AILA is proud to support the newly established Landscape Foundation of Australia (LFA), with founding directors Dr Catherin Bull, Linda Corkery and Noel Corkery, recently introducing AILA colleagues to the new not-for-profit organisation.
While the LFA and AILA are separate entities with different goals and functions, there is a shared commitment to work in close collaboration to achieve where mutual benefits can be achieved.
The vision for LFA is the creation of healthy, engaging, and sustainable urban landscapes where people and nature thrive together. To realise this vision, creative design thinking and dedicated action will be required to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss in our towns and cities.
Opportunities for collaboration will be created through the activities of LFA, including support for research, scholarships/fellowships and community-based projects that contribute to the achievement of sustainable and equitable urban landscapes. Funding for these activities and programs will be generated through donations, grants, business partnerships, bequests and events.
With a focus on protecting and restoring the ecological values and biodiversity of landscapes associated with Australian cities and towns, LFA adds a new capability to the existing environmental organisations that are engaged on land beyond urban areas. The emphasis is on the vulnerable environments where human-nature interactions take place, such as in open spaces, reserves, parklands, areas of native vegetation and riparian corridors within and at the peripheries of urban areas.
Growth of the LFA and achievement of its objectives will require collaboration and application of knowledge by a diverse range of experts, including landscape architects, urban ecologists, planners, environmental consultants, academic researchers, and related industries. The LFA will also seek partnerships with Indigenous-led organisations to understand how projects can be better informed through deep respect for and strong cultural relationships with country.
LFA and AILA are finalising a memorandum of understanding to establish mutual common goals and expectations. The LFA directors invite and encourage AILA and related industry colleagues to engage, by applying our combined capabilities to achieve impact and gain influence to realise a better future for the environment and all living things within it.
You can support the Foundation in different ways, depending on your circumstances, as detailed on the Landscape Foundation of Australia website.