 38,000 plants planted across 9 open space sites

• 30,000 plants planted across 100 school sites

Inquiry into Nature in Our City 2020 Recommendation 14 – 3.118 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government, preferably as part of the City in a Landscape Strategy, prioritise the identification of nature corridors to link environmental areas.

Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan Goal: conserve and enhance Canberra’s landscape and urban ecosystems, for quality of life and sustainability, which rely on the health and functionality of our trees and other vegetation, open spaces, soils, wildlife (biodiversity) and water systems

The Urban Forest Strategy 2021–45 Action 2.1 Achieve 30% canopy cover by 2045.

Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, 10th Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory

Greens Natural Environment PriorityAction 17.1 Better protect remnant grasslands, woodlands and key waterways as nature reserves or similar protective zoningAction 17.4 Increase funding for weeds and invasive species Action 17.5 Increase funding for local environmental volunteer groupsAction 17.7 Establish a corridors program and install nesting boxesAction 17.11 Maintain Coombs Peninsula as green space

Objective 4 – Engagement, Health and Wellbeing

• 7,500 students involved in restoration at schools

• 5,950 volunteers participating in seed collection, propagation and community planting days

• 4,500 people reached through strategic communications

ACT Wellbeing Framework Action 3.2.2 Personal wellbeingAction 3.2.3 Access and connectivityAction 3.2.5 Education and life-long learningAction 3.2.6 Environment and climateAction 3.2.8 HealthAction 3.2.10 Identity and belongingAction 3.2.13 Social connection

ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 2013–23

Strategy 5: Strengthen community engagement

The Future of Education: An ACT Education Strategy for the Next Ten Years

Collaborative partnerships between schools, government and community service providers also allows schools to be community hubs for people beyond current students, such as their families. Schools in doing so enhance wellbeing, resilience and connections throughout the community.

Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan Healthy City Goal: To promote community-wide health and wellbeing through access to nature which provides recreational, fitness and relaxation opportunities, and improves mental health.

Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, 10th Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory

Labor Education PriorityAction 3.1 Delivery of the Future Educations StrategyAction 3.6 School Infrastructure upgradesGreens Education Priority Action 8.3 Increase nature play spaces

Objectives 5 & 6 – Evaluation and Return on Investment

• Project evaluation report

• Resilient Habitat, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines for designing and implementing climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects that deliver health and wellbeing benefits

• Return on Nature Investment report that assesses project performance to inform future government and external investment

ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019 Government will also continue to identify opportunities to increase resilience of terrestrial and aquatic habitats at risk from climate change and implement land management changes and relevant on-ground works with delivery partners GOAL 1B Collaborate for resilient communities



5.1. Resilience Planning

5. Implementation

Resilience planning will focus on delivery of a science-based method of planning for and delivering urban habitat resilience and restoration as Canberra’s climate changes. This approach will enable more efficient delivery of strategic government priorities as outlined in the Living Infrastructure Plan and Urban Forest Strategy. It will align climate and habitat science with landscape design, community desires and policy directions for Canberra’s open space network.

5.1.1. ActivitiesIn partnership with EPSDD and TCCS, and through collaboration with expert GIS Analysts and threatened species specialists, Greening Australia propose an approach that strengthens Canberra’s urban forest to survive and prosper as the climate changes over coming decades. This project will use a fauna-centric framework to assess current vegetation and habitat health to inform (a) improvements to habitat values, and (b) human wellbeing landscape design. Placing Canberra’s parks and urban nature on a path to climate adaptation requires climate-informed species selection, manipulation of water (where practical) and new restoration methods.

The project relies on three key actions:

• Collaboration with EPSDD, TCCS, Reference Groups and Topic Experts to scope, test and refine the prioritisation of habitat elements to be retained in future climate scenarios

• GIS analysis of the landscape’s current and future capacity to support habitat for identified species and identification of priority areas for action. This will build on existing data that ACT Government has compiled such as LiDAR heat mapping

• Identification of appropriate, climate adjusted, designs and techniques for provision of viable urban habitat for identified species and delivery of health and wellbeing outcomes

5.1.2. Output• Climate Change vulnerability modelling framework and mapping for urban ACT

• A Draft ACT Urban Habitat Climate Resilience Roadmap

• Cross-Directorate Operational Plan for intervening to shape and guide unavoidable change.

• A Restoration and Management Schedule to drive the stewardship of planted and existing ecosystems, increase urban amenity, and maintain natural values across public land categories.

The project will be implemented in three stages: Resilience Planning, Restoration for Nature and People and Evaluation and Guidance. Through this process Greening Australia will translate multiple ACT Strategies into practical urban open space improvement that engages community, is designed for social impact and improves the resilience and viability of Canberra’s nature. The activities included and the outcomes to be achieved during each stage of this process are described below.

Figure 3: Project implementation timeline across FY22 – 25

FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4ResiliencePlanning

Community-based Restoration

Evaluation and Guidance


5.2. Community-based RestorationGreening Australia will bring to bear our 38 years of expertise and operations in Canberra and the ACT to ensure implementation of restoration and community engagement is conducted in a cost-effective and time efficient manner. The project will focus on three habitat types predominately occurring in the Canberra urban footprint: woodlands, grasslands, and waterways. We will establish restoration sites at nine public open spaces and 100 school sites.

The restoration sites will not only demonstrate best practices for restoring canopy cover and biodiversity value in the three habitat types, they will also provide a model for integrating design elements that invite people to interact with the spaces, promote a sense of nature connection, and inspire people to adopt “pro-nature” behaviours. Figure 4 below shows an artist’s rendering of a restoration area at an open space site that has been designed to provide benefits for both nature and people, with areas for walking, sitting/viewing, exploration, nature play and interpretive signage. Figure 5 represents a design that has been integrated into a larger site plan that includes multiple-use elements. Not all project sites will incorporate all of these elements, and some sites may have a stronger focus on biophysical outcomes than social outcomes, and vice versa. Figure 6 shows an Impact Wheel for the project, with a number of outcomes associated with each of four categories of impact – climate, biodiversity, water and social. The restoration areas will be designed to maxmise outcomes across these four categories as much as possible. We will work with EPSDD and TCCS to integrate the site designs into the larger goals and plans for each of the sites.

Figure 4: Artist impression of an open space site transformed for nature and people. This is an example of a seasonally wet area with a mini-wetland fringed with native canopy species.


Figure 5: Example of a site design that incorporates planning for biodiversity, water engineering and interactions with people. The level of detail required will vary from site to site.


Figure 6: Impact Wheel for Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: The project sites will be designed in ways that maximise outcomes against the four categories of impacts shown in the impact wheel – Climate, Biodiversity, Water and Social impacts.


5.2.1. Activities• Seed Sourcing and Plant Supply

During the resilience planning stages, plant species lists will be compiled appropriate for open space and schools. This will be undertaken through expert guidance and with reference to the Canberra Plant Selector webtool and the Municipal Infrastructure Standards Part 25 Plant Species for Urban Landscape Projects

Greening Australia has a large network of local and regional seed collectors to access a wide range of climatic zones for this purpose. Greening Australia is an active member of this network and has the capacity to purchase and store seed as required.

While some species will require local provenance collection, others may be used for climate trials and will require seed from warmer/drier climates. Climate adjusted and composite provenancing suggests a strategic approach to collecting the seed and plant genetics from warmer and drier climates based on the best available science. Greening Australia has been and continue to be involved in a number of climate change planting trials involving keystone species such as Blakley’s Red Gum and Ribbon Gum.

Greening Australia runs a community nursery in Aranda, where community volunteers are an integral part of the process - from collecting and propagating viable seed to caring for and planting healthy seedlings. Volunteers including school children, indigenous groups, families and other interest groups will be involved in seed collection, propagation and seedling maintenance. The nursery has had overwhelming support by the community since the 2020 fires, and this project will be a further stimulus to engage more people in active volunteering to make a positive difference in their communities.

• Earthworks and planting

a) Public open space case study sites: Based on the Climate Change vulnerability modelling framework and mapping prioritisation developed through the

resilience planning process, nine sites in three ecosystems (woodlands, grasslands and waterways) will be designed and activities undertaken to improve habitat quality and promote nature connection. Greening Australia has developed a matrix of activities based on land use that will be refined through the resilience planning process.

Where aligned, project sites will be delivered as part of TCCS open space upgrades and may include designed landscapes, hardscaping or engineered solutions. This will become apparent through the collaboration during resilience planning and site prioritisation and TCCS in-kind contributions validated at that time.

Restoration activities may include, but are not limited to:

- Plant species selection for human and habitat benefit

- Weed removal

- Soft infrastructure installation

- Planting and/or hand seeding

- Habitat structure installation e.g. rocks, logs and nest boxes

- Erosion control

- Adding groundcover and shrub layers to areas with existing canopy

- Pathways, seating, interactive signage and other engaging design elements

The science-based layout, landscape design (as required), and restoration activities at each site will be conducted in collaboration with EPSDD and TCCS and involve a mix of professional input and volunteer effort. Community planting events at the project sites will provide opportunities for families, groups and individuals to volunteer and participate in hands-on restoration activities. These events will also provide opportunities for corporate volunteering and sponsorship.


b) School sites: Habitat restoration will also take place on school grounds as part of the launch of the Cooling the Schools program

in Canberra. The climate change vulnerability modelling and mapping work will help identify the most heat vulnerable schools across Canberra to prioritise works. Our work in schools will be performed in close collaboration with the Education Directorate and EPSDD’s Actsmart Schools Program. Planning and implementation include:

- School recruitment and selection based on jointly developed criteria with the Education Directorate and Actsmart Schools

- Creation of a plant palette appropriate for school grounds – species selection criteria include value for providing shade, supporting biodiversity, cultural significance, climate resilience, safety (eg. fire hazard, allergens, limb drop), amenity, and management costs (Figure 7)

- Partnering with schools on planting design – Engage the school community, including students, in the design of planting projects on their school grounds

- Facilitating school planting days with schoolchildren, including support with site preparation and maintenance

- Facilitate the use of school habitats for learning and citizen science by providing teachers with the Cooling the Schools Teacher’s Guide

- Integration of Indigenous education component – partner with Dreamtime Connections to integrate and deliver information about traditional uses of native plants that are being planted as part of the school habitats

c) Mass Planting sites In order to reach the ACT Government canopy targets, there is a need to upscale revegetation efforts in large open

spaces across Canberra. In collaboration with TCCS, Greening Australia would lead site preparation and planting efforts at three sites at least 5 hectares in size. These sites will be identified through a resilience planning process to ensure best biodiversity linkage and canopy coverage. By utilising the knowledge and experience of the local Greening Australia team, these sites can be delivered in an efficient and effective manner to maximise survival. These sites are likely to be under-utilised areas with a high mowing or weed control requirement, that could be repurposed to contribute canopy targets.

LN= Locally native, NLN = Non locally native, E= Exotic

Whole Close up Scientific name Common name Native

Max height (m)

Layer in canopy Key Function

Key conditions Full conditions and notesTree

Backhousia myrtifolia Grey myrtle, Cinnamon myrtle

LN 30m canopy Shade. Smell all full sun part shade, likes rich soils

Elaeocarpus eimundii Native quandong

NLN 30m canopy Shade. Food. shade rare plant. Light shade, loamy soil

Glochidion ferdinandii Cheese tree

LN 30m canopy Shade. allsuits a range of soil types, and sun or shade. Drought resistant

Syzygium smithii Lillipilli

LN 20m canopyShade. Habitat. Food. Colour all

wide range of soils, prefers a moist well drained soil. Full sun to full shade. Plant away from footpaths to avoid slip hazard/staining

Acacia decurrens Sydney green wattle

LN 15m mid Colour. Habitat all hardy tree in most situations

Cupaniopsis anarcardiodes Tuckeroo

LN 15m Canopy Shade. Habitat all

drought hardy, moderate to well drained soil. Attracts bee's and other insects

Figure 7: Example of abbreviated species palette document for schools plant selection. This summary view is founded on a plant database that also records risks and cultural and habitat values from each target species in Sydney


5.2.2. Output• 68,000 plants propagated

• 38,000 plants planted across 9 open space sites

• 30,000 plants planted across 100 school sites

• 7,500 students involved in restoration at school sites

• 5,950 volunteers participating in seed collection, propagation, and community planting days

• 4,500 people reached through strategic communications

5.2.3. MonitoringGreening Australia has a Standard Monitoring Framework that we use to ensure consistent and integrated data collection across our Nature in Cities projects. Data is collected against standard metrics that enable us to measure project performance against our 2030 Impact Areas of Climate, Water, Biodiversity and People (See Appendix 1). These metrics are aligned with major international and government reporting frameworks. They are also relevant and easily translated into progress reports towards Policy Alignment outcomes described in Section 3. of this document.

We use two key data collection points:

• Standardised indicators used for baseline and periodic condition assessment to determine biophysical site characteristics and progress towards end-state (eg. canopy cover, vegetation structure, habitat suitability or usage)

• Pre- and post-intervention social surveys distributed to students and teachers participating in the schools component, participating in seed collection, propagation and planting, to measure changes in health, wellbeing and likelihood of knowledge and behaviour change through interaction with our projects

We will use the data collected to adapt our management and activities to ensure site and wellbeing specific outcomes are being met within agreed budgets and timeframes. Data will also be analysed to inform program evaluation and establishment of guideline documents.



5.3. Evaluation and Guidance

5.3.1. Activities• Project Outcomes report

- Greening Australia will collate all outcome data from the project Monitoring Program and present this to the Project Governance Group for review.

• Evaluation Workshop and Production of Resilient Habitat, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines

- Greening Australia will convene a project evaluation workshop to discuss and answer key evaluation questions against Strategy delivery as well as the four impact areas of Biodiversity, Climate, Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour, Health and wellbeing.

- The invitation to this workshop will extended to the project’s Reference Group, Expert Advisors and Directorate representatives and the relevant portfolio Ministers and their advisors.

- The outcomes of this workshop will be recorded and form the basis for the development of Resilient Habitat, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines, with key academic partners as Lead Authors on behalf of the Project Governance Group.

• Return on Nature Investment Report

- An independent consultant will be engaged to review the project outcomes through the lens of Natural Capital Accounting with reference to the Science Based Targets for Nature and the guidance provided from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures.

- Outcomes of their review will be available to the Project Governance Group, relevant Ministers, Directorates and Treasury in the form of an ACT Financial and Non-financial return on nature investment assessment.

5.3.2. Output• Project outcomes report

• Resilient Habitat, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines – Australia’s first guidelines for designing and implementing climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects that deliver health and wellbeing benefits

• ACT Return on Nature Investment report that assesses project performance to inform future government and external investment


A joint communications strategy will be developed in partnership between Greening Australia’s communication team and those of the three Directorates.

The communications strategy will be designed to deliver the key messages of the project, the project’s contribution to ACT Strategy and Plan targets and to promote behaviours among Canberrans that will help us build resilient, reconnected and biodiverse urban habitats that benefit nature and people.

Target audiences for this project include school children, their families, teachers, the Ngunnawal community and the general Canberra population. In addition, the various reports will be designed to inform ACT government Directorates, Ministers, and Treasury, as well as academics, urban planners, landscape architects and other practitioners.

The strategy will include the use of an ambassador species for each habitat type to champion our work: e.g. platypus for waterways, Gang-gang cockatoo for woodlands, earless dragon for grasslands.

Messaging will also be crafted (with input from key community stakeholder groups via the Reference Group) in ways that help overcome social and cultural barriers to engagement in order to reach people who are traditionally under- represented in environmental projects.

The strategy will include the use of digital media, an interactive web site that provides ways people can get involved, printed collateral and give-ways (e.g. seed cards) with QR codes linking to the web site, media events and releases, and news articles.

6. Communications


7. Budget

This project submission seeks a total funding request for the following:

Objective Output Measurable contribution 2021 – 22 2022 – 23 2023 – 24 2024 – 25

Resilience Planning

Climate Change vulnerability modelling framework and mapping for urban ACT

A Draft ACT Urban Habitat Climate Resilience Roadmap

Cross-Directorate Operational Plan for intervening to shape and guide unavoidable change.

A Restoration and Management Schedule

• Building on foundation data – Mapping surface heat in Canberra report (CSIRO, 2018)

• Identify opportunities to increase resilience of terrestrial and aquatic habitats at risk from climate change and implement land management changes (ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, EPSDD 2019)

• Addressing climate change requires ongoing collaboration and participation between Government, the community and business (ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 EPSDD 2019)

• …support effective landscape plans, and increase the opportunity for healthy, climate resilient and biodiverse gardens and public lands (ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 EPSDD 2019) ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019

$391,216

Restoration for Nature and People

Canopy cover & biodiversity

68,000 plants propagated

38,000 plants planted across 9 open space sites

30,000 plants planted across 100 school sites

Production of replicable templates for revegetation in woodlands, waterways & grasslands

Health, well-being & education

7,500 students involved in restoration at school sites

5,950 volunteers participating in seed collection, propagation, and community planting days

4,500 people reached through strategic communications

• Actions within all 6 Objectives of the ACT Urban Forest Strategy (TCCS 2020)

• Actions 2, 10, 11, 12 of Canberra’s Living Infrastructure Plan (EPSDD 2019)

• Land use and biodiversity, Goal 7 increase resilience of terrestrial and aquatic habitats at risk from climate change of the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 (EPSDD 2019)

• Carbon forests, shade, windbreaks - Living infrastructure in schools, ACTSmart Schools program (EPSDD 2020)

• Students demonstrating improved understanding of Ngunnawal culture and social-ecological value of urban nature in a changing climate

• Healthy and resilient natural environment: Ensuring the health of our natural environment remains one of the most important actions in preserving the wellbeing of both current and future generations (ACT Wellbeing Framework, TEDD 2020).

• Connection to nature: There is a strong link between our access to green spaces and improvements to both physical and mental wellbeing (ACT Wellbeing Framework, TEDD 2020).

$1,019,395 $1,019,395

Evaluation and Guidance

Project outcome reports

Resilient Habitat, Resilient Communities Best Practice Guidelines – Australia’s first guidelines for designing and implementing climate-resilient, biodiverse open space projects that deliver health and wellbeing benefits

ACT Return on Nature Investment report that assesses project performance to inform future government and external investment

• …support effective landscape plans, and increase the opportunity for healthy, climate resilient and biodiverse gardens and public lands (ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25 EPSDD 2019)

$1,299,220

Grand Total $3,729,226


Appendix 1. Nature in Cities Program Overview

Nature and people thriving in restored, reconnected and resilient urban habitats.Nature in Cities is Greening Australia’s national initiative to enhance nature and its benefits to people in Australia’s cities and suburbs. We envision a biodiverse, climate resilient network of gardens, parks, schools and waterways where communities connect with nature and engage in its restoration.

What is our solution?Through Greening Australia’s Nature in Cities program, we will partner with government, academics, community groups, and Traditional Owners to establish biodiverse, climate resilient networks of gardens, parks, schools and waterways where nature and people thrive. We will achieve this through three flagship projects:

Cooling the SchoolsThe Cooling the Schools program provides tree canopy cover and native habitat on school grounds and local parks to reduce urban heat, support native pollinators, and create healthier places for children to learn and explore.

The goals of Cooling the Schools are to:

· Reduce urban heat

· Increase biodiversity and climate resiliency

· Create cool outdoor spaces for learning and exploration

· Engage students and families in restoring healthy habitats.

Biodiverse CorridorsThe Biodiverse Corridors program applies leading science and practical solutions to restore critical networks of climate resilient habitat in cities across Australia.

The goals of Biodiverse Corridors are to:

· Grow a connected network of high-quality urban habitat

· Establish cool, biodiverse and resilient refuges for people and wildlife

· Deliver health and wellbeing benefits to communities through nature-based solutions

Resilient Urban RiversThe Resilient Urban Rivers project delivers integrated environmental improvements to major urban waterways at a metro-wide scale.

The goals of Resilient Urban Rivers are:

· Rewilding — Restoring waterway function and improving habitat and water quality

· Resilience — Using climate adjusted seed, species and restoration techniques

· Connecting people to nature — Engaging people in hands-on experiences in nature close to the heart of our cities.

Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for Nature Investment in the ACT | 25 Resilient Places, Resilient Communities: A Blueprint for Nature Investment in the ACT | 25 25 greeningaustralia.org.au

Demonstrating our ImpactWe will demonstrate the impacts of these programs through two measurement frameworks:

· Social impact framework — demonstrates changes in community health, wellbeing, attitudes and behaviours as a result of being involved in improving green infrastructure.

· Biophysical monitoring framework — measures our impact on the extent, condition and connectivity of biodiverse habitats across Australian cities.

NiC Themes Objective Metrics

BIODIVERSITY

By 2030, 3,250 hectares of habitat and 6.5M native plants have been re-established to enhance threatened ecological communities and support the survival of 16 focal fauna species in Australia’s cities and suburbs

· Healthy habitats · Connectedness · Absence of Threats

WATER

By 2030, 400 hectares of urban creek, wetland and river banks have been restored to support wetland biodiversity, mitigate flood risk and to reduce pollutants from discharging into the marine environment

· Aquatic Biodiversity · Riparian Condition · Water Quality

CLIMATE

By 2030, parks, gardens and schools in priority Australian suburbs are enhanced with native plantings to protect residents from the Urban Heat Island Effect.

· Carbon Sequestration · Native vegetation cover · Urban Canopy Cover

PEOPLE

By 2030, 1,900,000 people have been actively engaged in urban nature projects, including 16 active Indigenous partnerships and 4,000 schools, delivering measurable improvements in people’s health and well-being

· Wellbeing · Health · Participant and Supporter numbers · Changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours


CONTACTS

Dr Christine AllenProgram Specialist – Nature in Cities, Greening [email protected] 593 816 Dr Michelle FrankelCommunity Conservation & Education Manager, Greening [email protected] 652 901

Michael Vyse Science and Planning Manager, Nature in Cities, Greening [email protected] 0418 416 710

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