When Susan Downes bought an old farmhouse in York, Western Australia, she had imagined a quiet life in the countryside, with a small garden to look after.
asserted
she → buy → garden
Instead, she found herself the owner of a 200-hectare property, including a hill where old native trees had survived more than a century of grazing but much of the vegetation beneath them had disappeared.
asserted
much → find → them
Nearly two decades later, the 76-year-old retired general practitioner has turned a substantial part of the land into a conservation project.
asserted
practitioner → turn → project
About 120 hectares have been restored, around 45,000 native seedlings have been planted, and 45 plant species have returned naturally from seeds already present in the soil.
asserted
species → restore → soil
As reported by The Guardian, Downes is now working to ensure that the work continues long after she is gone.
asserted
she → report → Guardian
From a farmhouse to a conservation project
Downes was in her 60s, widowed and with her children grown up, when she began looking for a home in the countryside.
asserted
she → grow → countryside
The farmhouse in York appealed to her, but the size of the property initially seemed impractical.
asserted
size → appeal → property
A second visit changed her mind.
asserted
visit → change → mind
At the back of the farm, she discovered Mount Mackie, a 295-metre hill where ancient York gums and wandoos had survived about 150 years of grazing.
asserted
gums → discover → grazing
Much of the understorey had vanished, leaving the old trees as some of the most visible remnants of the original landscape.
asserted
Much → vanish → landscape
“I felt a great connection to the land,” Downes told The Guardian.
asserted
Downes → feel → Guardian
She decided to buy the property and began looking for ways to restore it.
asserted
She → decide → it
Her first step was to obtain a small local grant to control foxes and feral cats.
asserted
step → obtain → foxes
She then secured funding for 24,000 trees over three years, giving her the means to begin planting on a larger scale.
asserted
She → secure → scale
Downes had started her professional career as a botanist, but restoring a large property required more than an interest in plants.
asserted
restoring → start → plants
The work involved managing invasive animals, removing weeds, planting seedlings and organising the practical details of a long-term conservation effort.
asserted
work → involve → effort
Today, the restoration covers 120 hectares of her working farm.
asserted
restoration → cover → farm
The return of 45 plant species through the soil's natural seed bank has also contributed to the recovery of the landscape.
asserted
return → contribute → landscape
She wants the land protected after her lifetime
Photo credit: Stuart Walmsley/The Guardian
asserted
land → want → lifetime
For Downes, restoring the land is only part of the task.
asserted
restoring → restore → task
She also wants to ensure that the area cannot be cleared again in the future.
asserted
area → want → future
She is working to place the restored land under a conservation covenant, a legal arrangement that can protect land from certain forms of development or clearing.
asserted
that → work → development
The project is supported by Friends of Mt Mackie, a local volunteer group with a core team of about eight people and more than 80 others who take part in organised planting and seed-collection days.
asserted
who → support → days
Downes has also been thinking about who will look after the property in the future.
asserted
who → think → future
The deaths and dementia diagnoses of friends have made her more conscious of how uncertain the time available to complete a long-term project can be.
asserted
time → make → project
She told The Guardian that she wants the arrangements for the land's future responsibility to be firmly established.
asserted
arrangements → tell → responsibility
Her hope is that her children and grandchildren will be inspired by the work, while the wider community will continue to have access to the place.
asserted
community → inspire → place
The project also has a cultural dimension.
asserted
project → have → dimension
Ballardong women from York visit Mount Mackie several times a year for cultural healing sessions.
asserted
women → visit → sessions
Downes is working with Ballardong elders to find an Aboriginal name for the hill.
asserted
Downes → work → hill
Planning is also under way for a reconciliation event in 2030, marking 200 years since European arrival in the region.
asserted
Planning → mark → region
Other retirees are spending their later years restoring nature
Downes is not the only older Australian devoting time to conservation.
asserted
Downes → spend → conservation
There are also volunteers and former farmers who have taken on projects ranging from monitoring wildlife to restoring large areas of damaged land, as reported by The Guardian.
asserted
who → be → Guardian
The Aporia
