When Carolyn Hall, CEO of Mulloon Institute, stood before an audience of over 300 international delegates in Tokyo in late February, she carried with her something rare in global environmental policy circles – a proven, on-ground story of nature doing what nature does best.
Carolyn was invited to present at the International Nature-Based Solutions Symposium in Tokyo, joining an extraordinary delegation that included representatives from the Smithsonian Institution, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the University of Tokyo and Straughan Environmental – a gathering funded by the Kajima Institute of International Peace. Together, they brought to life successful nature-based solutions (NbS) from Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Australia, Japan and across the globe.
That Australia’s voice in this room belonged to the Mulloon Institute speaks to the growing recognition of what we have built here – a living laboratory for landscape-scale restoration, grounded in science, shaped by respect for Country and tested by decades of on-ground work.
The symposium was more than a conference. It was a convergence of ideas, exchanging knowledge with government officers, elected officials, fishermen and 500 students from Hibiya High School during a tour of the Tokyo Bay catchment. The next generation of environmental stewards heard directly about what is possible when communities and landscapes are given the chance to heal.
A highlight of the visit was meeting Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike – a former Minister of the Environment and Minister of Defence, and a committed advocate for nature-based solutions as a pathway to a more sustainable, resilient Tokyo.
At Mulloon Institute, we have always believed that local knowledge, when shared generously, becomes global wisdom. Tokyo reminded us of that, and reminded the world that Australia has something vital to contribute to the nature-based solutions conversation.