Not every love story is about a person. Some of our deepest and most enduring relationships are with places.

To mark its 60th anniversary, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is inviting Australians to celebrate those relationships by writing love letters to nature — messages dedicated to the natural places that have shaped, supported, or healed them over the years. 

These letters are being pinned on an interactive national map, creating a growing tapestry of affection, memory and environmental connection.

Jane Gardner, ACF’s Engagement Director, said the project is a joyful antidote to the negativity that often fills our digital feeds.

“We’re collecting love letters to the places that have always been there for you: the beach, the creek, the tree, the ambling echidna and bounding kangaroo, the sunset that stopped you in your tracks” Jane Gardner said.

“This project is designed as an antidote to the ugliness in our social media feeds. Go and take a look at the map, read what your fellow nature lovers have written, add your own – I guarantee you’ll feel better.”

“Since we launched this project on Valentine’s Day, 215 people have already written love letters to special natural places.”

Love letters from across the country

The letters pinned to the map are intimate, poetic and deeply personal. They reveal the emotional power of Country, coastlines, wildlife, forests and rivers — and how these places hold our stories:

• “I was at my worst… Nothing could have brought me back to life the way you did.” — T. Harris, Airlie Beach, Qld
• “You are a tapestry woven from the extremes of my life… You meet me wherever I am now.” — Declan, Fishermans Beach, Torquay, Vic
• “You are my sanctuary. My safe place… Peace, hope and love reside here.” — Jane, Stirling Range National Park, WA
• “I love her for her quiet dignity, her generosity… and her spiritual connections to the forest that was once here.” — Iain, Broulee, NSW

These letters sit alongside hundreds of others on ACF’s interactive “Love Letters to Nature” map — where users can browse tributes, vote for their favourites, or discover places ACF has helped protect over its six decades of environmental advocacy. 

The map also highlights featured stories such as the Kimberley’s King Leopold Ranges, described by one writer as “heaven here on earth” and a place that “washes away the chaos and noise of the city.”

Part of a broader 60‑year celebration

ACF’s 60th anniversary has been marked by nationwide events, creative installations, and invitations for people to reflect on their personal connection to the natural world. From interactive activities at Fed Square — where people could draw, write or compose music with plants — to the ever‑expanding map of love letters, the message is clear: Australia’s living places matter deeply to its people.

After 60 years of conservation wins and community action, ACF is using this milestone to spotlight the emotional and cultural value of nature — not just its ecological importance.

A growing chorus of gratitude

With every new letter, the map becomes a richer archive of Australians’ relationships with the landscapes that sustain them. From rugged ranges to quiet bays, ancient trees to bustling wetlands, people are sharing what these places mean — and why they deserve protection now more than ever.

You can explore the map, read the stories, or add your own love letter at loveletters.acf.org.au/map.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Canva

Aussie Bird Count is a nationwide citizen science event that invites everyday Australians to get outside, slow down, and take a closer look at the incredible birdlife in their own backyard. 

Run annually by BirdLife Australia, the count encourages people of all ages – whether you’re a seasoned twitcher or a total beginner – to spend just 20 minutes observing birds in any outdoor space: your backyard, a local park, a school oval, your balcony, or even the staff car park at work. 

It’s simple, surprisingly relaxing, and contributes to real scientific data that helps protect native species.

All observations are logged via the free Aussie Bird Count App (available from the Apple App Store and Google Play or website), which makes identifying birds easy with built-in images and calls. 

The Aussie Bird Count website also has a ton of resources available, from bird ID tips, to field guides and podcasts, to help you become a confident bird counter.

Each sighting, even as common as a magpie or noisy miner, helps researchers understand how bird populations are tracking across different regions. The data is especially valuable over time, revealing trends in urbanisation, climate impacts, habitat loss, and which Aussie birds are adapting well to human environments — and which ones are struggling.

It’s also a brilliant excuse to rediscover joy in the everyday. Families often make it a mini backyard adventure, while schools and early learning centres love it as a nature-based learning activity.

Some workplaces are even running ‘bird breaks’ to get staff outdoors! And because you only need 20 minutes, it’s one of the easiest ways to directly support conservation without donating a cent or leaving your suburb.

This year, organisers are again hoping for record participation. In past counts, more than five million birds were logged in a single week — from iconic kookaburras and lorikeets to shy wrens and wandering ibises. 

Every count matters. And the best part? Once you start noticing the birds around you, it’s almost impossible to stop.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Canva

After seven decades capturing some of the extravagant and delicate parts of the natural world, Sir David Attenborough’s new film Ocean with David Attenborough coincides with his 99th birthday to celebrate the wonder, and importance, of our oceans.

Capitalising on developments in ocean discovery, the film shows us the kelp forests, coral reefs and sea grass meadows that contribute to keeping our planet stable and flourishing, while considering what threatens it.

“Over the last hundred years scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species,” Sir David said.

“Epic migrations and dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man.

“In this film we share some of those wonderful discoveries, uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most importantly, show how it can be restored to health.”

Australian underwater cinematographer Tom Park contributed years’ worth of footage of the Great Barrier Reef for the film, having become captivated by the ocean as a kid on holiday.

“I had my first dive when I was 12 [and] almost immediately it was an addiction,” Tom said.

“Being able to float through this zero-gravity environment [and] feel the energy of this underwater world is really hard to shake.

“It’s absolutely stunning and never ceases to amaze you.”

Tom was documenting the impact of a mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef when approached for Ocean with David Attenborough.

“To watch [the Reef] fall apart and turn into this desolate white, lifeless landscape void of any colour was hard,” Tom said.

“But we hung around to see what happens after these events set in.”

What Tom found in the Southern Barrier Reef over 14months following the initial event, was that life could come back.

“Large parts of the reef that had been stark white held on,” Tom said.

“You’d start to see these signs of life sprout among the rubble, these signs of life amongst all the destruction.”

Sir David Attenborough puts it that “these little baby corals” became the basis for the foundations of a whole new reef.

“Wherever we have given the ocean time and space, it has recovered faster and on a greater scale than we dared to imagine possible,” David said.

“And it has the power to go even further.”

Currently before the United Nations Council is the High Seas Treaty, an agreement signed by a number of countries wanting to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity.

If put into law, the treaty would see the establishment of marine protected areas and require environmental impact assessments of marine-based activity.

“This could be the moment of change,” Sir David said.

“When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity.

“Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true.”

Ocean with David Attenborough is in cinemas now.

Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Laura Bennett is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.