WWF-Australia has kickstarted an ambitious Regenerate Australia plan to double koala numbers on the country’s east coast, as well as save and grow 2 billion trees by 2030, after disastrous bushfires led to losses of billions of animals and trees.
Ambitious initiatives are already underway – including two global innovation challenges offering A$3 million to develop bold solutions that help people and nature recover, and testing the distribution of gum tree seeds by drones to regenerate bushland. Bushfire-affected and indigenous communities inputted into the development of the initiative, which aims to raise A$300 million over 5 years. The past year has seen wildfires raging from the Amazon to the Arctic – the result of persistent and drier weather caused by climate change, together with other factors ranging from accidental burning to clearing forests for agricultural land. WWF is working with partners to tackle the crisis in a number of countries, including a Bolivian fire response programme that supports 147 indigenous communities. For more about our global work to restore forests, read a feature about the progress we are making in South America’s Atlantic forest.
