Connecting communities & landscapes
BioDiversity Legacy is committed to building relationships with individuals and communities in regional areas, supporting them with information and resources to enhance local connectivity, expand networks and help communities champion the protection and restoration of their precious local landscapes.
Why use the term biolink?
We use the term ‘community biolink’ to frame discussions about local contexts and how we can support communities with knowledge and resources to enhance biodiversity protection and landscape connectivity.
Conversations at the grassroots level help us understand what landholders and communities need in order to expand their vision and see how their projects can contribute to biodiversity outcomes beyond the spatial footprint of individual properties and projects.
Our coordinators
We employ Biolink Coordinators around Australia. Acting as our ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground, they have a deep understanding of local landscapes and conservation challenges, working closely with landowners, community groups, agencies and local government bodies to understand the biolink vision for the area, strengthen networks and build capacity.
Stuart Inchley
South Gippsland and Bass Coast Bioink Coordinator
Robyn Edwards
Community & Stewardship Manager, Gippsland
Keith Smith
North Queensland Biolink Coordinator
Tim Rowe
East Gippsland Biolink Coordinator
Josh Wellington
Southern NSW Biolink Coordinator
How the coordinators support local communities
By leading or engaging in activities that build links and community connections, such as:
- networking across the not-for-profit environmental sector
- providing local knowledge of environmental challenges and landscapes
- connecting individuals and groups with common interests, including those with existing conservation covenants on their land
- communicating with local media
- participating in or leading citizen science activities
- participating in community regeneration projects
- facilitating connections with environmental specialists (e.g. land managers, botanists and surveyors)