Healthy Land & Water’s much-loved What’s Your Nature? project has drawn to a close after delivering $2 million in urban water restoration work over five years.

On June 28, community members, council officers, and many of the people involved in What’s Your Nature? came together in Carindale to celebrate the project’s achievements.

Healthy Land & Water's much-loved What's Your Nature? project has drawn to a close after delivering $2 million in urban water restoration work over five years. 

What’s Your Nature? launched in 2013 and was designed to help connect people to their urban waterways and increase the community’s appreciation of the natural environment.

An Australian Government grant kickstarted the project, and Healthy Land & Water collaborated with Brisbane City Council (BCC) and Brisbane Catchment Network to deliver the restoration work across the 12 main urban waterways that make up the Lower Brisbane catchment.

Over the five years, over 300 hectares of bushland across 40 high-value ecological waterway sites were restored through weeding and revegetation work.

One hundred Water Smart Street Trees were also installed in five highly urbanised catchments across Brisbane to help filter stormwater, providing a trove of data and information enabling BCC to refine and develop an optimal water smart street tree design.

At the celebration event at Bulimba Creek Catchment Centre, attendees reflected on What’s Your Nature?’s achievements, and volunteers shared their experience working on some of their restoration projects that were part of the What’s Your Nature? Program.

Healthy Land & Water Chief Executive Officer Julie McLellan said the many people who collaborated on the project deserved credit for delivering tangible improvements to Brisbane’s natural environment.

“What’s Your Nature? has been a wonderful success and a true showcase of the power of collaboration and the incredible volunteering efforts of the community members who helped manage the sites,” she said.

“These community-driven projects are invaluable, and I acknowledge everyone involved for your contributions to making Brisbane a healthier place to live and play.”

Brisbane Catchment Networks President Rachael Williams said the collaborative and strategic nature of the project was the secret to its success.

“What’s Your Nature? provided the community of Brisbane with opportunities to connect with nature and build community stewardship towards our urban bushland and waterways,” she said.

To learn more about Brisbane Catchments Network visit www.brisbanecatchments.org.au.