Newcastle Wilderness Society

The Wilderness Society was born on the banks of the Franklin River in the mid 70s when people came together first in Tasmania and then across the country to protect the Franklin from being dammed. In Newcastle, the Wilderness Society campaign centre is based at Pachamama House in Hamilton. Over the decades, many campaigns have drawn together passionate people who became the voice for nature. Sometimes they won, many times they lost.

Fast forward to 2020 and we find ourselves in unprecedented times; the climate crisis, the extinction crisis, the unprecedented bushfires of the 19/20 summer and now the coronavirus pandemic. For many, the antidote to despair is action and that is the choice Wilderness Society volunteers have made. They connect with like-minded people who share their values and want to be actively speaking up for nature through the organising program Movement For Life.

Across the country, teams are formed and trained in how to create positive change together. The focus recently has been writing submissions for the review of the Environmental Protection, Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC), an important piece of environmental legislation that the public have the opportunity to comment on once every 10 years.

The Wilderness Society are calling for the law to be strengthened to ensure that the tragic loss of biodiversity be stopped, particularly after the widespread devastation of the bushfires.

For further information go to https://www.wilderness.org.au/about/newcastle

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