Stories From: Biodiversity

One cloudy afternoon in January 2021, local Faulconbridge resident Dr Virginia Shepherd stumbled upon an amazing discovery, almost in her own backyard. A native bee which had not been recorded in Australia for over 50 years.

The Birds of Australia STORYBOX interactive exhibit at the Springwood Hub showcases John and Elizabeth Gould's bird illustrations and First Nations knowledge. It highlights the threats to Australian birds, promotes conservation efforts, and is complemented by the Planetary Health Centre's bird photography exhibition.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Blue Mountains built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds.

Local permaculture expert, Rowe Morrow, has adapted her home to reduce her impact on the environment, cope with climate change, flooding, heat, drought, fire and rising energy and food costs. She provides inspiration and guidance for how we can too.

The South Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo is one of Australia's rarest native birds, with a population of just 8,000. Happily the staff and students at Glenbrook Public School were not willing to give up on the flocks who make their home in the Blue Mountains region, with the Glossy Black Cockatoo as the theme for their recent National Science Week program.

Chris Oddie is a passionate member of the Lithgow Environment Group (LEG). With other members of LEG, she became increasingly concerned about the growing number of invasive Indian Myna birds proliferating in Lithgow. Mynas are listed among 100 of the world's worst invasive species by the World Conservation Union.

Ever wondered what the world looks like to a tiny insect? That question was the basis of a recent interactive community performance MAGNIFY, featuring environmental songstress Amelie Ecology and hosted by Wildground Creative Adventures.

Life is made up of complex systems in which everything is inter-connected. Over his decades-long teaching career, Stuart Hill, a retired Emeritus Professor, and Linden resident, has helped hundreds of students understand the critical relationships between human actions and the health of our planet.

There is an army of hard-working environmental warriors all around us: in soil, on plants, in the air and in the water. Insects are our hidden allies. They protect, develop and maintain our natural environments, and yet their contribution is so often misunderstood, ignored or actively maligned.

The story of Lithgow Environment Group is a saga spanning nearly two decades of their heroic struggle against fire, local habitat destruction, weak government legislation and in particular, irresponsible mining practices.