Big Sky Country
Join conservation organisation Bush Heritage Australia to travel the vast Australian continent: from the flanks of the Mighty Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales where over 40,000 trees have been planted, to the ‘Galapagos of the Kimberley’ where some slimy snails have scientists extremely excited, and across to the ancestral lands of Waanyi and Garawa people where they are keeping culture and biodiversity alive. Meet experts in conservation and Country who are on the ground working to address some of our most pressing environmental threats. Theme music by The Orbweavers. Sign up to our newsletter at www.bushheritage.org.au or follow us on socials @bushheritageaus
Big Sky Country
The sandalwood tree
If every scent tells a story, the Australian Sandalwood Tree (Santalum Spicatum) must be a library; rich with ecological, cultural and economic history books.
But today, much of this history is at risk, with unsustainable harvesting, climate change and feral predators pushing the tree perilously close to extinction.
In this episode, we drive down the Gunbarrel Highway to the Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area in WA's central deserts to find some of the oldest sandalwood trees in the world. Underneath their scrambling canopies, we ask: How are they going in the wild? What makes these trees so special? And what does their future hold?
Produced by Eliza Herbert and Kate Thorburn.
Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation that works to protect and regenerate millions of hectares of ecologically important land across the continent. This podcast's focus on trees and Country is especially vital to understanding and advancing Australia's conservation future.
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