Bush Heritage Australia’s Jeroen van Veen explains his work on the Nardoo Hills Reserves, 3 hours north of Melbourne.

The challenges are great. These types of landscapes used to support a huge amount of smaller mammals – Bettongs, Bandictoots, Hare Wallabies – that maintained the health of the fungus underground. Similarly, we’ve lost Emus, that play a critical role in seed dispersion.

Invasive species are a major threat. Wheel Cactus was a significant weed, but armies of volunteers over 10 years have helped wipe out over 10,000 plants and no more seed is produced.

Wherever Bush Heritage Australia works, they manages the landscape intensively to tip the scales in favor of native species and to restore the natural systems.