A campaign plan to gain federal (EPBC) listing of snow gums as threatened.

Snow gum woodlands and forests are a key vegetation community across the higher mountain country of south eastern Australia and the highlands of lutruwita / Tasmania. There are 6 subspecies of Snow Gum, but the most widespread is Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. pauciflora. 

While they are largely protected, a range of threats remain that impact on snow gums (including expansion of ski resorts, invasive species, and impacts from recreation activities). There are also two threatening processes are causing an existential threat to snow gum communities: the spread of dieback and more frequent and intense fires.

Please join us on Wednesday June 17 for the launch of our new campaign to gain protection of snow gums through federal listing.

Background

While dieback is a natural phenomena, caused by a native beetle, it appears that global warming is leading to far greater mortality of trees on a much larger scale. This is due to winters being less cold, and more water stress of adult trees in summer.

Under the warming and drying influence of climate change, fires in the alpine country are becoming more common and more intense, with this being obvious and verifiable since the late 1990s. Large areas of snow gums are now being burnt too frequently, with resulting collapse of entire sections of snow gum vegetation in many parts of the high country.

We have spent the last 5 years building a broad-based awareness and advocacy campaign to gain meaningful action from the Victorian government to ensure the long term survival of snow gum communities. We have built public awareness of the threats faced by snow gum communities. And we have helped to mobilise many in the community on the issue of gaining protection of snow gums. We hosted the first ever ‘snow gum summit’ at Dinner Plain in 2025, which brought together researchers, academics, land managers, traditional owners, ecologists and outdoor businesses and enthusiasts to understand the threats facing this much loved community.  At the  2nd snow gum summit (held in Jindabyne in March 2026) we launched a national effort to secure listing of snow gums as a Threatened Ecological Community under federal environmental laws (EPBC). 

The campaign launch

Please join us on Wednesday June 17 for the launch of our national campaign to gain threatened listing for snow gums under federal environmental laws.

This on line event will feature:

• A presentation from renowned researcher Dr Matthew Brookhouse, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU on the latest science on the threats posed by dieback,
• An over view of the campaign and how we aim to gain federal listing from Tessa Campisi
• Ways to get involved in the campaign, and
• The opportunity to join our first action of the new campaign: featuring your photo and statement about your favourite snow gum.