The Restore Spring Creek project is being led by the Surf Coast Energy Group (SCEG), working in partnership with government agencies and authorities, landowners, local businesses, conservation specialists, other community groups and the wider community in general.

Our Aim

Our aim is to restore the ecological biodiversity of the Spring Creek valley.  We believe that this will bring about improvements in the four key areas of sustainability (energy, economy, ecology and equity) by:

  • Directing the community’s passionate energy into stewardship activities that in turn capture and store solar energy in biomass and soil carbon.

  • Encouraging truly sustainable economic activity that is compatible with, and linked to, nature conservation, eg regenerative farming, ecotourism, carbon offsetting, arts/cultural activities;

  • Undertaking a range of activities to build ecological biodiversity, eg tree planting, systems planning, monitoring, building goodwill for conservation.

  • Understanding the importance of equity for nature and for the community.

Given that the majority of land in the Spring Creek valley is in private ownership to achieve these outcomes we will investigate options such as:

Changing practices

Supporting landholders to change their practices in order to protect, conserve, or restore biodiversity on their land, and to value biodiversity conservation.

Changing Property Rights

With the support of a conservation trust a landowner may choose to establish a conservation covenant over a part of their property, binding themselves and future owners of the property to protect the biodiversity values of the covenanted land.

Changing Property Ownership

Land could be purchased by a community trust, or a third party acting on behalf of the community, with the primary intention of managing it for biodiversity conservation and community purposes.

Work has already
begun including:

  • Engagement with agencies, organisations and community groups.

  • Ecological assessments and baseline studies.

  • On-ground weed control and planting.

  • Facilitating partnerships with Landcare and the Catchment Management Authority to attract new conservation investment.

  • Assessing technical and legal feasibility of a community-owned land trust.