David Lindenmayer will be in conversation, accompanied by a visual presentation, with Alex Sloan on his book, The Great Forest. The rare beauty of the Victorian Central Highlands. It’s exquisite photographs by Chris Taylor, Sarah Rees and Steven Kuiter reveal the mountain ash forests of central Victoria to be one of Australia’s great natural treasures and is a tribute to an extraordinary landscape now under severe threat.
The Great Forest is a tribute to extraordinary landscapes now under severe threat from logging and wildfires, such as the catastrophic fire that struck on Black Saturday in 2009. It uncovers the intricate webs of life that make Mountain Ash forests so much more than their towering trees. It explores the unique forests that have sustained the Gunaikurnai, Taungurung and Wurundjeri peoples for tens of thousands of years, and that provide a home for creatures found almost nowhere else.
Professor David Lindenmayer AO is a world-leading expert on forest conservation and ranked among Australia’s top 50 scientists. Based at the Australian National University, he has led some of the largest scale environmental research programs in Australia, including almost 40 years of work in Victoria’s magnificent Mountain Ash forests. Chris Taylor, Sarah Rees and Steve Kuiter are outstanding photographers who have worked in Victoria’s Central Highlands forests for many years.
Alex Sloan AM, the 2017 Canberra Citizen of the Year, is a regular conversationalist for ANU Meet the Author events. Alex is a Director and Deputy Chair of Australia’s progressive think-tank, The Australia Institute, Director of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and Director and Deputy Chair of the ACT Writers Centre.