The longest lockdown in the world couldn’t stop the tenacious OSGeo Oceania / FOSS4G-SotM members from completing their goal of replanting an area with native species.
The second Oceania FOSS4G-Sotm Oceania conference, held in Wellington, New Zealand-Aotearoa in 2019, delivered friendship, knowledge, collaboration, humor and a sizable contribution to carbon-offsets. Rather than purchasing the offsets, it was agreed to replant an area in the eastern fringes of Melbourne in Boon Wurrung country with native species. What could possibly go wrong?
This was a partnership with Parks Victoria, Friends of Lysterfield Park and Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery and organised by Adam Steer and Tony Forster from the FOSS4G-SotM community.
July 2020 was selected as the optional time however Melbourne ground to a halt with the pandemic lockdown and the day was postponed, postponed again and then deferred indefinitely.
Fortunately, Parks Victoria and a Forest Fire Management Crew offered to plant the trees in October 2021. Around 250 Yellow Box, Blackwood, Mealy gum (Silverleaf) and Black sheoak were planted and we would like to thank Andrew, Mick, James, Ema, Mitch and Markus from Parks Vic/FFMV for their hard work.
OSGeo Oceania appreciates the contributions from our Wellington conference participants, the work of the Parks Vic and FFMV crews, Adam Steer for pushing this from the start and Tony Forster for linking the organisations together and being there at the finish (virtually).
If you are ever in Melbourne, grab a mountain bike and head out to Lysterfield and check how the trees are progressing here.
Read more about our carbon sequestration at Lysterfield.
Nov 2021