People-Nature Relations in the ACT: Current and Future Opportunities for Monitoring and Management

This report explores how governments, NGOs and researchers are making sense of and supporting enhancement in the ways that people connect with nature across the Australian Capital Territory. Developed through collaboration between ACT environmental practitioners, researchers, government representatives, and community organisations, the report documents the many ways people interact with nature across urban, rural, and protected landscapes and identifies opportunities to enhance these for the future.

 

Drawing on workshop discussions, existing evidence, and future visioning activities, the report identifies current approaches to managing people–nature relations, reviews existing sources of data, and highlights opportunities for strengthening environmental planning, wellbeing, and community stewardship. It also proposes future directions for monitoring people–nature relations in the ACT, including the development of new indicators, collaborative governance approaches, and culturally grounded practices that recognise the importance of Ngunnawal connections to Country.

 

The report highlights the ACT's unique opportunity to become a national leader in understanding and supporting people–nature relations as part of a more sustainable, resilient, and nature-connected future.