Corymbia’s Role in Building a Resilient Clarence

As part of the Northern Rivers Adapts initiative, led by Griffith University in partnership with Jagun Alliance, local organisations like the Corymbia Project are playing a key role in bringing research and community action together on the ground.

From hosting events that build social and ecological connections across the Clarence Valley, to contributing expert knowledge to climate adaptation planning for threatened species, the Corymbia team is helping shape a more resilient future for the region.

The two stories below highlight recent contributions—one focused on building community through the Clarence Valley Conservation Connections event, and the other showcasing Adrian Deville’s involvement in the Climate-Resilient Landscapes Adaptation Case Study.

Clarence Valley Conservation Connections – First Event a Success

On 1 June 2025, a passionate group of landholders, locals, and conservationists gathered at Banyula Conservation Reserve for the first Clarence Valley Conservation Connections Networking Day.

“Our goal was simple,” said co-host Naomi Ploos, “to make meaningful connections, meet like-minded people, and define concrete steps for action.”

Despite the wet weather, those who made it brought plenty of energy, ideas, and generosity. The group explored ways to improve both ecological and social connectivity in the region, and worked together to create an inspiring list of shared goals and actions.

The day showed just how valuable it is to bring people together in person to collaborate, share knowledge, and support each other’s conservation efforts.

A PDF summary of the day, including the full list of ideas and actions, is available here if you’d like to learn more or get involved.

Adrian recently took part in a landmark initiative aiming to boost climate resilience in the Northern Rivers region.

Adrian Deville, our Biodiversity program manager, has been involved an interesting and exciting project being undertaken by a consortium of interests known as the Resilient Landscapes Hub, funded by the Australian Government’s National Environment and Science Program (NESP).  

We know that climate change is escalating risks to threatened species and ecosystems across Australia and that warming temperatures and changing rainfall patterns themselves pose threats and may exacerbate risks from other threats such as feral animals, weeds and development pressures. Sea-level rise is changing coastal processes and damaging habitat as well, adding to the complexities of planning and decision making. 

As such, stakeholders and decision-makers need information and tools to ensure that adaptation strategies and actions are appropriate to dealing with the likely scenarios arising from climate change and are effective. Successful strategies and actions must also be accepted by the community and be culturally appropriate, informed by local knowledge, including Traditional Knowledge. 

The Climate-Resilient Landscapes Adaptation Case Study is focused on NSW’s Northern Rivers Region and is coordinated by a team based at Griffith University and is partnered by the Jagun Alliance based in the Bundjalung region of northern NSW.  

The project team hopes to make impact by assisting communities to understand and be able to build climate resilience for threatened species and ecosystems within their regions through: 

• developing a method for climate change adaptation planning that uses tools for community co-design, modelling and spatial planning that are generic and can be applied to any landscape; and, 

• creating a web-based decision-support platform, ‘Northern Rivers Adapts’, that provides community and stakeholder representatives access to maps, data and related information on climate risks and adaptation options and strategies. 

Along with a wide range of other invitees, Adrian has participated in a series of workshops in Lismore, contributing his knowledge and experience into the research from the perspective of Corymbia Project’s goals and objectives, as well as his long involvement in NRM issues in this region in local and state government roles.  

You can find out more about this project at: https://nesplandscapes.edu.au/projects/nesp-rlh/climate-resilient-landscapes/ 

Adrian and Annette discuss climate, conservation and Corymbia's role in saving threatened species.