Koala family using tunnel, image by Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

Animal Crossings: Designing for Wildlife at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne Past Event

Date

Fri 31 May 10:30am - 12:00pm

Tickets

Booking Required

Venue

Meet at the Visitors Centre, Ballarto Road and Botanic Drive, Cranbourne
Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Ballarto Road and, Botanic Drive, Cranbourne VIC 3977, Australia

Access

Low sensory / relaxed

How can we design, with wildlife as our client?

Animal Crossings is an adventure through the bushland and entry roads of Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne to experience the fascinating world of tunnels for wildlife. Surrounding the spectacular Taylor Cullity Lethlean designed Australian Garden, a remnant bushland is home to some of Victoria’s most precious plants and animals. Getting humans to access the much-loved destination, without harming these animals, is no mean feat. Hear from conservation experts Tricia Stewart and Eilish Roberts as they take us through the emerging field of road ecology, and the creative thinking that is designing roads for wildlife.

Don your walking shoes for a tour that explores design from the perspective of a different kind of local – and learn how human access can live in harmony with other creatures.

Participants

Eilish Roberts - Southern Brown Bandicoot Outreach Officer

Eilish Roberts is the Southern Brown Bandicoot Outreach Officer at the Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, which is home to one of the few remaining populations of Southern Brown Bandicoots in Victoria. Her work involves engaging with a range of audiences and stakeholders to help protect this once widespread marsupial, and supporting local communities to create ‘bandicoot-friendly’ suburbs. Eilish holds a Master of Environment and a Bachelor of Science from The University of Melbourne, and her previous work includes several years as an environmental educator, as well as working in conservation programs for local Council. Her current work at RBGV sits at the exciting intersection of programming, citizen science and behaviour change for conservation.

Tricia Stewart - Natural Areas Team Leader

Tricia Stewart started her career in the conservation field twenty years ago, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a dual major in Botany and Conservation Ecology. Tricia has worked at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for the past eight years as the Team Leader of Natural Areas, where she coordinates the integrated management strategies of the 340 hectares of remnant Cranbourne Bushland. In that time Tricia has faced the challenges of wildlife trying to navigate a human modified landscape, by investigating, designing, and implementing novel solutions to urban ecology problems.