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James Heafey and I presented a session on Ecosystem Restoration - Engaging students in Geography through ecosystem restoration projects, at the recent Australian Geography Teachers Association conference. As it turned out, this was a really relevant topic for the conference - there was a sand dune restoration project not even a kilometre from one of the hotels I stayed in, and while in Kakadu I flew over the Ranger Uranium mine, currently undergoing rehabilitation. Does the Ranger example even count as ecosystem restoration? I think not, but it is worth including it in the discussion, and asking some questions... This presentation has built on the work of a number of Geography and Science teachers over the last few years who have worked on some of these projects. Click the image below to view the full presentation.  2021-2030 is the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Ecosystem restoration refers to initiatives that assist in the recovery of degraded ecosystems and in some cases conserving ecosystems still intact. It seeks to initiate or accelerate ecosystem recovery following damage, degradation or destruction, and involves creating the conditions needed for recovery. Actions related to ecosystem restoration could include altering landforms, planting vegetation, removing invasive species, changing hydrology, etc. Ecosystem restoration activities can be short or long term, but it will take a long time before the ecosystem can become self-organising again. The process of restoration may take years or decades. Ecosystem restoration projects are an excellent opportunity to improve student engagement in Geography, Science, Marine Studies and STEM, and provide a real world context for students to apply their knowledge and skills in a meaningful way. Criticisms of Geography can be that it tends to be very problems focused. We often study an environment or an issue, the geographical processes related to it, the various issues and implications related to a problem, and then right at the end (often when we have lost student interest) we start exploring possible solutions and ways of addressing sustainability. A focus on ecosystem restoration projects, enables students to explore positive activities that are occurring in their community, and then explore what those solutions are addressing, the processes and the environment. It is almost turning the learning on its head and provides an almost "positive psychology" approach to learning about environments and Geography.  Currently in Sydney there are a range of ecosystem restoration projects underway that are having regular successes, regularly receive positive media attention, and are winning awards. Seabirds to Seascapes is a three-year project, led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). It aims to bring important ecosystems and marine wildlife back to the harbour. Seabirds to Seascapes consistes of three main projects: Project Restore – restoration of Sydney Harbour seascapes through installing Living Seawalls and replanting sea grasses and kelp. Penguin census – counting little penguins and monitoring breeding colonies and their foraging behaviours along the NSW coast. Seal survey – monitoring Australian and New Zealand fur seal populations in New South Wales. It involves a range of government organisations, research institutions and community groups including: DCCEEW's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Division (BCS), Science, Economics and Insights (SEI), Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS - University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University, the University of NSW and the University of Sydney), Taronga Conservation Society (penguin count and seal census), CSIRO, Marine conservation groups and Gamay Rangers.  Beyond Sydney and the Seabirds to Seascapes projects, there are a wide range of organisations involved in ecosystem restoration projects, many which have been operating over a long period and which already provide opportunities for schools and student involvement. Landcare and Greening Australia are the obvious examples, and tree planting is an activity students have been involved with for many years. WetlandCare Australia, and OzFish are involved in a range of projects. New York Harbour School and the Billion Oyster Project  In. exploring ways that schools might be able to get involved in the ecosystem restoration projects occurring in Sydney, I came across the New York Harbour School and Billion Oyster Project. The New York Harbour School connects the school - located on an island in the NY harbour on Governors Island, with learning - both theoretical and practical, about ecosystem restoration. Students are introduced to the of study of aquaculture, marine biology research, marine policy and advocacy, marine systems technology, ocean engineering, professional diving, and vessel operations in addition to their traditional high school coursework. Billion Oyster Project is restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor in collaboration with New York City communities. Oyster reefs provide habitat for hundreds of species, and can protect our city from storm damage — softening the blow of large waves, reducing flooding, and preventing erosion along the shorelines. Field stations are restoration sites where Billion Oyster Project, or our partner organizations, host regular field days utilizing an oyster installation. They are targeted for long-term community and student engagement with an emphasis on local involvement. - Billion Oyster Project website The New York Harbour School and Billion Oyster Project provide an example of student involvement in an ecosystem restoration project that is driving the learning of the whole school. This isn't a realistic expectation for most of us, and most schools, but what can we achieve in a normal mainstream school, with limited time and limited budget? Schools Foreshore Project Read about student involvement in the Balmain Foreshore Project: Balmain Foreshore Project - Introduction Gardening Below the Surface - Operation Posidonia Balmain Foreshore Project - Trial Activities Balmain Foreshore Project - Implementation Balmain Foreshore Project - Living Seawalls Balmain Foreshore Project - Living Seawalls: Pre-Installation Biodiversity Survey Balmain Foreshore Project - Launch and 2023 Reflection Balmain Foreshore Project - Bush care, Year 9 2024 Click the image below to view the Balmain Foreshore Project section of the presentation.  Below are the Year 9 and 10 student worksheets. Click the download button to view them full size.
View the Balmain Foreshore Project website here: sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/balmain-foreshore-project/home Work is now underway to introduce a Hunters Hill Foreshore Project, based at Hunters Hill High school. Initial meetings have taken place and funding is currently being sought. This project will focus on mangroves, and the installation of Living Seawalls, but will link the project with the new Senior Geography syllabus implementation.  
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The first workshop I attended at the AGTA Conference was "Forest Learning - Forest, People, Places”. The session covered an introduction to forestry, a discussion about how forestry can be renewable and sustainable, carbon capture, the chain of custody and certification of sustainable forestry. It was run by the staff from Forest Learning - Beth Welden, Veronica Tyquin, Hanna Lillicrap.
Virtual reality headsets are around $1000 each, so it is probably not realistic for schools or classes to have multiple headsets for student use that only get used every so often. For cheaper student access, there are templates for the folding cardboard headsets available online, and these can be used with students own phones (assuming permission is granted outside of the phone ban).
 As excursions are becoming more difficult to organise (risk assessments, bookings, costs, WHS requirements, clashes in school calendars, etc, etc) it is great to find varied experiences for students that allow them to be exposed to different environments and activities within their classroom. A best case scenario is a situation where virtual activities like these, can be used in conjunction with outdoor, real fieldwork experiences to enhance
Some of the highlights of the AGTA conference were listening to the experiences of some of the teachers from the NT – Ian Morris OAM and Steve Hawkins in particular, but also several others who I had informal conversations with. There’s lots to learn from them about working with their communities, developing better cultural understanding and providing more inclusive educational experiences. Particularly interesting was the concept of "bothways" - schooling systems working together Yolnu communities to implement bilingual pedagogy, cultural knowledge transmission and parental and community engagement. Below is an article from the Australian Journal of Indigenous Education - "Renewing the Yolnu "Bothways" philosophy: Warramiri transcultural education at Gawa. Our Geographical Secrets – Ian Morris Ian was the first Science teacher in Arnhem Land, where he began as a 19 year old, working with the local community on an island off Arnhem Land coast. Ian spoke about information he had been taught over many years from David Burrumarra, a senior Yolnu mentor, about the social and cultural impacts of historical sea level rise off the coast of Arnhem land. Sahul refers to the combined Pleistocene landmass of Australia and New Guinea. The Pleistocene was a time when sea levels were lower, and an extensive area of the northwest of Australia was exposed. This area included an inland sea and large freshwater lake. There were fluctuating sea levels, and two periods of rapid sea level rise, resulting in the rapid drowning of around half of the Northwest Shelf, transformed coastlines, and offshore island geographies. The changing sea levels and changing landscapes affected migration patterns – when sea levels were low, people could travel more easily. The gap between Timor and Sahul was reduced down to 90 metres. The period of the last rapid sea level rise around 4000 years ago when it reached our present sea level, was the topic of much of Ian’s presentation. The physical sea level rise, and the drowning of habitable areas had very obvious social impacts and cultural changes for local communities – physical displacement, social upheaval and a change of diet. Historical knowledge of these changes in sea level is found in oral history of over thousands of years old. Ian worked with and learnt from the Warramiri people, who shared some of their oral history with him and their association with the ‘Freshwater Ocean’. The clan group was pushed off the coastal plains, off traditional country into other peoples' country, and had to live off the coastline as they didn’t have hunting rights. This also occurred for many other clan groups. The clan group told of how they lived on the shores of a freshwater island east of Elcho Island, and that saltwater inundation forced them to move inland, westward and to higher ground. Oral accounts describe that in some locations the water rose so quickly there was no time for preparation. The new sites they moved into were equivalent to “refugee camps”. This was the result of sea level rise from the last glacial melt. Changes to sea levels in the region is also recorded in detail in a variety of other ways, for example species found in rock art of the Warramiri in caves and overhangs of the Arnhem coastline include stingrays, surgeonfish, whale, octopus and clams. Shell middens also provide evidence of occupation in particular sites – some 4000-8000 years BP and up to 9 metres deep. Work is being done to date the middens as some of the older parts are disintegrating. As the sea level rose, freshwater creeks became tidal forests, mangrove seeds floated further inland and took root, and as the saltwater moved further inland, marine life followed – particularly sharks and stingrays (best eaten when they are “fat” with swollen livers – an excellent source of omega three oil). Mangroves are an important location for finding food and species like mangrove worms, and shellfish kept communities alive and were an important source of protein. Cycads were an important food source (once detoxified). There is also evidence of communities planting food - wild tomatoes, portulacca, toothache tree, bush potatoes, bush peanuts, black plum, wild almonds, as well as finger sop (fruit brought here by the Macassins from Indonesia). Sea level changes caused enormous social upheaval, and there is also evidence of conflict in locations where communities were forced into higher ground along new coastlines. Most community groups along the coastlines would have lost their entire territory and been pushed into neighbouring communities’ land. Evidence of conflict between groups is seen in battle scenes in rock art in some of these areas, and in their mythology. Slowly social stability returned as their children married out into mainland clans.
Listen to: Naturalist Ian Morris talks snakes, crocs and adventures in Arnhem Land on ABC Radio Darwin.
Watch: Tales from the Territory from ABC Darwin. (you will need to log into Facebook to view the video). The Australian Geography Teachers Conference was held in Darwin this year. This biennial conference rotates around each state, and if you are a Geography teacher, is worth the investment to attend. The event usually includes a series of lectures and workshops, field trips and a couple of social events including a conference dinner. The welcome event was a viewing of "Wilding" at the Deckchair Cinema. Unfortunately, I was still on my way back from Kakadu, so I missed this event, but heard it was excellent. There were a range of presentations and workshops at the conference. Here are a few other posts detailing a few of these: The Conference Dinner on Thursday night was held at Crocosaurus Cove. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the location. Crocosaurus is a tourist site in the middle of Darwin that houses a number of large crocodiles and where you can swim in a translucent cage with one. That experience is definitely not for me, but there were a couple of people from the conference that went for it. We were able to pat a little crocodile on entry which was pretty cool. The food was seriously amazing - literally the best steak I have ever eaten, and the entree was amazing as well. At the Conference Dinner at each AGTA Conference, awards are given out for resources released in the previous two years, and the Dom Biddle Friend of Geography Award for outstanding service to Australian Geography - won this conference by Debbie Claridge from Tasmania.
There is real significance in having a range of social events associated with a longer professional learning event like this. People relax, get to know each other and are more likely to be open and share ideas and resources. The conference also used the Eventee app, which the organisers used to share updates, and allowed attendees to share photos of field trips, compete for prizes and message each other.
Well done to the AGTA Organising Committee for an excellent conference. I’ve had an amazing week in Darwin for the 2024 Australia Geography Teachers Association conference. I highly recommend attending the national conferences for Geography teachers at all levels of experience. The 2026 conference location should be announced soon. Prior to the conference I visited Kakadu National Park for the first time in 25 years. Still amazing. As part of the tour we visited Nourlangie, Yellow River, Ubirr, Cahill’s Crossing and Arnhem Land, and were lucky enough to do a quick flight over the park. What a privilege. Below is a gallery of photos of some of the Aboriginal artwork seen at Ubirr and Nourlangie. There are some sites which are open to tourists and which we can view and photograph, and other sites which are off limits to visitors and/or which tourists are not allowed to photograph. All of the photos below are at sites open to the public and which we were allowed to photograph. Some of these sites provide locational and environmental information, and many have spiritual, historical and social meaning and are used to record and pass on information. There is a lot of signage at these sites to provide the publicly available explanations of the rock art, some information about Aboriginal names for places, concepts and objects.. My favourite site was at Ubirr where there was an immense rock shelf with a huge amount of intricate paintings. As well as the amazing cultural experiences, Kakadu also has a huge range of animal life to see. The crocodiles are pretty awe-inspiring, but there is also so much bird life around. Below is a series of photos - some on the Yellow river, and then East Alligator River near Cahill's Crossing and further upstream near Arnhem land, which we traversed on the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise. This cruise was led by an Aboriginal guide who shared information about local mythology, culture, traditional uses of plants and animals and ecology. The birdlife on the Yellow River cruise was really varied - my favourite was the Jabiru - a bird that looks like it is straight out of Alice in Wonderland, and grows to 140cm tall. I remember using Kakadu as a case study as a beginning teacher, but I don't think I have used it that many times since then. It would really make a great case study in a range of different topics, and provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate authentic and meaningful information about Aboriginal culture and perspectives in a way that fits so naturally with concepts around environmental management, physical characteristics of environments and human use and ingenuity.
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