On February 14th-16th the Friends of the Earth Melbourne (FoEM) Forest Collective hosted it's first Snow Gum Summit in Dinner Plain at the community centre. It was a fantastic weekend, bringing together a diversity of voices to discuss the current threats to sensitive alpine ecosystems as well as possible solutions. “If we fail to restore snow gum woodlands to health, the important legacy of Alpine landscapes to Australia’s identity could be lost forever,” said Cam Walker.
The summit hosted 90+ people and recognised snow gums as an iconic feature of the Australian Alps. Mountain environments are integral cultural landscapes for First Peoples and are significant in the hearts and minds of many Australians. Australia’s Alpine regions are globally unique and also support local economies and play a huge role in Victoria’s water security, with alpine and high elevation areas responsible for 20-29 percent of the Murray Darling Basin’s flow. This water from the Alps is worth an estimated $9.6 billion per annum - in droughts it is even more valuable.
The summit was opened by Cam Walker and Anna Langford (MC for the event), acknowledging Traditional Owner's cultural connection to Country and the many mobs with cultural ties to the land, as well as the current state of play regarding the government's lack of action to instigate an inquiry into the potential collapse of these fragile ecosystems due to more regular fires, climate change and the longicorn beetle, which is causing vast dieback across the landscape.
Image: Commencement of the summit with Cam Walker FoEM Campaign Coordinator and Anna Langford MC, Credit: Matt Tomkins
The first session of the summit had an artistic focus, connecting attendees with their collective love and admiration of snow gums and the broader alpine landscapes.
A short film by Stephen Curtain filled with stunning scenes from the vic high country, featuring story telling from Dhudhuroa and Wamba Wemba elder Dr Jen Mason, Shane Herrington Wolgalu/Wuradjuri custodian as well as Alec Costin, mountain ecologist set the tone for the session. Visually emotive and captivating, it was poignant short film to commence the summit connecting everyone in the room with the essence of why they were all gathering in the first place.
Following the film was a panel of speakers discussing their connection to the high country:
· Anthony Sharwood, author
· Sarah Lynch, visual artist & photographer
· Mike Edmonson, mountain guide and landscape photographer
· Uncle Shane Monk, Taungurung Elder
It was a wonderful exploration of our connection to snow Country through art, story telling and stunning visuals.
Image: Mike Edmondson photography, snow gums covered in snow with sun shining through
The second session for the day focused on the problem, with presentations exploring the state of snow gum communities.
The presenters covered the question 'what are the trends with fire' and how climate change is driving more intense fire seasons, hi-lighting the significant threat posed to snow gums and alpine ash attempting to recover from frequent fires. Snow gum regeneration as well as management strategies for fires was addressed, presenting the unfortunate reality of just how incredibly threatened these ecosystems are, with presenters urging immediate action.
We heard from:
-Assoc. Prof. John Morgan, Head of Department, Environment & Genetics, La Trobe University - on snow gums and fire
-Simon Watson, Principal Scientist Forest and Fire Ecology | Knowledge, Planning and Risk, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
-Dr Susanna Venn, Associate Professor of Plant Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
The last two sessions for the day focused on the threat of dieback caused by the longicorn beetle, threatened fauna such as the Bogong Moth and Mountain Pygmy Possum present in this unique landscape, and the challenges they face, as well as fire ecology and the challenges presented to the survival of these landscapes under current fire management strategies. We heard from National Parks land managers on current strategies and existing methods that are yet to be trialled to protect alpine landscapes from fires.
We heard from:
-Dr Matthew Brookhouse, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU
-Dean Heinze, wildlife biologist with decades of work on the mountain pygmy possum, and Ian Mansergh
-Dr. Philip Zylstra, Adjunct Associate Professor, Curtin University School of Molecular and Life Sciences, on fire and land management and implications for snow gum communities
-Dr Tom Fairman, FLARE Wildfire Research, The University of Melbourne
-David Crea, Australian Alps National Parks Program Manager
The afternoon was filled with conversation around a fire and music from Josh Kynaston and friends. It was a wonderful atmosphere as attendees networked and shared their thoughts and reflections of the first day. The afternoon activities included a walk to an ancient snow gum nearby, where folks gathered around in appreciation.
Image: summit goers gathered around an ancient snow gum near Dinner Plain, Credit: Matt Tomkins
The second day was solutions focused, with a revisitation of dieback caused by the ringbarking beetle. Emerging solutions were identified, such as fire response procedures that could protect snow gum woodlands and build their resilience to future bushfires by excluding fire as these systems recover.
Fire was also explored via a Cultural Landscapes approach and traditional owners shared their stories of connection to, and observation of, Country changing in response to fire across lineages with some poignant historical events observed for context.
Speakers also explored the use of pheromones to confuse mating longicorn beetles, a promising avenue to address the currently uncontrolled spread of snow gum die-back.
We heard from:
-Dr Matthew Brookhouse, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU
-Russell Mullett, GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC)
Image: Uncle Russell Mullet, GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), Credit: Matt Tomkins
Discussion followed around how land managers must be adequately funded and have the right policy settings to allow them to deal with the multiple threats: invasive species, fire, climate change, and visitor pressure. We heard from the VNPA about their perspectives on fire policy.
We also heard hydrological perspectives of hydro and soil projects being undertaken in the high alpine, including work to manage Snow Gum Dieback. Low elevation snow gum forests were also covered, exploring their health and viability to continue hosting snow gums into the future as the climate continues to warm.
We heard from:
-Matt Ruchel, Jordan Crook, VNPA
-Associate Professor Leah Moore, Land and Water Science Fenner School of Environment and Society, FSES, ANU
-Karl Just. Botanist and zoologist
Afternoon sessions featured presentations on the alpine peatlands and their role in providing resilience in increased fire regimes as well as the role of community advocacy and emergent groups such as Protect Our Winters in generating action for the high country. Some very real climate change projections for the Australian Alps were presented, hi-lighting the importance of community groups being a part of the solution.
We heard from:
- Peter Jacobs, former senior protected area manager, Executive Officer for the Victorian Deer Control Community Network
-Kate Carmichael, Protect our Winters
The conference aspect of the summit was wrapped up with reflections of where to next, as well as an open discussion to help inform a declaration which was generated at the end of the summit.
Uncle Shane Monk, male cultural lead and lead tour guide, Taungurung Land and Waters Council, provided a deep and heart felt reflection on the forum and what the future can look like for us as a concerned community if we band together and listen to the land.
Dhudhuroa and Wamba Wemba elder Dr Jen Mason who is a social scientist whose work is around cultural mapping which is disseminated through creative practises in film, photography and virtual reality spaces, also offered a beautiful heart felt reflection. She shared stories of her peoples connection to Country and the historical evidence of her ancestors existing in these landscapes.
It was wonderful to see so many people from diverse backgrounds uniting on a common issue, the precious high country ecosystems which were explored in great detail by many devoted individuals with decades of research and work in these areas. At the end of the summit, the Snow Gum Summit Declaration was formed, calling for immediate action to mitigate the risks posed by a warming climate, fires and dieback.
Image: Snow Gum Summit attendees! Credit: Matt Tomkins
While dieback, caused by a native beetle, is a natural occurrence, it is becoming worse and more widespread because climate change is making winters warmer and summers drier and hotter. This is leading to widespread loss of individual trees across the Australian Alps. It has had significant impacts on snow gums, especially in the Snowy Mountains and, increasingly, on the Bogong High Plains. The declaration is a call to action.
The Snow Gum Declaration 2025
The Snow Gum Declaration is made by concerned citizens attending the inaugural Snow Gum Summit at Dinner Plain, February 2025.
Alpine landscapes are the cultural landscapes of First Peoples, as well as a sacred gathering and knowledge sharing location for many First Peoples of this continent. The Alps are a popular sporting and recreation playground, but these landscapes are also deeply bound to the hearts and minds of many Australians. They are also critical for Victoria’s broader water security.
Snow gum woodlands are an iconic feature of the Australian Alps, occurring nowhere else in the world. Snow gums are integral to national heritage and the national landscape listing of the Australian Alps. They are critical in the uninterrupted continuum of eucalypt forest from the coast to the subalpine tree line. Snow gums are symbolic of the many globally unique plants, animals and ecosystems of the Australian Alps. Snow gum woodlands are at risk of ecological collapse. First Nations cultural knowledge, western science, and the broader community must come together to keep Alpine Country healthy.
The Snow Gum Declaration calls on the State & Federal governments to recognise:
● The integral importance of healthy snow gum woodlands to First Peoples and other Australians. The national and global significance of snow gum woodlands to biodiversity.
● The critical role healthy alpine and high elevation ecosystems play in regard to Victoria’s water security.
● Snow gum woodlands are at risk of collapse due to more frequent bushfires and climate-driven ecological imbalances such as longicorn beetle die-back.
● The need for proactive exclusion of fire in snow gum woodlands. This would allow them to recover towards a healthy ecological state and build their resistance and resilience to fire. Proactive interventions to mitigate beetle-induced dieback are also urgent and necessary.
● Adaptation programs to save snow gums and alpine landscapes must be paired with bold,
meaningful climate action.
We call on governments and other funding institutions to mitigate the risk of snow gum
woodland collapse, by immediately funding:
● An analysis of snow gum woodlands across the landscape to determine their condition and to prioritise actions and areas to protect, such as fire refugia.
● A fire response procedure that aims to negate or minimise the impact of bushfire on snow gum woodlands. Alpine Peatlands Fire Mitigation Planning may act as a helpful case study.
● The emerging options for treating beetle-induced dieback, recovery options in areas already affected by dieback and prevention in areas less affected by dieback.
● Robustly fund all research and tools available to mitigate ecosystem collapse. Interventions should be urgent and courageous, as well as holistic, evidence-based, and well-designed across the landscape to avoid unintended outcomes. Inaction is not an option.
The final day concluded the summit with some walks through the local landscape, one to Mt. Tabletop and one to Mt. Loch. Each group had a fantastic time, connecting to the land and sharing knowledge and insights on how we can come together to protect the alpine communities we all love.
Image: Summit of Mt. Loch on the last day of the summit weekend, Credit Mike Edmondson
Each person came away with new connections and an enthusiasm for urging action from decision makers to initiate proactive measures to begin turning the state of affairs around. Thank you to all who attended and the team looks forward to doing it again in the future. A special thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible. We are only as strong as our supporter base, so thank you from the core of our being. For the snow gums and the alpine communities!
We would also like to thank all our supporters and sponsors:
The Rendere Trust,
Cathedral Wildlife,
Bright Brewery,
Jasper Coffee,
Freeburgh Hall committee,
Practical Ecology,
Protect our Winters, and
Patagonia Australia who assisted in hosting the summit
And Fin J Bowles @ Raising the Grain for his contribution towards the merch artwork.
If you would like to join the forest collective and stay connected with upcoming events and citizen science opportunities, email: [email protected]
Take action
Please consider signing our letter to the Victorian environment minister which urges him to take action to protect snow gum woodlands and forests.