Going back in time.
The Big Scrub in the Byron Bay region was once the largest tract of lowland subtropical rainforest in the southern hemisphere. European settlers began clearing the forest for agriculture and timber in the 1840s and, sadly, by 1900 less than 1 per cent of the original 75,000 hectares remained. Now, scattered remnant pockets are all that exist of this glorious forest that once stretched from Byron Bay to Lismore and beyond.
Join us for this exciting podcast with former investment banker Dr. Tony Parkes who has dedicated 3 decades to restoring the remaining Big Scrub including facilitating the planting of a staggering 2 million trees.
Tony talks about the significance of the remaining Big Scrub which is internationally significant with species whose lineages go back more than 180 million years to the forests of Gondwana.
Learn about Tony’s ground breaking seed diversity program, a world first initiative he is working on in conjunction with the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.
This podcast was recorded on Tony’s property in Binna Burra northern NSW, not far from Bangalow.