NEST Planting Day Success

Our Future Leaders Committee launched the very first hands-on event through NEST – the Network for Emerging Sustainability Thinkers. What began as a vision to empower emerging researchers quickly became a deeply impactful day of conservation, connection, and learning.

Held across 16 properties in the heart of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the event saw more than 2,000 rare and endangered plants returned to their native habitat, primarily Fleurieu Swamps, one of South Australia's most critically endangered ecosystems. These swamps are home to a unique array of species, and their restoration is essential to reversing biodiversity loss in the region.

Over 35 higher-degree and early-career researchers worked alongside 30+ dedicated landholders, transforming restoration into a collaborative, community-powered experience. These landholders, often on the frontlines of Australia’s biodiversity crisis, carry the heavy responsibility of protecting over half of the nation’s endangered species, which are found on private land. Events like this offer more than planting support; they bring solidarity, recognition, and much-needed hands-on help.

As one landholder put it, “Thank you for the contribution from the Environment Institute towards a very successful enrichment planting day across 16 properties – more than 2,000 rare and endangered plants were planted in swamps and connecting riparian zones. More importantly, more than 30 landholders and more than 35 students/researchers worked together and shared ideas.”

This exchange of ideas lies at the heart of NEST’s mission. Developed by the Environment Institute’s Future Leaders Committee, NEST connects early-career researchers through specialised training, seminars, and immersive fieldwork. It’s designed to build cross-disciplinary thinking and real-world experience, skills essential to addressing today’s complex sustainability challenges.

For many participants, the event was more than a day in the field, it was their first opportunity to apply their research in a practical, community-driven setting. They learned about restoration techniques, landscape ecology, and local plant species, not just from experts but from the landholders who know the land intimately.

The success of this event is also a reflection of the work by Future Leaders Committee members Brittany Hogben, Jasmine Towle, and Shannon Evenden, their work shows the power of emerging leaders when given a platform to shape the future of conservation.

We thank everyone who contributed and was apart of this day!

List of attendees:

• Rhianna Hamilton 
• Adam Toomes 
• Alex Chu 
• Tamara Fletcher 
• Nate Camatta 
• Stephanie Bayancela Briones 
• Brodie Olive 
• Mollie Slater-Baker 
• Charlotte Lassaline 
• Jasmine Broadbridge 
• Andrew Miller 
• Sean McDowall 
• Howard Tang 
• Namalwa Silver 
• Maia Norhafiz 
• Kate Bowdidge 
• Aiyana Poe 
• Emma Karla 
• Pragya Timsina 
• Sayan Banerjee 
• Trang Dang 
• Jasmin Trao 
• Shannon Evenden 
• Britt Hogben 
• Jasmine Towel 
• Jasmine Gao 
• Madison Hogben 
• Isabel Johnston