National Private Land Conservation Conference
CNLM participated in the National Private Land Conservation Conference in Melbourne, Australia, November 24-25, 2016. Organized by the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA), this conference was a dynamic and effective forum for private landowners working to conserve Australia’s natural resources. CNLM’s Director of Conservation Science and Stewardship, Deborah 
Rogers, was an invited speaker to the event, along with Laura Johnson (Director of the International Land Conservation Network and former Chair, Board of Directors, Land Trust Alliance), Penelope Figgis (IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, Vice Chair, Oceania), and others. Victoria Marles (Chair, ALCA and Chief Executive Officer, Trust for Nature, Australia) provided context and continuity for the conservation presentations, workshops, and discussions in relation to this expanding conservation community in Australia. Dr. Rogers provided information from CNLM’s 25-year history of conducting perpetual stewardship cost analyses, under the presentation title of “The true cost of perpetual protection—lessons from California”. In addition to participating in the conference, Deborah met with staff from the Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning and discussed conservation covenants (easements) and their funding, among other topics. She participated in a workshop on understanding the ‘Open Standards’ for the practice of conservation, organized by a national land trust—Bush Heritage Australia.
While in Melbourne, Deborah attended a stakeholder workshop on blue carbon credits hosted by Ernest and Young and Deakin University that illuminated the environmental, social, economic, and commercial benefits of blue carbon science. Traveling to Healsville, she was delighted by a behind-the-scenes tour of the Healesville Sanctuary—a bushland haven for Australia wildlife, wildlife animal hospital, and center for acquiring knowledge about imperiled wildlife and providing opportunities for the public to learn about and appreciate Australian wildlife. She also visited the Conservation Ecology Centre at Cape Oatway—founded by Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal to restore and protect important habitats in the Oatway region, provide a wildlife interface for public education and nurturing of an informed conservation ethic, acquire and manage essential conservation properties, and conduct research and contribute to the recovery of iconic or endangered species including the koala and tiger quoll.
Before she left Victoria, Deborah enjoyed hiking with host Marnie Lassen (Trust for Nature, former staff with CNLM) along the coast of Cape Oatway and viewing the magnificent ‘12 apostles’, diverse eucalyptus forests, and near-deserted beaches.