We’re working with key stakeholders to map, rewild and protect the Brunswick River in perpetuity through a range of community organising, restoration, connectivity, ecological monitoring, and offset identification projects. We identify human impacts on the catchment from the mountains to the sea, while building resilience for long-term social, cultural, and ecological health.

To date, our team has:
– Produced a state of the art ArcGIS StoryMap, highlighting our ongoing findings and allowing community members to upload data directly;

– Surveyed 142km of the catchment;

– Restored ~3,000m2 of riparian habitat and blue forests across two sites;

– Engaged 698 volunteers, contributing a total of 1230 hours;

– Hosted 26 workshops and events;

– Engaged and is working closely with 13 partner, and;

– Have run 13 Citizen Science program days across the catchment!

With grand plans for the Bruns, stay tuned as we continue our efforts to rewild the catchment, restoring biodiversity, engaging community, and ensuring the long-term resilience of the Byron Shire!

Our Rewilding our Floodplains Conondale program is the culmination of a 2 year search with our funders at the Ubuntu Foundation for the ideal conservation properties on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.

We were seeking properties that had high pre-clearing biodiversity values, would relink existing forested areas and would serve as climate refugia.

After tens of property viewings and GIS data searches, the two properties that were purchased lie within the Mary Valley, a highly degraded, yet incredibly important region that is still home to numerous endemic, endangered and nationally important floral and faunal species. Nestled between the Maleny National Park, AWC’s Curramore Sanctuary, and the Mary River these properties see regular visitors including the Glossy Black Cockatoo, Mary River Turtle, Mary River Cod, Mary River Lungfish, Platypus and a known population of koalas just beyond the northern boundary. With Cedar Creek and Little Cedar Creek feeding in from the Maleny National Park, we believe that there are no properties to launch our first major Rewilding our Floodplains program in QLD from!

After 12-months of comprehensive strategic planning, we launched RoF Conondale in December 2023 alongside our partners at Greening Australia and the Ubuntu Foundation, planting 2,000 regional ecosystem appropriate native trees and shrubs along a highly eroded section of Little Cedar Creek. 

With hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs yet to be planted, plans for an educational centre, informative conservation-focused signage, walking trails, workshops and a working model of how cattle grazing, agriculture and rewilding can work in cohesion, we’re hopeful that the program can serve as the seed for rewilding across the Conondale valley and beyond!

Our newest RoF program in Poovar, India aims to rewild an incredibly degraded estuary within one of the world’s 10 Marine Biodiversity hotspots.

Poorly planned development, unregulated resource extraction, tidal inundation and extreme weather events, solid waste dumping and the unmitigated flow of raw sewage have all contributed to the severe degradation of this once pristine ecosystem. With Kerala having lost almost 99% of mangrove forests since the late 1970s the time to act is now!

The program to date has:
– Mapped threats to the estuary, including invasive species, sewage and waste hotspots and sources, erosion, existing mangrove remnants, native faunal species, as well as poorly designed infrastructure and clearing;

– Commenced community-based surveys to engage boat tour operators, local businesses, fishers, as well as government officials to understand the myriad factors affecting the estuary, as well as realistic solutions to address these challenges;

– Developed a range of local partnerships to assist in achieving long term objectives, which include:

– Rewilding at least 50ha of the Poovar estuary;

– Implementing solutions to the consistent flow of solid and liquid waste, including litter traps; community awareness and education programs; infrastructure such as bins, a Waste Collection Service (in line with our Waste to Wealth program model), and educational signage; floating wetlands and other sewage treatment facilities;

– Integrating a marketable carbon and biodiversity credit system within the program to ensure self-funding through associated financial returns;

– Engaging boat tour operators as Rewilding champions, retraining and employing them in more economically viable conservation-focused work;

– Developing a rewilding model that can be replicated throughout the state, as well as broader India.

Our first-ever Waste Collection Service commenced in southern Kerala in 2018. Training local, marginalised women to collect 5 waste streams from local households, the program commenced with just two participating households in 2017!

Fast-track to today – the team employs 110 previously unemployed local women and youth, collects weekly from almost 400 households, and has collected nearly 8 tonnes of waste that would otherwise be dumped in the street, the ocean, the estuary, or be openly burned! 

With the number of households growing weekly, as well as other regions looking to adopt the program, the future is bright for our WCS in India, as well as the marine ecosystems, local communities, land, air and water that benefit!

Conceptualised during COVID by our Waste to Wealth Manager, Krishna, our organic black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) organic composting program has to date converted 8672kg of organic waste into 4336kg of certified organic compost!

Eradicating harmful organic waste from the environment not only removes the threat that it poses to the nutrification of waterways, it also addresses threats to human health, while creating a social enterprise model for some of the most marginalised coastal fishing communities in India. With a 30% profit margin, it’s another example of how our team are truly turning Waste into Wealth!

With a whopping 2,304,480 individual pieces of plastic being removed from local supply chains every year, as well as our successful efforts in lobbying for a statewide single-use plastics ban, our Leave No Trace (LNT) program is kicking enormous goals!

At present, our India team have converted 84 businesses to Ocean Friendly products, subsidising the transition to leaf, areca, and paper products for 3 months, as well as subsiding and designing new signage for participating businesses. 

Training businesses to shift supply chains permanently post-subsidy, 100% of businesses that signed up have continued the trend and now use only 100% ocean friendly products. A small step for the businesses, a giant leap for nature!

Our Waste Repurposing Unit (WRU) in India breathes new life into HDPE, PPE, Aluminium, as well as low-grade soft plastics collected through our weekly Waste Collection Service (WCS).

Through the construction of waste shredding, extrusion, press and mould machines, as well as a sewing unit within our Ocean Innovation Hub (OIH), women from our target communities have been employed to create new products including chairs, tables, bricks, hair accessories, flowers, combs and more!

The India and Global Team are now exploring ways to enhance the capacity of the WRU to open up web-based markets to greater India, as well as an international clientele. 

The WRU is an innovative, exciting Waste to Wealth initiative, providing renewed purpose for waste, while empowering marginalised women to utilise their skills in creating social enterprises!

Our Marine Conservation Centre (MCC) and Ocean Innovation Hub (OIH) in Kerala serves as a centralised space to share and discuss ideas, learn from our communities, and test innovative new solutions to complex environmental and social challenges.

An office for our growing team, a hub for community events, screenings and workshops, a public-facing stall and information centre, as well as the home of our BSFL Composting program, and our Waste Repurposing Unit (WRP), it’s a place to share, grow and develop, together. For nature and the communities who rely on it.

Our Waste Collection Service on Gizo commenced in 2020. It has since grown to service 80 households on a weekly basis, while employing 12 part-time and 1 full-time staff member who are all from the local community.

We estimate that around 700 people (10% of the population) have been engaged in the program so far, with plans to expand this number to ~25% by mid-2025.

Our Gizo WRU works with local craftswomen to train other women in producing beautiful, marketable products from the waste items that we collect through the Waste Collection Service, as well as our local land and sea clean-ups!

To date, our team (in collaboration with Plasticwise Gizo) have produced hundreds of items for sale at local markets. The goal now is to bring their efforts to an international audience through the development of business case studies, creating fair, local economic opportunities for marginalised women.

With the recent arrival of our new presser and mould machine from India, we are trialing new products including bricks, tiles and sheeted plastics to design a range of furniture from. Watch this space!

Our Leave No Trace project in Gizo is working with vendors across the central Gizo Marketplace (the main shopping hub in Gizo Town) to become 100% single-use plastic free.

With over 150,000 harmful plastic and polystyrene items replaced so far with ocean-friendly alternatives, our goal is for a full, plastic free market by the end of 2024, removing an estimated 8 million products from supply chains every year!

Our Marine Conservation Centre in Gizo currently serves as a private waste recovery facility for the areas that our WCS services across Gizo Town. It also includes a small office for our local team.

We currently segregate and sort plastic waste, paper and cardboard, trail new product design through our suite of waste conversion machinery, as well as bail aluminium cans for local and international recycling.

In 2024, we have plans to expand the Centre to include a larger office space and public-facing awareness hub for our growing team and projects. Stay tuned!

Ran a series of workshops, community engagement, and beach cleanups with Rocinha Surf Escola to engage the community in how to better manage marine debris and sewage waste from the nearby Favela into their local surfing and recreational beach.

Co-hosted the 2012 World Clean Up alongside Surfrider Foundation and other partners in Ipanema Beach.

Our teams across northern NSW and SE QLD have collected >1 million pieces of marine debris, analysed and recorded from 200m length transect across the width of beaches. To date, these programs have operated in 14 locations across both states, contributing to long-term monitoring efforts through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI).

Our teams across northern NSW and SE QLD have collected >1 million pieces of marine debris, analysed and recorded from 200m length transect across the width of beaches. To date, these programs have operated in 14 locations across both states, contributing to long-term monitoring efforts through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI).

We ran major surveys, clean-ups and events across Burleigh Heads, North Burleigh, Miami, Mermaid Beach and The Spit (Southport) on the Gold Coast.

Engaging over 400 volunteers, and collecting 17,155 individual items through our surveys, as well as (an estimated) 38,000 pieces through our extrapolated data from our corporate and public events, the Gold Coast marine debris programs were a huge success in drawing attention to and promoting behavioural change around littering and plastic pollution.

Kayak-based surveys have so far collected >8,000 pieces of marine debris, weighing in at 1,862kg.

Our teams have produced 2 Marine Debris Report Cards, which rated the river with an F+ average (from a high of A+ to a low of F-).

The Program also cleaned up old Oyster Lease sites in a state of disrepair across the catchment, in collaboration with Marine Parks staff from NSW DPE, as well as engaged over 200 volunteers, while hosting over 30 educational programs, surveys and workshops!

We ran a pilot marine debris study of Terranora Creek in Tweed Heads, NSW.

Multiple kayak-based surveys collected 4,567 pieces of marine debris, weighing in at 362kg, with 66 volunteer hours contributed.

The program produced a Marine Debris Report and Report Card, which rated the river an F+ in terms of marine debris presence and active mitigation measures in place (from a high of A+ to a low of F-).

30 Kayak-based surveys, which collected 28,306 pieces of marine debris, weighing in at 1,866kg.

Engaged 613 participants in 12 school, business, and community education programs.

19 volunteers contributed 429 hours to the program.

Marine Debris Report Card and State of Marine Debris report produced, which rated the river an F+ on a number of averaged variables (from a high of A+ to a low of F-).

Kayak-based surveys covering a 25km area, the program collected 5,164 pieces of marine debris, weighing in at 745kg.

The program engaged 11 volunteers, who contributed a total of 108 hours.

We produced a Marine Debris Report Card and a State of Marine Debris Report which rated the river a D (based on the average of key variables, and a ranking structure with a high of A+ to a low of F-).

Post-east coast extreme flood event in early 2022 our team conducted multiple kayak-based river clean-ups in the Noosa River catchment, QLD.

Supported by the QLD State Government, we collected over 1 tonne of debris and thousands of items that had washed in during the flooding.

As a part of our 2016 Challenge, the Sydney team engaged hundreds of people across the Coogee region in projects to clean their beaches, educate their community and empower them to action.

The team collected over 200kg of marine debris as a part of the project, while running 6 educational events culminating in a celebratory screening of the award-winning ‘Bag It’ film.

As a part of our 2016 Challenge, the Coffs team engaged thousands of people across the region in projects to clean their beaches, educate their communities and empower them to action.

The team collected over 1 tonne of marine debris as a part of the project, lobbied Council for action on plastic pollution, and ran 8 educational events culminating in a celebratory screening of the award-winning ‘Bag It’ film.

As a part of our 2016 Challenge, the Tasman Peninsula team engaged over 1,000 people in projects to clean their beaches, educate their communities and empower them to action.

The team collected over a tonne of marine debris as a part of the project, culminating in a celebratory screening of the award-winning ‘Bag It’ film.

What can we say about our 2016 Seychelles Challenge team!?

In partnership with SEYA Youth Organisation, Seychelles the team engaged over 6,500 people across the 4 islands to clean their beaches, educate their communities and empower them to action.

Over the course of the project, the Seychelles team collected a whopping 6+ tonnes of marine debris, culminating in a huge celebratory event, screening the award-winning ‘Bag It’ film in the main square of Victoria to an audience of over 400 people.

In addition, the project lobbied the Seychelles federal government. showcasing the project to highlight the need for reform, leading to a plastic bag ban in 2017, followed by a full single-use plastic ban in 2019!

The Marine Debris Challenge Seychelles led to the formation of local NGO The Ocean Project Seychelles, ran by our volunteer leaders Karine Rassool and Zara Pardiwalla.

Thanks to our incredible partners at Happy Travels, we collaborated on a range of marine debris surveys across St Kilda beach. With over 2,200 pieces of debris collected, weighing in at over 1 tonne, these events were a huge success!

We also engaged over 200 people through the surveys, which included educational talks on environmental awareness for foreign tourists.

Converting local businesses to become single-use plastic free through waste audits, customer engagement, business support and supply chain management solutions we worked with 6 businesses across the region to transition away from single-use plastic items for good!

Partnered with local organisation to raise money to support empowerment of women and youth ocean advocates through surfing, education and waste projects. 

Through our events we raised over $2,500 to support their programs!

In collaboration with a range of partners, including Byron Shire Council, PCFML led the Butt Free Byron program between 2017 and 2023. Across 26 sites, the program resulted in a 78% decrease in smoking-related litter and a Shire-wide smoking ban on public beaches!

It also engaged thousands of locals and visitors to the region to collect over 12,000 smoking-related litter items, installed over 128 enviropole butt bins, and won a range of State Government and local awards! We also produced over 2,500 fully upcycled pocket ashtrays made from recycled toothpaste tubes and tyres, stocking local businesses and nightclubs as a part of the program.

All in all, BFB was a mammoth success and the first of three successful Butt Free Australia programs that PCFML has initiated across NSW and QLD.

Off the back of our successful Butt Free Byron campaign and in collaboration with a range of partners, including Tweed Shire Council, PCFML led the Butt Free Tweed program between 2021 and 2022. Across 8 sites, the program resulted in a 50% decrease in smoking-related litter, as well as a 150% increase in butt binning rates!

It also engaged thousands of locals and visitors to the region to collect over 7,900 smoking-related litter items, installed 14 enviropole butt bins, 14 Minjunbul Traditional Owner-designed educational signs, as well as 2 unique butt voting bins!

We also facilitated 8 “Butt Free Champions” to take care of their patch, and held 8 perormance-art educational pieces throughout our project area.

All in all, BFT was a mammoth success and the second of three successful Butt Free Australia programs that PCFML has initiated across NSW and QLD.

Off the back of our successful Butt Free Byron and Butt Free Tweed campaigns and in collaboration with a range of partners, including Sunshine Coast Council, PCFML led the Butt Free Sunshine Coast program between 2022 and 2023. Across 7 litter hotspots from Cotton Tree Maroochydore to The Wharf Mooloolaba, the program resulted in an 82% decrease in smoking-related litter, as well as a 50% increase in butt binning rates!

It also engaged thousands of locals and visitors to the region to collect over 12,000 cigarette-related litter items, installed 14 enviropole butt bins, 14 Gubbi Gubbi Traditional Owner-designed educational signs, as well as 2 unique butt voting bins!

We also facilitated 6 “Butt Free Champions” across the coast to take care of their patch, and held a number of workshops and community surveys throughout our project area.

All in all, BFSC was a mammoth success and the third and final chapter of our successful Butt Free Australia programs that PCFML initiated across NSW and QLD!

What can we say about our two Japanese programs…

The birthplace of PCFML, Japan holds a special place with the organisation and led to the development of our multi-faceted conservation and development programs around the world!

We worked in Taiji on fisheries-related issues, understanding local customs, culture and ecological trends around the cetacean hunting industry. The realisation that well-meaning, yet misguided foreign intervention was creating a never say die attitude in local communities led to the formation of a Facebook page, Positive Change in Taiji, subsequently leading to 6 years of deep community engagement, workshops, events, and research.

If you’re interested in the range of work that we undertook and the outcomes that we created, please get in touch for a copy of our key findings paper!PCFML Founder and CEO Karl Goodsell worked with Peace Boat as their international on-board journalist during the 83rd Global Voyage.

Karl presented on PCFML numerous times on-board and in various ports as PCFML circumnavigated the globe during a 4-month period. From Ocean Literacy to poverty’s link to conservation, piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and the impact of nuclear fallout, PCFML engaged thousands of global citizens in our programs.

In partnership with EIA, just weeks after the devastating and heartbreaking Tohoku earthquake our Founder explored the resumption of the porpoise hunts post-tsunami, engaging with government officials, fisheries departments and locals to understand the drivers for a return to the industry, as well as potential alternative livelihoods based on a conservation over exploitation approach.

A consultancy report was compiled for EIA to assist them with their ongoing campaigns in the region.

PCFML Founder and CEO Karl Goodsell worked with Peace Boat as their international on-board journalist during the 83rd Global Voyage.

Karl presented on PCFML numerous times on-board and in various ports as PCFML circumnavigated the globe during a 4-month period. From Ocean Literacy to poverty’s link to conservation, piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and the impact of nuclear fallout, PCFML engaged thousands of global citizens in our programs.