At this SA ZERO member-only workshop held on 3 October 2025, the focus was on the importance of nurturing nature and biodiversity in our mission for a cleaner, greener world.
We were treated with a presentation by Michelle Waycott, Chief Botanist of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, South Australia who provided us with an overview of South Australia’s biodiversity landscape and the important work the BGSH does in researching, managing, and preserving South Australia’s botanical gardens and over one million plant specimens.
Michelle emphasised that data is an important part of biodiversity and that while significant areas of the state’s natural landscape has degraded since the late 1800s due to land use, there is growing momentum to protect and value biodiversity. With the UN-backed Global Biodiversity Framework now in place and consultation currently open on the implementation plan for Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024-2030, there’s a prime opportunity to drive ambition and halt and reverse nature loss.
We also heard from Marguerite Swart and Melinda Clarke from Green Adelaide who provided an overview of the work Green Adelaide does to make Adelaide a cooler, greener, wilder place to live and visit.
Craig Wilkins, National Director of the Murray Darling Conservation Alliance and Member of the Premier’s Climate Change Council also joined the discussion and spoke about the importance of nurturing and protecting our state’s water resources and underlined the important role nature and biodiversity play in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
A big thank you to the team at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens for generously hosting us in the beautiful Goodman Building and for the tour of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition in the Bicentennial Conservatory.
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SA ZERO members include: Adelaide University, BHP, City of Adelaide, CSIRO, Department for Environment and Water, ElectraNet Pty Ltd, Flinders Port Holdings Pty Limited, Flinders University, SA Power Networks, Uniting Communities.
