Billy Moran called it “the front line of fighting against further degradation of our ecosystems”. But what exactly is bush regeneration, and how do regenerators bring damaged bushland back to something resembling natural bush? To find out, Tammy McGregor and Zac de Silva dove deep into this world of weeds, sprays, and a whole lot of hard work and patience.

Chatting with Billy, a bush regenerator currently studying a science degree at Macquarie University, and John Macris, Macquarie University’s biodiversity planner, Zac and Tammy found out that bush regen works around the principle of helping the bush along, rather than restarting from scratch. That might be by removing weeds, killing off feral animals, removing rubbish, managing erosion or redirecting watercourses. This means that it can be a slow process, but it’s well worthwhile. In the decades he’s spent in the role at Macquarie, John has seen a marked increase in the amount of green space on the campus, as well as the number of people enjoying them.

If you want to get involved in bush regeneration, Bushcare runs a number of local groups that will help you get started.