Australia's Community Biodiversity Network (CBN) is a national non-government, community-based network of organizations that works to:
The CBN was established in 1995 by Humane Society International, with funding support from Environment Australia (an agency of the Federal Department of Environment and Heritage). The CBN is hosted by Humane Society International, the Australian Museum Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research and the World Wide Fund for Nature - Australia.
The CBN contributes to the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy target area 5: Involving the Community. Adopted in 1996, the National Biodiversity Strategy is Australia's major policy instrument to implement the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity domestically.
In addition to providing funding support for the CBN, the Federal Department of the Environment and Heritage also implements a complementary communication strategy.
The scope of the CBN embraces all of Australia's biodiversity. To avoid duplication, the CBN seeks to coordinate, integrate, complement and strengthen existing efforts. This requires the CBN to work closely with existing biodiversity related networks and organisations, in particular the Threatened Species Network and the Marine and Coastal Community Network. Emphasis is placed on overarching issues such as biodiversity community education strategies, ecosystems most at risk and means to ameliorate key threatening processes.
The CBN is a non-membership based network comprising about 1,000 organizations, groups, and networks and hundreds of individuals.
Organizations linked to the CBN receive information via the CBN LifeLines bulletin and email list servers, and participate in the CBN flagship community education initiative, Biodiversity Month.
The CBN recognizes the weak causal relationships between attitudes, knowledge and action, and consequently seeks to include all tiers simultaneously in its communication messages, with a focus on associating the term biodiversity to a household call-to-action, such as creating habitat gardens.
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Community education strategies
Communication and education |
| Objective |
Activities |
Outputs |
Outcomes |
| Foster partnerships and alliances to develop and implement biodiversity education projects |
- Pursue potential partnerships, where appropriate
- Provide advice and materials, and cooperate, where appropriate
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- Exploring Biodiversity national schools theme for Science Week 2001
- Gondwana Biodiversity Program developed by Girl Guides Australia
- Oceans Alive web site developed jointly by the ABC, CBN, and the British Council
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More efficient and effective delivery of biodiversity communication education to a variety of audiences |
| Establish a national media and community focal point to celebrate and promote biodiversity and how it can be conserved |
Coordinate and manage Earth Alive! Biodiversity Month held yearly in September. Actions include:
- Promoting the Month
- Coordinating community events and national media
- Staging national Ecohero Awards
- Maintaining Biodiversity Month website
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- Segments and spots on TV media
- Interviews and spots on radio media
- TV and radio CSAs aired
- Promotional materials, such as posters and stickers
- Resource materials, such as Earth Alive Action Guide, background articles on Biodiversity Month action themes
Community events held nationally |
Increased media support for biodiversity stories.
Increased community awareness of biodiversity and simple household actions that can be taken to conserve biodiversity |
| Pursue ongoing media coverage to increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity and actions that assist in its conservation |
Obtain support by commercial TV networks of CBN Community Service Announcements |
- TV Community Service Announcements
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| Provide ready access to popular/educational information on biodiversity, issues confronting its conservation, and conservation measures |
Develop projects that synthesise existing and emerging information on biodiversity resources
Develop innovative educational tools |
- CBN Web Site
- On-line Biodiversity Education Centre
- Oceans Alive web site
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Ready access to synthesized information by organisations involved in popularizing biodiversity.
Increased knowledge about biodiversity and how to conserve species and ecosystems. |
| Provide families, households and individuals with tools to understand the value of biodiversity, how it relates to their lifestyles, and how to conserve local species and ecosystems |
Develop 'how-to' biodiversity community education materials
Distribute through the national network |
- Earth Alive Home Guide
- Earth Alive Action Guide
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Increased knowledge by families, households and individuals of how to conserve local biodiversity and where to access relevant organisations and further resources, leading to adoption of more biodiversity sympathetic behaviour |
| Provide ready access to information on recent developments on biodiversity policy ad conservation |
Engage national network to access information about breaking and topical biodiversity issues
Prepare, print and distribute materials that summarise breaking and topical issues |
- Publish 4 LifeLines bulletins/year
- Maintain Biodiv-talk list server
- Maintain on-line CBN Information Clearing House
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Biodiversity and natural resource influencers and decision-makers have up to date information on biodiversity conservation initiatives |
| Capacity-building |
| Objective |
Activities |
Outputs |
Outcomes |
| Facilitate the development of a nationally coordinated approach to biodiversity community education |
- Regularly liase with biodiversity communicators in other national organisations and the States
- Promote information exchange through the CBN Biodiv-ed list server
- Encourage involvement in Biodiversity Month
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Traffic on the Biodiv-ed list server |
Development of a more coordinated approach to biodiversity community education that complements Commonwealth and national initiatives |
| Increase the capacity of network organisations to develop and implement biodiversity community education programs and projects. |
- Provide advice to network organizations
- Prepare materials which synthesize existing and emerging knowledge about community attitudes to biodiversity, successful communication triggers and hooks, model biodiversity community education plans, and information resources
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- NSW Biodiversity Communicators Kit
- Biodiversity Communicators Handbook
- Earth Alive Directory of Biodiversity Resources, Programs and Organisations Online database and CD-ROM
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Increased capacity of national, state, regional and local organizations to more effectively communicate biodiversity
More effective engagement in Biodiversity Month. |
