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Tackling small fires before they become uncontrollable bushfires, excluding fire from recovering forests, and sabotaging beetle mating rituals – these are just some of the strategies proposed to save Australia’s iconic snow gum.
Snow gum woodlands are the iconic vegetation community of mountain environments in south eastern Australia and are facing the prospect of ecological collapse, due to more frequent and intense bushfires which are driven by climate change and the changing behaviour of native wood-boring beetles.
Long-unburnt snow gum forests are important for ecosystem services, have socio-cultural benefits, and conservation values, but they are now exceedingly rare, comprising less than 1% of snow gum forests in the Victorian Alps.
The Snow Gum Declaration 2025 urges governments to immediately fund solutions to combat this dual threat to snow gum survival.
The statement was crafted by a gathering of leading academics, land managers, First Peoples, outdoor groups and concerned citizens at The Snow Gum Summit, a conference that took place in Dinner Plain in north eastern Victoria February 14-16.
Emerging solutions were identified during the event, like fire response procedures that could protect snow gum woodlands and build their resilience to future bushfires by excluding fire as these systems recover.
Dr Matthew Brookhouse’s work using the pheromones to confuse mating longicorn beetles was also identified as one promising avenue to address the currently uncontrolled spread of snow gum die-back.
The conference, organised by Friends of the Earth Melbourne, hosted 90+ people and recognised snow gums as an iconic feature of the Australian Alps.
“Mountain environments are integral cultural landscapes to First Peoples and are significant in the hearts and minds of many Australians” said Cam Walker, organiser of the Snow Gum Summit.
“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”.
“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 Snow Gum Declaration calls for immediate, robust government funding to save snow gum woodlands from ecological collapse. It outlines tangible next steps from scientists and knowledge holders who are committed to implementing recovery measures.
