Trees bring different reactions from delight in their beauty to exasperation in their habit of shedding leaves on the driveway. However trees are essential to life on earth and they need our protection and preservation, the more trees we have the healthier is the planet and the human species.Trees are also crucial for their role in removing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Professor Pickering is active in developing technology to promote biodiversity conservation, and will be introducing us to the new GroNATIVE App. It showcases 400 local native plants with images and information about each species and the native wildlife it supports. Users can select from 16 different garden styles and 40 eco-systems naturally adapted to their suburb to provide their garden with year-round excitement, colour and wildlife

What is E-Waste: If it plugs in or is battery run and will fit into a Tea Chest sized box, Gecko can recycle it. Small electronic equipment including hairdryers, computers, laptops, notebooks, printers, electronic games, mobile phones and their cables, keyboards, batteries, chargers and accessories.

It was a good turnout last Sunday, but there is still time for you to have your say. Submissions close 7th April. The public consultation on two aspects of the future of The Spit began with the publication of two questionnaires on the website of the Department of State Development. Act now

Gecko Talks March speaker is Adrian Nathaniel, a licensed financial advisor who champions the conscious creation of wealth in this world through values-based, ethical and responsible investment.

Australia is home to 24 species of raptor, from the small sparrowhawk to the impressive wedge-tailed eagle. Few people get close enough to appreciate the vast wingspans and powerful talons and beaks of these avian hunters unless they visit a zoo or wildlife centre. This month’s Gecko Talk will offer the public the opportunity to learn more and get close to these magnificent birds. Paul Mander is one of the rare people to keep company with birds of prey, and we are proud to present him as our first speaker for 2017’s program of Gecko Talks. Paul is a master Falconer and licensed raptor trainer in Queensland. He has worked with raptors for nearly 30 years and has trained many birds for free-flight shows around the country. His collection of birds at his training and rehabilitation centre on the Gold Coast is impressive, including falcons, eagles, kites, buzzards and owls. Here injured birds are taught to ‘free-fly’ to rebuild their strength before being returned to the wild. As falconry is not a sport practiced in Australia, Paul’s skills and birds are in high demand. Soren, his 16-year old wedge-tailed eagle, is an apex predator whose threatening presence has been used to rebalance local wildlife populations in areas where intrusive animals take up residence.

Gecko is proud to say that again in 2016 we will be hosting Clean Up Australia Day on the Gold Coast together with the City of Gold Coast. Mark down the dates in your calendar and get involved! The registrations are open on Clean Up Australia Website. You can do your bit by registering a site, becoming a volunteer, letting us know of a litter hotspot or by simply spreading the word. For more information contact our clean up team at events@gecko.org.au.

Clean Up Australia Day 2017 Good to see successful groups returning each year. Gecko is proud to say that again in 2017 we will be hosting Clean Up Australia Day on the Gold Coast together with the City of Gold

SEQ’s prosperous future South East Queensland plays a major role in Queensland’s growth and prosperity. It is the state’s largest regional economy, contributing approximately $170 billion to Queensland’s real gross state product in 2010–11. View a larger version of the map online.

On Saturday 5th of September, Gecko - Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council and Surfrider Foundation, will be holding a beach clean-up event 'Spring Clean Broadbeach' and launch for the Cash for Containers White Paper for public consultation, to be held at Kurrawa Surf Club, Broadbeach at 12:30 - 17:00.