Integrating Biodiversity into Food Growing

For centuries growing food and conservation have been like oil and water but this talk will dispel this notion and demonstrate that food growing practices don’t have to be hostile to biodiversity but rather can compliment one another. Many small changes can be made that vastly improve biodiversity outcomes while not harming and often improving business models at the same time. In this talk you will hear about the role of large old trees in the landscape and how to monitor and manage their health. You will also hear about several examples from the region including from the Regenerative Market Garden farm on which Cameron lives where growers and conservationists are implementing innovative practices to integrate conservation outcomes with a sustainable business model. All of which is applicable to almost any scale of farming, be it  in your own backyard or broadacre. Cameron will also talk about Biolinks’ watershed repair project including the importance of citizen science in conservation.

Please Note:

• If you are unable to attend the live online class, a recording will be available to watch for five days following the session. Please purchase a ticket prior to the class date to access the recording

Presenter: Cameron O’Mara

Cameron is a conservationist currently working with Biolinks Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to achieve large scale conservation outcomes across central Victoria. Cameron has worked for the past decade in native bushland conservation across Victoria and participated in conservation projects overseas including in the Peruvian amazon. His current role as Heathcote local to landscape facilitator entails reaching out to landholders in the region and assisting in ecological repair of degraded landscapes. Cameron is also managing their flagship project the spring plains watershed repair which aims to restore the ecological function of a degraded gold mining site. Many of the approaches used to integrate biodiversity into agricultural areas overlaps with sustainable farming practices such as those found in the regenerative agriculture movement.

Friends of SGA receive a 15% discount on all Master Classes. You can become a Friend of SGA here.

Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) is a not-for-profit non-government organiation dedicated to achieving a healthy biodiverse planet.

Its driving purpose is to:

• Encourage, educate and enable home and professional gardeners to adopt sustainable gardening practices to protect or enhance the natural environment;
• Provide information, education and undertake research about the natural environment;
• Reconnect people to the natural world through gardening; and
• Ensure an understanding of the impacts that gardening decisions about chemical and resource use have on the natural environment well beyond their neighbourhood.