Meet The Team: Dr. Sophie Bickford, Executive Director
As a Biolinks Alliance founder and bold yet humble leader, Dr. Sophie Bickford has long fought the good fight for nature.
As an Ecologist, Sophie has always understood that place-based projects and initiatives that look to restore function to ecosystems in your own patch are of the utmost importance. Bringing the latest science and collaborating with key stakeholders and communities for greater impact for our natural world is the cornerstone of Biolinks Alliance - something Sophie embedded 12 years ago as a founder of the organisation.
1. What inspires you to work with Biolinks Alliance?
Walking out my back door every morning, seeing the large old swamp gums in the paddock, hearing the wood ducks nesting in them carrying on in Spring, or cockatoos fighting for real-estate with the rosellas is inspiration. Sadly probably half of those ancient trees have fallen over in the last 10 years.
2. What does your job entail?
At a high level, harnessing the collective passion, creativity and practical experience of the many dedicated environmental practitioners there are in Central Victoria to come up with shared visions and innovative projects to show how we can restore our lands over large scales. On a day-to-day basis how I do this always looks different – although much of it is looking to the philanthropic sector for funds to do our work because governments seem not to invest in the capacity building for community led-solutions that will lead to long-term transformational change. Managing the Biolinks Alliance team is my job but that’s easy to do as they are such talented professionals and work incredibly hard.
3. Is there an outcome for our environment you feel most proud of in your time with Biolinks Alliance?
Giving the Box-Ironbark forest at Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve (NCR) in Heathcote a chance to repair itself by restoring the sites hydrologic processes and soil health has given me much fulfillment. I am so excited by this pilot project - it shows through understanding nature better, we can work with it to help it to more quickly repair itself.
4. Why is restoring our ecosystems so important in Central Victoria and what is the urgency around this?
Ecosystems and the rich biodiversity they are composed of in Central Victoria are our life support systems – I’ll say no more on the importance of restoring them. The urgency to do this is frighteningly real. Over a quarter of Central Victoria’s 2000 native species are listed as threatened with extinction and now once common species are markedly declining in numbers – think the Kookaburra. Once populations become small and restricted they are very vulnerable to local extinction events, and the major threats to these species are not abating. Many are being exacerbated by climate change.
5. If you were an animal, insect, or plant – what would you be and why?
Ok I’m going to be a magpie – who wouldn’t want to be able to sing like that, soar over the bush, regularly get together with friends and gaggle, and share the parenting load equally with one’s partner.
6. On your days off - what do you like to do?
Bushwalks are always the best and I love going on them more and more as I get older. But, the kids' activities keep me from doing that too often. It's lucky I love watching my daughter compete on her horse and her doing so has got me riding horses once again.