Land Restoration in South Australia: The Forktree Project Story

On a windswept hillside overlooking South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, a remarkable transformation is underway. What was once a degraded paddock, stripped of trees and riddled with weeds, is being patiently restored into living habitat for native wildlife. This is The Forktree Project – a grassroots rewilding and land restoration Australian initiative in Australia led by environmental scientist and explorer Tim Jarvis AM.

Forktree’s story begins in 2019, when Tim purchased the 54-hectare property near Carrickalinga. The land bore all the hallmarks of hard use: cleared for grazing, scarred by dumping, its soils fragile and depleted. Many might have walked away, but Tim saw something else. He saw an opportunity to restore an entire landscape, to prove what could be achieved when science, community, and sheer determination came together.

Today, Forktree is alive with activity. Volunteers and staff are planting native trees and shrubs, trialling new methods of land and water management, and building the foundations of a future forest that will support threatened species and store tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon. What started as a single property has become a beacon for land restoration across Australia.

Land Restoration with Purpose

The Forktree Project’s mission is ambitious but clear: rebuild a functioning ecosystem where native plants and animals can thrive once more. The property sits within the broader Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island biodiversity hotspot, a region rich with species found nowhere else. By restoring this land, Forktree is reconnecting habitat that supports nearby reserves including Deep Creek Conservation Park, Myponga Conservation Park, Newland Head, Coorong, and Granite Island.

The work spans several landscapes, coastal heathlands, mallee scrub, wetlands, and grassy woodlands, each with their own ecological role. Among the threatened communities being revived are the Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula and Peppermint Box grassy woodlands, both critical for species survival.

The results are already visible: thousands of seedlings in the ground, invasive weeds cleared, soil health improving, and wildlife beginning to return. But this is only the beginning.

A Hub for Innovation and Learning

Forktree is also a testbed for innovation in ecological restoration. The team has been experimenting with smart irrigation systems linked to soil-moisture sensors, trialling ways to re-establish native grasslands, and developing carbon-estimation methods that could be used by small landholders across the country.

Education is another pillar. Local schools, community groups, and universities use the site as a living classroom, learning about biodiversity, sustainability, and teamwork while getting their hands dirty. Plans for a sustainability centre will further expand these opportunities, creating a permanent space for workshops and wellbeing programs.

This blending of science, education, and community makes Forktree a rare kind of project – one that focuses on land restoration in Australia while also inspiring people.

People Power: Volunteering at Forktree

Every week, volunteers arrive to help shape the future of Forktree. They plant, weed, harvest seed, mend fences, wash pots, and build the infrastructure that keeps the nursery running. The work is varied, sometimes muddy, often tiring, but always deeply rewarding.

Corporate teams are also stepping up. Companies have spent days on site planting trees, sorting tubes, and building fences. For many, it’s a first taste of hands-on conservation and a chance to connect with each other in a new way. Hotels and businesses have joined in too, with creative initiatives like Hotels For Trees, where guests at Mount Lofty House can fund plantings through small acts of sustainability during their stay.

These partnerships reflect a simple truth: restoration at scale requires many hands. At Forktree, every hand makes a difference.

Partnering for Impact: FNPW’s Role

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) is proud to partner with The Forktree Project through our Landscape Resilience Program. In late 2023, we funded the development of a rare seed orchard on site, a secure, vermin-proof 1.5-hectare area dedicated to growing threatened and culturally significant species.

The orchard is designed to safeguard rare plants, provide a steady supply of seed for restoration projects, and act as a living insurance population in the wild. Raised seed beds, expanded irrigation systems, and new infrastructure ensure these species have the best chance to thrive. Importantly, the project also involves Ngarrindjeri land managers, who are being trained to help run the facilities and carry forward cultural and ecological knowledge.

Through this partnership, Forktree’s nursery capacity is growing to 40,000–50,000 plants each year, an extraordinary contribution to South Australia’s restoration needs. These seedlings and seeds won’t just benefit the Fleurieu Peninsula; they will help restore landscapes across the region, linking fragmented habitats and supporting threatened wildlife.

Why Forktree Matters for Australia’s Biodiversity

FNPW’s vision is to protect and restore biodiversity across Australia, and our support of Forktree reflects that strategy in action. Australia faces an acute shortage of native seed and plants for large-scale restoration. Projects like Forktree’s seed orchard help fill that gap, ensuring that local, genetically appropriate species are available for years to come.

Forktree also demonstrates the power of community-driven conservation. By engaging volunteers, schools, and corporate teams, it builds not only habitat but also public understanding and commitment to biodiversity. That social impact is just as important as the ecological one.

And perhaps most importantly, Forktree provides a model of resilience. In a time of climate uncertainty, it shows how degraded land can be turned into a carbon sink, a wildlife refuge, and a place of learning and wellbeing.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Land Restoration in Australia

The Forktree Project is still young, but its trajectory is clear. With every seedling planted, every fence repaired, and every volunteer day completed, it edges closer to restoring a flourishing landscape.

For Tim Jarvis and his team, Forktree is both a personal mission and a public one, a demonstration that ecological decline is not inevitable, and that with vision and collaboration, we can bring nature back.

For FNPW, partnering with Forktree is part of our commitment to help projects across Australia restore landscapes, recover species, and heal Country. Together, we are building the foundations of a more resilient, more biodiverse future.

If you’d like to support Forktree’s work and join a volunteer day, or contribute to FNPW’s national restoration efforts, visit https://fnpw.org.au/corporate-volunteering/ to learn more.

Want to do more?

Projects like Forktree are part of a bigger mission to restore Australia’s landscapes, protect threatened species, and heal Country. Your support helps us grow rare plants, train land managers, fund seed banks, and back the grassroots work happening across the country.

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