August 24, 2018
Part 2 of our NATIVE TREES FOR SUSTAINABLE SEAS Carbon Neutral update is a short Q & A with Austral Fisheries CEO David Carter. David lead Austral to achieve carbon neutral status in 2016 and is an advocate for businesses and organisations pursuing their own sustainability measures wherever possible.
What inspired your most recent visit to the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor?
DC: I just love spending time in this country that sits at the very eastern margins of agriculture and right on the edge of the desert. We are blessed to have the opportunity to stay in a homestead that was a house for sheep and wheat farmers and is now in the middle of a forest of new life. The property is an easy 4 and half hour drive from Perth and is located not far from the small township of Perenjori.
Who joined you on your visit?
DC: I was joined on the adventure by Julia (my daughter’s best friend from Germany) and Colin White, retired CSIRO scientist and accomplished photographer.
How are the trees progressing?
DC: Overall the country is just stirring from the dry summer and the last couple of cold fronts have stretched far enough north to deliver a couple of good 20mm rain events that have thrown a blanket of green over everything and giving the skinny sheep something to chase by way of feed. It was terrific to see the trees that we planted with the Austral team nearly two years ago have made a good start with some of the better specimens of York gum now at waist height.
Do these visits help to solidify your decision to go Carbon Neutral as a business?
DC: Absolutely yes. I never fail to wonder at the ability of nature to bounce back when given half a chance and that, by our actions, we are able to help this happen at scale is a source of great satisfaction.
What would you say to other organisations and businesses to encourage them to pursue their own sustainability journey?
DC: It’s the right thing to do. Climate change is real and it’s here and it’s the duty of us all to do our bit to give our descendants’ a fighting chance of inhabiting a liveable planet by the end of the century. I also happen to believe that it is good for business!