Our Vision for Sustainability
What is the Woodland Recovery Initiative?
The Woodland Recovery Initiative is an environmental project of international significance that has been proposed by the University of Adelaide to halt the loss of animal and plant species in South Australia's Mount Lofty region and help combat the effects of climate change.
The initiative will be a long-term, multi-million-dollar project that aims to:
- establish a world-class research centre
- play a key role in helping to re-establish native vegetation to 30% of the Mt Lofty region – an unprecedented scale globally
- prevent the loss of native flora and fauna
- promote the return of native species that have disappeared across the Ranges
- provide major environmental outcomes that will benefit the State and local communities for generations to come.
The importance of Glenthorne
The University's property at Glenthorne will be the focal point for the Woodland Recovery Initiative, which will:
- replenish approximately 100ha of the property with a native habitat that is as close to a pre-colonial state as possible
- help scientists to better understand how the Mt Lofty Ranges can be revegetated with habitats that can support the region’s wildlife
- help scientists to tackle the added challenges presented by climate change
- provide opportunities for the community – such as school groups and residents – to engage in this important work, across different generations.
The work at Glenthorne aims to provide real benefits that reach well beyond the borders of the property itself. This is because the experiences and outcomes generated at Glenthorne will be transferable to the extensive areas of adjacent open space in the Mt Lofty Ranges and will assist in the delivery of thousands of hectares of regenerated woodland.
More than this, the regenerated woodlands will be unlike the majority of reforestation projects which focus on only one or a few plant species – these woodlands will provide a diverse species base that will focus on habitat regeneration, aimed at bringing back species of indigenous fauna.
Why this work is needed
The re-establishment of natural habitats is urgently needed in the greater Mt Lofty region, with 50% of woodland bird species facing regional extinction because there is not enough native vegetation to support their populations.
View the video presentation about this initiative
The on-ground works to build natural habitats will need to be spread over many years – in some cases decades – to re-construct the basic elements of natural habitats at any one location. Some components of habitats, such as tree hollows, can take more than 100 years to form.
Sustainable funding for a sustainable environment
The success of the Woodland Recovery Initiative depends on the University’s ability to raise the significant amount of funding needed to turn its vision into a reality. To provide enough ongoing funding for the project to succeed over the next 100 years, the University estimates that it will need to establish a $100 million trust fund.
