Slopes to Summit

The Slopes to Summit (S2S) partnership was established by the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative in 2007 to restore, reconnect and protect the ranges in NSW, from the south-west slopes to the summit of Kosciuszko National Park.

What makes this landscape special?
The S2S project area encompasses the whole of the Alpine, South Eastern Highlands and South West Slopes bioregions within the Murray River and Billabong Creek catchments from Culcairn to Corowa in the west, to Tumbarumba and Tooma, to Kosciuszko National Park in the east. This area includes a highly fragmented network of box-gum woodlands (a nationally endangered vegetation community), riverine forests and floodplains, and dry foothill forests. These habitats support over 100 threatened species, as well as providing the basis for broader landscape restoration efforts, including revegetation.

The region’s land and water resources also support a diversity of agricultural enterprises, including cropping, grazing, forestry, and horticulture. To maximise environmental outcomes, S2S undertook a Conservation Action Planning process which identified seven priority landscapes in the region within which the partnership focuses its work.

About the partnership

S2S is governed by a Working Group of nine organisations. Drawing from the Working Group’s breadth of expertise and resources, S2S has a strong focus on linking research to on-ground conservation action, as well as awareness-raising activities for landholders and the wider community to build support for ongoing investment in the environment.

Impact

Since its establishment in 2007, around $3.5m has been invested directly in S2S projects, with a further $4 million invested by partners in on-ground conservation and capacity across public and private lands in the region. To date, the S2S partnership has achieved:

The establishment of permanent conservation covenants across 400ha of private land
650ha of plantings in priority locations
Over 950ha of vegetation management in wildlife corridors to support animals such as squirrel gliders and threatened woodland birds.

Projects

S2S Bushlinks

The S2S Bushlinks project worked with over 90 landholders across the eastern Murray area between 2012 to 2017 to protect, increase and relink habitat to benefit local wildlife and improve carbon storage. Through the Australian Government funded project, $1.4 million dollars was invested in fencing and revegetation, which was matched by contributions from participating landholders. The successful five-year project created 1,200 ha of new habitat through the planting of 150,000 tubestock and 168km of direct seeding and engaged 2,500 members of the local community.

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Birds on Farms

In partnership with Birdlife Australia, the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife and the NSW Government’s Saving our Species Program, S2S is contributing to the NSW 'Saving the Nectar Lovers' program. Focusing around three nectar-loving threatened bird species, S2S is working with landholders in the region to monitor populations through quarterly surveys, plant nectar producing trees and shrubs, and raise awareness of the importance of birds in the region. Still in its first year, the project has already seen over 11,800 plants going back into the ground.

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S2S BushConnects

Through the NSW Government’s BushConnects program, S2S is working with its partners to revegetate, relink and protect habitat in three priority fragmented landscapes in the Holbrook region. On-ground efforts include the strengthening of existing roadways, creek lines and glideways (for threatened squirrel gliders); revegetation and fencing works to create new habitat corridors; community awareness raising activities; and a pilot program to engage the local community in managing isolated travelling stock reserves for their biodiversity values.

Slopes to Summit

The Slopes to Summit (S2S) partnership was established by the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative in 2007 to restore, reconnect and protect the ranges in NSW, from the south-west slopes to the summit of Kosciuszko National Park.

Projects

S2S Bushlinks

Birds on Farms

S2S BushConnects

Partners

Partnership Facilitator

Kylie Durant, Holbrook Landcare Network

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