Vanessa Cavanagh on ABC Sydney talking about Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team

Fantastic interview on ABC Sydney by Wendy Harmer with Vanessa Cavanagh, ELA's  Aboriginal Riverkeeper Project Manager and Tony Wales from the Georges River Combined Councils Committee about the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Project. 

For the past three years, Eco Logical Australia’s Vanessa Cavanagh worked as the project manager of the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team project. A first of its kind for ELA; the project operated within the Georges River catchment in south-west Sydney, undertaking bushland regeneration across 15 different work sites. ELA employed and managed a team of young Aboriginal trainees to undertake bush regeneration while also engaging in cultural practices and learning. The project was federally funded and run in collaboration with the Georges River Combined Councils Committee (GRCCC).

The project  produced profound ecological benefits through the restoration of large areas of bushland by increasing habitats, protecting flora and fauna diversity, controlling invasive weed, planting and rubbish removal. This included the planting of 45,149 native plants over 11.5 hectares into local council reserves. The removal and treatment of 119.5 hectares of noxious or highly problematic weed species weeds including lantana, asparagus fern, crofton weed, African olive and morning glory among other weed species.

The project also generated significant social and cultural impacts for the all involved including the Aboriginal trainees, the non-Indigenous team supervisor Lex Gerasimou, the client, GRCCC, and also the Aboriginal community. The project placed social outcomes for Aboriginal people as a priority and incorporated strong cultural components, which was reflected in the 100% success rate in creating eight trained and experienced Aboriginal bush regenerators by the completion of the project.

To hear more about the project, listen to Vanessa and Tony's interview with Wendy Harmer HERE

Photo Credit:Vanessa Cavanagh