In November, NCC's Coastal Wetlands Campaign team crossed the border to attend the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network's 2024 annual conference, at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. The network's 17th annual national meeting was a fascinating multi-day experience that highlighted everything from niche saltmarsh ecology, to beautiful artistic interpretations of mangrove ecosystems. We came away with invaluable new knowledge and connections that will undoubtedly boost our efforts in building a movement for coastal wetlands in New South Wales.

We were also privileged to deliver a presentation at the conference, discussing our campaign and highlighting examples of community conservation and restoration projects we've encountered on NSW's North Coast, the power of grassroots community organising in this space, and the many legislative barriers that are stifling the much-needed efforts to bring back our wetlands in NSW.

A personal highlight for me was the conference field day - there were three equally fascinating options for site-visits, but I ultimately chose to visit Sunshine Coast Council's Blue Heart Project site on Kabi Kabi Country. This site has been on our radar for some time, as it's Australia's first blue carbon project that the Clean Energy Regulator has approved to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Coincidentally, Australia's second registered blue carbon project, in South Australia, was announced a few days prior to our site visit.

To see this site first hand, talk to the project managers, and meet Kabi Kabi representatives who have been integral to the project's success, was an incredible experience. More than anything, it was a strong reminder that the people of New South Wales are really missing out, big time - our legislation is simply not fit for purpose, making coastal restoration projects like these near impossible in many instances. We need our policymakers to prioritise nature restoration, and ensure NSW can be a world leader in the blue carbon space. If you want to join us in pressuring the NSW Government to prioritise these reforms, sign up to our mailing list here or shoot us an email - together, we can bring back our wetlands.