OTWAYS RESILIENT FORESTS

NETWORK

The Otways Resilient Forests Network supports communities in the Otways to build their knowledge and understanding of how forests can be managed in a changing climate, to reduce risks of bushfire whilst delivering broader outcomes for biodiversity and people.

“We all agree that ‘we can do better’ for our foothill forests.

As a group, we are all committed to working together to gather and share knowledge, and to identify, trial and implement better ways of managing the foothill forests of the Otways to improve their health and resilience in a changing climate.

In the longer term, we want to explore collaborative ways to influence the system(s) in which these forests exist, creating thriving communities and sustainable economies connected to forests.”.

The Network aims to build connections between communities and local groups, Traditional Owners, government agencies and other land and catchment managers by enabling communities to play a more active role in shaping decisions around forest management and building their resilience to climate-related threats like bushfire.

The Otways Resilient Forests Network:

  • Gives the community a voice in how forests are managed on public land by creating a shared understanding of current and alternative management actions (both adaptive and transformative) to manage bushfire risk and enhance forest health and resilience.

  • Shares knowledge and information, engaging in Collective Learning through a collaborative process wherein diverse stakeholders engage in shared knowledge acquisition, application, and adaptation to support on-ground work.

  • Equips private landholders’ knowledge and skills to undertake climate resilient management of remnant forest on private property.

  • Builds connections and strong relationships between communities and land managers, which will assist in communications in disaster preparedness and response.

The Network was formed during the Resilient Forests Climate Adaptation Pathways project, delivered for the Department of Environment, Energy & Climate Action (DEECA) by the Conservation Ecology Centre, which you can learn more about here.

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