Join us to welcome new CEO, Dr Kirsty Howey, and discuss our latest report on Lutruwita / Tasmania’s globally significant World Heritage coastline 

Panel discussion and Q and A, followed by celebratory drinks and snacks - RSVP today!

The Wilderness Society is thrilled to introduce Dr Kirsty Howey, our new national CEO. 

Kirsty is a former lawyer, who worked for a decade at the Northern Land Council on various land rights and native title matters before completing her PhD, which investigated the intersection between environment, state and development. Over the last six years, Kirsty has transformed the Environment Centre NT’s impact and power. She oversaw the growth of a diverse and powerful environment movement and acted as the NT’s environmental watchdog, fearlessly holding government and industry to account. She has led powerful campaigns to protect nature, rivers and climate from fossil fuel expansion, deforestation and industrial scale irrigation, and supported Traditional Owner initiatives.

Kirsty will share her vision for the Wilderness Society in its next era. Our vital role protecting iconic landscapes, forests and ocean environments against the march of industry destruction and in the face of escalating climate change has never been more critical. 

Andry Sculthorpe, from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Anne Boothroyd, from the Centre for Conservation Geography, and Fern Cadman, the Wilderness Society’s Fossil Fuel Campaign Manager, will join Kirsty, with Eloise Carr as MC. We’ll have a fun and  wide-ranging discussion, and we’ll get to know Kirsty. 

We’ll dive into the Wilderness Society’s new report, Global conservation significance of marine and coastal environments of Western Lutruwita / Tasmania. The report’s co-author, Anne Boothroyd, will provide an overview of the report, including the globally significant conservation values of the area and its unique marine and coastal environments. 

Fern Cadman will outline the Wilderness Society’s national Fossil Fuel Campaign, expose the threat that exploration drilling and industrialisation activities pose to Lutruwita / Tasmania’s incredible western coastline, and how you can get involved to keep the gas rigs at bay.

Andry Sculthorpe attended the World Heritage Committee meeting in Korea in July, with Eloise Carr. They raised the significant impacts that salmon and other industries are having on the Tasmanian Wilderness and that no free, prior and informed consent has been obtained from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community for decisions affecting it. Hear more about what comes next..

Bios:

Dr Kirsty Howey is an environmentalist and strategist with more than two decades of experience driving policy, campaigns and change across northern Australia. She is the CEO of national conservation organisation the Wilderness Society, and previously led the Environment Centre NT. Previously, she was a leading native title and land rights lawyer, and is an established author, with a doctorate exploring the intersection between the environment, extractive development and First Nations rights in northern Australia. She is passionate about standing up for people and places on the frontlines of the climate and biodiversity crises.

Andry Sculthorpe is manager of the Country and Culture division of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. He works across multiple Land and Sea Indigenous Protected Areas and Aboriginal Ranger teams and includes the Palawa Kani Language program and pursuing repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural materials back to the Aboriginal community. Central to work of the TAC is the progression of self-determination and strengthening community structures that assist in Nation building through increased land return and culturally sound economic development. Andry is also a founding Co-Chair of the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous corporation.

Anne Boothroyd co-authored the report Global conservation significance of marine and coastal environments of Western Lutruwita / Tasmania. She is a conservation scientist with experience across academia, government and the private conservation sector. Her work focuses on understanding biodiversity values, human activities and environmental threats to support informed conservation decision making. 

Fern Cadman is the Wilderness Society's fossil fuel campaign manager, working to halt oil and gas expansion in Australia's oceans. She holds Bachelors of Law and Science from ANU, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Public Policy. Fern joined the Wilderness Society following five years as senior adviser on climate and policy to Victorian Greens MP Ellen Sandell and eight years working across climate, agricultural and drug law reform in the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments.

Eloise Carr is a public policy researcher and advocate and a former public servant of 15 years. She has represented Australia in Southern Ocean negotiations as part of the Antarctic Treaty system and helped design Australia’s first national network of marine reserves. Until recently, she headed up the Tasmanian office of think tank, the Australia Institute. She is currently working as a freelance consultant. 

RSVP today!

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This event will be held on stolen Palawa land. We acknowledge and pay our respects to the many generations whom have been fighting for Country since colonisation began. Sovereignty was never ceded.

At the Wilderness Society, we have a simple mission: To support the life that supports all of us.

The Westside group are local community members who love where we live and want to take positive action for nature. We are working to achieve better community rights in environmental decision-making, protection of Victoria’s Tall Forests, and stronger nature laws. There is no better time than right now to come together and demand more for nature.

If you're a resident in Melbourne's West who wants to take community action for nature but is unsure how, this is the event for you! 

Image: Matt Tomkins

RSVP now and be part of our growing community dedicated to preserving our world! 🌍💚

The Wilderness Society Northside Group is excited to invite you to 'Networking for Nature'🌿- to meet local members and discuss what we are working on in the coming months. 

Come along to talk with fellow environmental lovers about protecting nature and Victoria's tall mountain ash forests and our plan to make decision makers take action! 

Networking for Nature - Northside

This is an opportunity to be part of a community of people tackling local environmental concerns as well as national issues like deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Be sure to RSVP so we know you are coming. See you there!

Community meeting for forests!

5:30pm, 7 October - 130 Davey Street, Nipaluna / Hobart 

Hi friends! The past few months have been an intense period for native forests. We now have a timeline of 6 months, in which the Federal Government plans to re-devolve approval and regulatory powers back down to captured Tasmanian State Government, potentially continuing business-as-usual and signing a death warrant for forests across the island. 

The Wilderness Society is about to begin mobilising. We are calling on all of our followers across Lutruwita / Tasmania to get involved. 

Join us in Nipaluna / Hobart to find out first steps. 

Pizza provided. RSVP today :) 

The Wilderness Society Southside Group is excited to invite you to 'Networking for Nature'🌿- to meet local members from the Port Phillip and Bayside areas to discuss what we are working on in the coming months. 

Come along to talk with fellow environmental lovers about protecting nature and Victoria's tall mountain ash forests and our plan to make decision makers take action! 

Networking for Nature - Southside

Monday, February 9 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Small meeting Room, Port Phillip Eco-Centre, 55A Blessington St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Some snacks and drinks provided! 

This is an opportunity to be part of a community of people tackling local environmental concerns as well as national issues like deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Be sure to RSVP so we know you are coming. See you there!

COOKS RIVER WILDERNESS SOCIETY GROUP 

We care, protect and conserve 🌿

We are a dedicated group of volunteers from all walks of life who engage with the local communities of the Cooks River and Inner West regions to give nature a voice and support the life that supports us.

We appreciate and value our natural environment, including our parks and rivers and unique Australian flora and fauna.

From the Cooks River to the waters of the City of Canada Bay, we meet on the lands of the Wangal people of the Eora Nation, to talk about what matters to us and organise activities that promote the conservation of nature and contribute to the Wilderness Society’s campaigns. 

Our activities involve picnics, educational walks, stalls, film screenings, and meetings with our elected representatives.

One step at a time we take action to prevent environmental threats - doing what we can to give nature a voice. 

If you would like to know more about our group before coming along to a meeting, please reach out to Jamie via [email protected] or 0439249311 or take a leap and join us at our next team meeting or event!

Please RSVP so we have an idea on numbers. All are welcome, so please share with your networks and invite friends and family. 

Nature Book Week (October 10-18) is The Wilderness Society’s annual celebration of nature and storytelling, involving a free series of nature-themed events for storytellers of all ages. This year, we’re turning the Launceston office into a storytelling hub, with a drop in space open Tuesday 13 - Saturday 17th, including readings from special guests, art-making, book giveaways, refreshments, raffle and prizes, and workshops. The 2026 shortlist for the Karajia and Environment awards for Children’s Literature will be featured, with all the books available. There will also be a 40% discount on all books storewide for the whole week!

On Wednesday 14th October 5:30-6:30pm, we'll be having a nature book club. Simply bring along a nature book you'd like to share, and we'll have a discussion about our favourite nature books!

This event will take place on the sovereign and unceded lands of the Palawa people, the rightful owners of Lutruwita/Tasmania.

Parking & Public Access: Street parking is available although it is minimal. Public transport is available within 100 metres of the venue. The event will be held downstairs, which is wheelchair accessible.

With only 4% of our wilderness areas left worldwide, wild animals are struggling to maintain their numbers. Many of us care deeply about our bush friends and hope to protect them. We
will ask questions that pertain to all animals and share perspectives, cultural and environmental surrounding the treatment of non-human-animals.

Animal ethics can be a sensitive topic as often our thoughts on how we treat particular animals are driven by tradition and culture. We will take a look at different philosophical perspectives on the treatment of animals and reflect on how these perspectives might be applied in our current societal and environmental circumstances. This will be a safe place to discuss all perspectives with kind hearts and open minds.

As animal ethics is closely related to food, our host, Paige Maguire will be bringing along a plate of plant-based food to share and encourages anyone who is willing and able to do the
same. Any food brought to the event must be plant-based. (It is not expected or mandatory to bring food! Please come regardless and enjoy!)

We will finish by sharing a short update on what The Wilderness Society is currently working on and ways you can get involved locally if you’d like to take action for nature.
This is our last eco-social of the year so if you have been enjoying our discussions, we encourage you to put it in your calendar!

This event is part of Nature Book Week. Nature Book Week is a week long celebration of storytelling (10-18 October). Sharing stories is how we connect to each other about the things we care about. Please join as at this special Nature Book Week eco-social event.

The Wilderness Society Eastside Group is excited to invite you to 'Networking for Nature'🌿- to meet local members and discuss what we are working on in the coming months. 

Come along to talk with fellow environmental lovers about protecting nature and Victoria's tall mountain ash forests and our plan to make decision makers take action! 

Networking for Nature - Eastside

This is an opportunity to be part of a community of people tackling local environmental concerns as well as national issues like deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Be sure to RSVP so we know you are coming. See you there!

Join our weekly Wilderness Wednesday sessions at the Launceston campaign centre, 174 Charles St, a rotating roster of Watch on Nature online citizen science, event planning, workshops and more!

Our meetings also have a Zoom option - email Katie for the recurring link!

This event will take place on the sovereign and unceded lands of the Palawa people, the rightful owners of Lutruwita/Tasmania.

Parking & Public Access: Street parking is available although it is minimal. Public transport is available within 100 metres of the venue. The event will be held downstairs, which is wheelchair accessible.