People For Nature

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  • Meet the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)

    Meet the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus)

    One of Australia’s most distinctive marsupials, the Numbat is a small, striped mammal that has become a symbol of resilience and conservation success.

    Found in pockets of native woodland and forest, this remarkable species is perfectly adapted to life as a termite specialist, using its long, sticky tongue and sharp claws to hunt its favourite food.

    It is a reminder that some of Australia’s most extraordinary wildlife can also be among its most vulnerable.

    Why it matters

    The Numbat plays an important role in Australia’s ecosystems.

    🪱 It helps regulate termite populations by feeding almost exclusively on termites

    🌳 It forms part of the complex food webs that support healthy woodland ecosystems

    🌏 Its presence highlights the importance of protecting native habitats and ecological connections

    🌿 Its recovery efforts have become a symbol of broader conservation initiatives across Australia

    Although small in size, the Numbat demonstrates how every species contributes to the balance and health of natural systems.

    Fun facts

    🤓  Numbats have a diet that consists almost entirely of termites

    🤓  They can consume up to 20,000 termites in a single day

    🤓  They are largely solitary animals and spend much of their time sheltering in hollow logs and burrows

    🤓  Their long, sticky tongue is specially adapted to extracting termites from their nests

    A deeper reflection

    The Numbat challenges the assumption that Australia’s iconic wildlife is secure.

    Once widespread across southern Australia, the species has experienced significant declines due to habitat loss, land clearing and predation by introduced species.

    Its story highlights both the fragility of native ecosystems and the importance of targeted conservation efforts.

    In a country with more than 600,000 native species, many found nowhere else on Earth, the Numbat reminds us that protecting biodiversity requires safeguarding the habitats and ecological relationships that allow species to survive.

    How we manage our landscapes, support conservation programs and share space with wildlife will shape the future of this remarkable marsupial and the ecosystems it calls home.

    From Wonder to Action

    Learn & understand

    Explore how biodiversity, climate, and land systems are deeply connected through our workshops with People For Nature.

    Create your Nature Oasis

    Plant native species to restore habitat and support the insects, birds, and wildlife that depend on them.

    (Special thanks to Simon Andrews, Ambassador for People For Nature, for helping shape this story)

    References:

  • Meet our ambassador: Masha Kondrasheva

    Meet our ambassador: Masha Kondrasheva

    Masha Kondrasheva is a sustainability practitioner and casual academic at the University of Newcastle, with a Master’s in Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development. Her work sits at the intersection of disasters, waste and climate – she’s genuinely drawn to the “messy”, multidisciplinary space where these challenges overlap. 

    As a People For Nature Ambassador, Climate Fresk and Circular Economy Collage facilitator, Masha’s approach is pretty straightforward: meet people where they are. Whether that’s a community group or a university classroom, she’s interested in activities that are accessible, grounded, and genuinely useful. Masha is committed to creating space for people to engage with complex environmental topics, bringing the same curiosity and practicality to everything she does.

  • Meet our ambassador: Matthew Shinkel

    Meet our ambassador: Matthew Shinkel

    Matt joined us last year as a volunteer, supporting the delivery of AlterCOP Australia and helping behind the scenes to bring the event to life. He also trained as a Climate Fresk facilitator, strengthening his ability to support climate education through collaborative and accessible learning.

    He is now part of the Support Team behind Citizen COP 2026, continuing to contribute his time, energy, and practical support to help the movement run smoothly.

    Matt brings a deep interest in understanding the causes, impacts, and solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises, and is curious about the transformational changes unfolding across our societies, economies, places, and environment in the coming decades.

    He has strong expertise in managing large multidisciplinary teams and complex planning projects, with a proven track record in strategic infrastructure master planning, program and project development, and business sustainability leadership. His approach is grounded in placing the needs and experiences of end users at the heart of infrastructure planning, supported by extensive stakeholder engagement across government (all levels), regulators, industry, contractors, and communities.

    Matt is also a compassionate leader with a strong focus on the wellbeing, development, and achievement of his team members.

    We are grateful for his steady presence, analytical strengths, and commitment to both people and systems change, which continue to strengthen the work behind Citizen COP.

  • Meet our ambassador: Audrey Penney

    Meet our ambassador: Audrey Penney

    Audrey joined us at AlterCOP last year as Chair of our biodiversity panel, where she guided a rich and thoughtful discussion across science, policy, business, and community perspectives. She is also a Biodiversity Collage facilitator, bringing systems thinking and participatory learning into the spaces she works in.

    A Social Ecologist with over 30 years’ experience, Audrey works across education, business, policy, and community sectors to contextualise sustainability in real-world settings. Her expertise spans sustainability strategy, ESG and corporate social responsibility, systemic thinking, and industry engagement, with a strong focus on translating complex principles into meaningful, practical outcomes—particularly within the built environment.

    We are grateful for her contribution and the depth, clarity, and systems lens she brought to our biodiversity conversation.

  • Meet our ambassador: Heidi Osborne

    Meet our ambassador: Heidi Osborne

    Heidi joined us through AlterCOP last year and returns as part of the Citizen COP 2026 team. She was also a speaker at last year’s event, where her insights and hands-on experience deeply resonated with our community.

    Heidi is a civil and humanitarian engineer passionate about nature-based solutions, circular economy, and inclusive development. Her work spans Indonesia, Nepal, and Australia, with a focus on improving access to safe drinking water, reducing plastic waste and emissions, and advancing sustainable menstrual health solutions.

    Currently a water engineer at GHD, Heidi’s career has been shaped by field experience, including work in Indonesia exploring the impacts of limited access to clean water, and research in Nepal on innovative, low-impact materials for menstrual products. She has also worked with local NGOs to support the development of biodegradable menstrual pads and improve product quality on the ground.

    Heidi brings a grounded, practical perspective to systems change, and we are grateful for her continued involvement, energy, and commitment to amplifying youth voices and advancing more equitable, sustainable development.

  • Meet our ambassador: Valentine Aouad

    Meet our ambassador: Valentine Aouad

    Valentine has been instrumental in shaping our social media strategy and strengthening how we communicate impact and purpose. She was part of the core team behind AlterCOP 30 Australia and returns as part of the support team for Citizen COP 2026.

    Since joining People For Nature, she has also chosen to deepen her commitment to education and collective action by becoming a Climate Fresk facilitator.

    Founder of Green Socials, she works with purpose-driven businesses and nonprofits around the world, helping them rethink how sustainability and ethics are communicated in a way that actually connects with audiences.

    Her work challenges a key question: how do we cut through noise and hyper-consumerism without relying on doom-and-gloom messaging—and instead inspire real engagement and action?

    We’re grateful to have her insight, creativity, and strategic thinking helping shape this movement.

  • From Waste to Wonder: How Australia Can Close the Loop

    From Waste to Wonder: How Australia Can Close the Loop

    Most of us are familiar with recycling. We sort our bottles, flatten our cardboard, and hope it ends up somewhere useful. But what if recycling is only the beginning of the story?

    Across Australia—and around the world—communities are starting to rethink something much bigger than what goes in our bins. They are reimagining the entire system that shapes how we design, make, use, and dispose of everything in our lives. This shift is known as the circular economy.

    Unlike the traditional “take–make–waste” model, which relies on extracting resources, producing goods, and discarding them, a circular economy is designed to keep materials in use for as long as possible. Products are reused, repaired, shared, remanufactured, and ultimately regenerated—so that waste is designed out of the system altogether.

    This shift is not just about recycling better—it’s about redefining value. Materials are no longer seen as disposable, but as part of a living system that should circulate, much like nature does.

    A new way of learning: the Circular Economy Collage

    To make this complex system accessible and engaging, an interactive workshop called the Circular Economy Collage has been developed.

    Now running across Australia through People For Nature, a registered environmental charity, the workshop transforms global systems thinking into a hands-on, collaborative experience.

    Participants work together using illustrated cards that represent different parts of our economy—resource extraction, manufacturing, consumption, waste, and innovation. Step by step, they build a visual map of how our current system operates, before exploring how it can be redesigned.

    Rather than passively receiving information, participants actively construct understanding together. The result is often described as a moment of clarity—when the scale and interconnectedness of the system suddenly clicks.

    Like its sister initiatives, Climate Fresk (which has engaged more than 2.3 million people worldwide) and Biodiversity Collage, the Circular Economy Collage is grounded in science and designed to be engaging, accessible, and action-oriented. It helps people move beyond overwhelm and into meaningful action.

    Because when people understand how the system works, they begin to see where change is possible—in households, workplaces, councils, and across entire industries.

    Why this matters in Australia

    In an increasingly volatile and uncertain world, building resilience at the local level is becoming essential across Australia.

    From supply chain disruptions and rising costs of living to population growth, housing pressures, waste challenges, and biodiversity loss, the systems we rely on are being tested. The question is no longer whether change is coming—but how prepared we are to respond.

    The circular economy offers a practical and hopeful framework for navigating this reality. By keeping resources in use for longer, it reduces reliance on fragile global supply chains and strengthens local economies. It supports repair and reuse culture, empowers small businesses, reduces pressure on landfill, and reconnects people with the resources that sustain everyday life.

    Importantly, it also fosters a deeper cultural shift—from accepting waste as inevitable to recognising it as a design flaw we have the power to fix.

    In doing so, it helps communities become more self-reliant, adaptable, and better equipped to thrive in the face of change.

    An invitation to take part

    If you’re curious about how these ideas can be applied in everyday life—and how communities across Australia can be part of the solution—you’re warmly invited to take part in an upcoming workshop.

    Find a Circular Economy Collage workhop near you (or online):
    🎟️ https://collections.humanitix.com/people-for-nature-literacy-workshops

  • A heartfelt thank you to our supporters

    A heartfelt thank you to our supporters

    We gratefully acknowledge all individuals and organisations who supported People For Nature in 2025, including our anonymous donors.

    As we reflect on the past year, we want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude to the individuals and partners who have stood beside us. Your support has not only helped us grow—it has helped us reach more communities, deepen our impact, and bring climate and biodiversity learning to life in ways that are accessible, hopeful, and action-oriented.

    Our Blue Partners

    *Blue Partners provide national-scale support for programs across Australia.

    Our Green Partners

    Green Seedling Partners support local events and community actions.

    Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference — get in touch to find out how your company can support our work.

    A Thriving Ecosystem of Collaboration

    Without the support and collaboration of our partners, none of what we do for nature would be possible.

    To all of our supporters, collaborators, facilitators, and community members: thank you. You are part of a growing movement of people choosing action over apathy, connection over disconnection, and nature-positive change over business as usual.

    We are so grateful to be on this journey with you.