Over 50 invited guests attended our relaunch at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne on Thursday 1 September 2011.

The event, organised to mark the formal launch of our new directions commenced with a presentation from Dr Sarah Bekessy (RMIT) on "Reimagining the suburb: planning for biodiversity in the urban fringe". Her presentation was particularly relevant for the NRCL as the Board has made a commitment to support the development of a project in the Cranbourne area to develop biolinks to enhance biodiversity.

The second presentation from Dr Libby Robin (ANU) provided an insightful retrospective on the history and work of the NRCL since its formation 6 decades ago. Dr Robin wrote a history of the NRCL in 1990 and she used her presentation to reflect on the important contribution of the NRCL towards the conservation of Victoria's natural resources.

Anthony Hooper, the NRCL CEO, concluded proceedings with a summary of the organisation's future plans. He explained that the major priorities will focus on the biolink project in the Cranbourne area and future design work for the NRCL property at Cranbourne West which will form part of the biolink. Other priorities include the organisation of a conference in 2012 on integrated approaches to natural resource management.