Conservation Council ACT Region

16/10/2026

Bees and other pollinators are vital to our food systems and biodiversity, but face growing threats from habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and disease.

During Australian Pollinator Week, join Dr Charlie Blumer from ACT for Bees + Other Pollinators to explore why we urgently need a coordinated, whole-of-community approach to protecting these vital species.🌼

Discover a proposed Territory-wide strategy covering connected flowering habitats, pollinator-friendly urban planning, safer pesticide practices, community education and citizen science.

Healthy pollinators mean healthy ecosystems, resilient food systems and a thriving natural world. Join us to discover how we can work together towards a Bee and Pollinator Friendly ACT.

📅 Thursday 12 November 2026
🕛 12–1pm AEDT
💻 Online webinar

Register now by the link: https://events.humanitix.com/webinar-towards-a-bee-and-pollinator-friendly-act-australian-pollinator-week-2026

15/10/2026

Give nature a seat at the table.

Citizen COP 2026 begins on 19 October! Presented by People For Nature, this citizen-led movement brings together 100 events across Australia, supported by 75+ organisations, for conversation, learning and local action.

Find an event, bring a friend and help build a stronger voice for nature and climate. 💚
https://collections.humanitix.com/citizen-cop-australia-2026

15/10/2026

Increased illness and mortality are being reported in flying-fox populations across NSW and the ACT, particularly in Grey-headed Flying-foxes. Smaller numbers of Black Flying-foxes and Rainbow Lorikeets are also affected.

Wildlife rehabilitators report that since late September there has been a marked increase in animals presenting for care. Investigations are ongoing, but food shortages leading to starvation are currently considered the most likely cause. The shortages are potentially linked to recent weather conditions, climate change, and habitat loss affecting the availability of flowering trees and nectar.

𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿

If you find an injured, sick or orphaned flying-fox you should not touch or handle the animal but contact ACT Wildlife on 0432 300 033. If the animal is located within Commonwealth Park, contact the National Capital Authority on 02 6271 2888.

Pet owners should try to prevent direct contact between pets and bats, such as keeping pets confined at night. If a pet has interacted with a bat, seek prompt advice from a veterinary practitioner.

If you are bitten, scratched or have other significant contact with a bat, seek urgent medical attention.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼:

- ACT Government Veterinary Services at [email protected]
- Your Wildlife Health Australia coordinator: https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Incidents/WHA-Coordinator-Contacts
- The 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Outbreak Hotline on 1800 675 888
- Complete the Flying-fox Mass Mortality and Morbidity Event Report Form: https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Resource-Centre/Bat-Health -fox%20Mass%20Mortality%20&%20Morbidity%20Events

See the Wildlife Health Australia Resource Centre Bat Health page for further information and resources relating to bat health: https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Resource-Centre/Bat-Health

14/10/2026

Are you an enthusiastic campaigner with experience in community organising, campaign strategy development, and communications? Then you should apply for a job at The Conservation Council ACT!

We're looking for someone who wants to develop and lead campaigns to achieve positive environmental outcomes for the ACT - across issues related to biodiversity, nature and waterways, climate, transport and waste. At the moment this will mean taking carriage of our Save The Western Edge! and 1% For Nature campaigns, however, this may change as campaign priorities shift.

We are looking for someone with strong campaigning experience, but are also willing to train a candidate who brings enthusiasm, energy and passion to the role.

Apply now!

The Conservation Council ACT Region is seeking an enthusiastic campaigner with experience in community organising, campaign strategy development, and communications.

13/10/2026

There's no better way to experience the beauty of Canberra's Western Edge than exploring it on foot! 🌿✨

Join us on one of our upcoming guided walks, discover what makes this landscape so special and why it needs to be protected.

Our upcoming walks include:

🥾 18 October – Stony Creek
🥾 25 October – Cooleman Ridge
🥾 8 November – Stony Creek

Head to the link in our bio to find out more and come along!
Remeber Sign the petition to save our Western Edge ! Link is in our bio

13/10/2026

Big news!

Today, we launched the Western Conservation Landscape Proposal—a positive plan to protect and restore 9,800 hectares of bushland, farmland and waterways on Canberra’s doorstep.

Our vision embraces a holistic, landscape-scale approach, recognising that our nature deserves to be conserved and restored beyond the boundaries of formal nature reserves. It proposes:
Coordinating conservation management across public reserves, Suburban Land Agency holdings, and private rural leases.
Establishing the ACT’s very first Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in the Western Edge.
Introducing voluntary conservation stewardship programs and incentives.
Protecting keystone mature eucalypts and hollows and restoring critically endangered Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands.
Partnering with local Landcare, Catchment, and ParkCare groups while harnessing world-class research from ANU and CSIRO for ongoing monitoring and habitat health.
Helping the ACT and Australia meet international commitments.

With the ACT Government expected to set the urban growth boundary in June 2027, now is the time to show support for protecting the Western Edge.

Read the full proposal via the link in our bio, and share it with your friends, family and networks.

07/10/2026

We hit our $7,500 target! 🎉🌿

A huge thank you to everyone who donated and supported the Save Our Western Edge campaign. Your incredible support will help power the next stage of our campaign and keep the momentum going over the crucial months ahead.

We’ve hit our target, but every additional donation will still help us go further to protect the Western Edge.

💚 Thank you for standing with us!

06/10/2026

We’re so close! Just $1,000 to go. 💚

Thanks to your incredible support, we’re now only $1,000 away from our Western Edge fundraising target!

Reaching our goal by Friday will help fund the next nine months of community mobilisation, advocacy and work to build a positive vision for the Western Edge.

Help us close the final gap and keep the momentum going！

06/10/2026

Check out these upcoming events!
As the peak body for the environment here in the ACT, we represent over 50 member groups all doing amazing work to care for our environment both locally and in conjuction with national and international efforts.
Each fortnight, we promote our member's and partner's upcoming events in our newsletter, and now we're trying to share them here on social media too!
You can find all the info for upcoming events by subscribing to our newsletter:
https://conservationcouncil.org.au/civicrm/mailing/view/?reset=1&id=2448

01/10/2026

September was a HUGE month for our Western Edge campaign. Shout out to all our amazing volunteers who made it happen 💚👏 Here's what we got up to:

🕺 We pulled off Canberra's biggest ever Nutbush with 360 dancers lining up for Canberra City Limits!
🏫 We filled the legislative assembly chamber for a second time and had 6 questions asked of the Planning Minister on our behalf by Liberal MLA Elizabeth Lee, Independent MLA Thomas Emerson & Greens MLAs. The Planning Minister’s response to our questions marked a significant shift in his rhetoric from investigating development to now extending protections of our Western Edge!
📈 We reached 3,000 signatures on the campaign petition, with an additional 400 signatures collected this month
💪 We ran 6 Western Edge petition stalls across the ACT, bringing us to 29 for the campaign so far
🏞️ We ran two guided walks of the Western Edge for the public, bringing us to 12 for the campaign so far and with three more planned ahead
🎥 Our campaign documentary reached 3.1k views online, with an additional 300 views gained this month
👕 We sold 35 Western Edge t-shirts & 46 Western Edge calendars
📣 We recieved a continuous stream of media coverage this month thanks to all our activities!

Come celebrate all this amazing work at our monthly social get together this evening at Verity Lane Market from 5:30pm 🍻 https://www.facebook.com/share/1F68zhtGh5/