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, according to The Snow Gum Summit organiser, Friends of the Earth (Melbourne).
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 per cent 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 on 14-16 February.
Emerging solutions were identified during the event, such as fire response procedures that could protect snow gum woodlands and build their resilience to future bushfires by excluding fire as these systems recover.
ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society’s, 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 hosted more than 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,” organiser of the Snow Gum Summit, Cam Walker, said.
“Australia’s alpine regions are globally unique and also support local economies and play a huge role in water security. This water from the Alps is valuable, even more so in droughts.
“If we fail to restore snow gum woodlands to health, the important legacy of alpine landscapes to Australia’s identity could be lost forever,” Mr Walker said.
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.