Year after year, the Brigidine Sisters have been supporting the work of Fifteen Trees in protecting the Australian landscape, and this year is no different. Through their extraordinary generosity, we’ve been able to plant another 1,300 native trees, shrubs and grasses across three beautiful sites, continuing a partnership that means more to us than we can easily put into words.

Charity has always been at the heart of the Brigidine Sisters’ mission – but their spirit of giving has never been confined to their own community. Their philanthropy reaches far and wide, touching organisations and landscapes across the country, and we are genuinely fortunate to be among those who benefit from their kindness and their vision for a healthier, greener world.

This year, their trees have gone ‘into the ground’ at The Grampians National Park, VIC (530 trees), Bellinger Island, NSW (450 trees) and Victor Harbour, SA (320 trees).  Three sites across 3 states will be transformed over the coming decades. The native trees, shrubs and grasses chosen for these sites will provide food and shelter for local wildlife, improve soil health, filter waterways and help restore the kind of rich, connected native habitat that supports biodiversity for generations to come. It is ecosystem restoration in the truest sense, funded by the Brigidine Sisters – who simply believe the world deserves better.

Site 1 | Grampians National Park, VIC | 530 trees

The trees were planted at Grampians/Gariwerd District of Western Victoria, by the Buloke and Northern Grampians Landcare Network (BNGLN). This wonderful network supports 18 local Landcare and environmental groups across the Shires of Buloke and Northern Grampians. Restoration efforts aim to return the region as closely as possible to its original ecological vegetation state.

This landscape, once densely forested, has suffered from waves of deforestation due to mining (1860s), timber harvesting (1920s), agriculture (1930s) and of course bushfires.

Grampians contained more than 30% of the state’s flora with dozens of endemic species, which means they do not grow anywhere else. It is truly amazing when you think about it. It’s a relatively small area to contain that much representation of the state’s flora.

This small rural district is one of the biodiversity hotspots in Victoria, with majestic tree species such as box, ironbark, River Red Gums, Victorian Blue Gum and the iconic Buloke tree (which Red-tailed Cockatoos rely on for food).

Jill Burness | Gariwerd/Grampians Endemic Botanic Gardens

Local Landcare groups are playing a vital role in environmental restoration. Restoration efforts include:

• Supporting natural regeneration of native plants, many of which are fire-adapted.
• Managing soil erosion and minimising land disturbance.
• Maintaining water quality in local rivers, creeks, and streams.
• Controlling invasive species that threaten native flora.
• Assisting native wildlife with nesting boxes and the control of feral predators.
• Replanting in sensitive areas.
• Establishing long-term recovery strategies, including monitoring and community involvement.

The Grampians/Gerward District is home to the majestic flora of box and ironbark eucalyptus, River Red Gum and Victorian blue gum species. The continued expansion of habitat corridors and revegetation projects like this one will help support the long-term recovery of this precious landscape.

Site 2 |Bellinger Island, NSW | 450 trees

The trees were at Bellingen Island, NSW (Gumbaynggirr Country) by Bellinger Landcare members over the course of a few weeks. The flying fox population at Bellingen Island is a nationally recognised conservation site. It is mostly occupied by Grey headed Flying Foxes (nationally threatened), while Black Flying Foxes and Little Red Flying foxes have also been recorded at the camp. The area is also home to Koalas, Quolls, Greater Gliders, and Glossy Black Cockatoos.

This particular site was selected to provide multiple benefits, such as:

• increase forage and roost sites for Grey Headed Flying Foxes,
• Improve health of the site,
• reduce erosion and
• improve connectivity between fragmented flora reserves.

The dominant vegetation immediately around planting sites is Lowland Subtropical Rainforest and Wet Sclerophyll Forest, but much of this has been cleared for farmland in the past.

These trees will improve the availability of winter forage for Grey Headed Flying Foxes. These flying foxes are a keystone species in the Australian landscape and provide critical pollination and seed dispersal services. Although they have a varied diet, the availability of nectar in late winter and early spring restricts population growth. By improving the availability of this forage, Bellinger Landcare Group are helping to ease that stress on the flying foxes. The trees will also provide multispecies benefit to other mammals, birds and insects of the area, and help with erosion control and flood mitigation.

Thank you to the generous sponsors of these trees. By sponsoring this project, you have helped Bellinger Landcare’s efforts to provide increased forage for our beloved local flying fox populations.

Andrew Yager | Project Manager | Bellinger Landcare Inc.

Site 3 | Victor Harbour, SA | 320 trees

As it often does … it all started with a conversation.

In 2021, a group of locals in Victor Harbour gathered informally and started talking about the state of the Hindmarsh River Estuary. What they saw concerned them deeply. Weeds choking the banks. Pest animals running unchecked. Native flora and fauna in steady decline. A beloved stretch of South Australian coastline quietly losing what made it special.

Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary was born from that conversation – an inclusive, passionate volunteer group dedicated to restoring and protecting their corner of the planet. Five years on, the results speak for themselves. Over 6,000 indigenous seedlings have been planted along the estuary, including 320 generously donated by the Brigidine Community, bringing back the kind of native habitat that this remarkable place deserves.

At the core is the need for change as to how we think about and treat the river. There is a need to move beyond the concept of an economic resource ‘to take from’. Instead, we need to find a balance of the river and its environs treasured by all as the valuable ecological asset for future generations.

Mark Richards | Co-convenor | Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary.

The species planted tell their own story – Manna Gum, Coastal Mallee and Cup Gum eucalypts, Drooping Sheoak, Kangaroo Thorn, Banksias, Melaleucas and Hakeas, alongside native grasses including Wallaby Grass, Pigface and Sedges. Each one chosen because it belongs in this place, and because the wildlife depends on it.

And what wildlife it is! The Hindmarsh River Estuary is home to some of South Australia’s most special birds – the Cape Barren Goose (featured image), Elegant Parrot, Greater Crested Tern, Hooded Plover, Yellow Thornbill, Black-chinned Honeyeater and the magnificent Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo all nest in the area.

To the Brigidine Sisters – thank you. Your care for both people and planet is a constant source of inspiration, and because of you our world is a little greener and a little healthier.

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer: Colleen B. Filippa

Feature image – Cape Barron Goose.  Charles J. Sharp.

With a background in Environmental Science (Melbourne Uni), Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare.