Global Evergreening Alliance

A major engagement during March has been with the Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA), an international organisation which aims to restore degraded lands worldwide. Up until recently much of its work has been in developing countries primarily in Africa. Its major donors have now committed 150m euro to restoring landscapes in Australia and increasing soil carbon and it would seem that its aims are virtually identical to the actual work of TMI.

Just days before travel restrictions were recommended, TMI Chairman Gary Nairn attended the launch of GEA’s Australian project, Restore Australia, held on an agroforestry property in Victoria near Dean’s Marsh. Gary’s presentation at the launch highlighted TMI’s achievements, including our whole-of-catchment Mulloon Community Landscape Rehydration Project.

Since the launch a lot has been happening but it has had to be done in a more ‘makeshift’ way due to travel restrictions and social-distancing. As a member of GEA’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB), Gary will be advising on technical aspects of the project. The TAB met via an online Zoom meeting to provide input into a ‘Design Workshop’ scheduled to be held in Melbourne on 30 and 31 March. Obviously travelling to Melbourne was out of the question but thanks to modern technology and our evolving adaptability to constantly changing circumstances the workshop still successfully went ahead.

Over the two-day workshop up to 68 participants were online at any one time, with ‘breakout rooms’ were aspects of the proposed plan could be workshopped in smaller groups. Good planning and individual discipline with respect to ‘muting your microphone’ and ‘putting your hand up to speak’ ensured this ‘makeshift’ alternative to being in the one room worked. The end result was a detailed ‘Logframe’ (short for logical framework) for the Restore Australia project. The TAB will meet again to help bring this work to a point where a submission will be made to GEA’s donors on how the funding will be applied over the next year and next five years. More details on that soon.