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Taronga Conservation Society Australia has named ecologist Dr Alexandra Carthey and her innovative start-up ReHabitat which creates ‘habitat pods’ – biodegradable shelters that protect ground-dwelling wildlife from predators after bushfires –the winner of their HATCH Accelerator Program HATCH 2023, taking home a $55,000 grant.

Dr Carthey will use the grant to prepare for the next fire season, which is only six months away and shared “It felt surreal but amazing to be named the winner of HATCH 2023. This win validates the belief and hard work I've put into this project, as well as the support and backing of all my collaborators, colleagues, and friends. It feels a little bittersweet that not every team could win, because each and every one of the finalists was deserving of that win as well.

“Our vision for ReHabitat is to reverse the trends of decline and extinction in Australia's unique and iconic wildlife, especially small mammals like bandicoots, bettongs, and potoroos. We will be creating a stockpile of habitat pods that will be ready for rapid deployment to protect wildlife as soon as the next bushfires hit.

“After that, we will be looking to scale up for the production of our second product offering, which will be a biodegradable habitat unit that is also a tool for broad-scale landscape restoration.”

Dr Carthey and her start-up ReHabitat was named the winner at a public pitch event in front of over 200 guests at the Taronga Institute of Science & Learning at Taronga Zoo.

Six teams of ecopreneurs delivered their pitches to a judging panel which included sociologist Ebony Gaylor, founding sponsor of HATCH and business consultant Alex Holcomb and sustainability leader Andy Marks.

“We were inspired by all six finalists, and I know with certainty that each and every one of them are helping to change the world. The judges were particularly impressed with Dr Carthey’s depth of knowledge, the partnerships she has chosen for her business model, and the opportunities for product development and scale,” said Taronga Conservation Society Australia Chief Executive Cameron Kerr AO, who moderated the event and the judging panel.

“ReHabitat’s habitat pods are a simple yet effective solution to wildlife and habitat degradation, which is a nationwide and global threat to biodiversity and wildlife. The devastating black summer bushfires made it clear that we all need to do more to protect our wildlife. I’m so grateful for the leadership of our generous donors who have recognised that the need to nurture and support innovative minds to ensure their great ideas for the planet become a reality.”

In addition to the $50,000 grant which was decided by the panel of judges, ReHabitat also took home the $5,000 People’s Choice Award grant.

HATCH is the only accelerator program in the world that is run by a conservation zoo, and the purpose is to inspire, support and launch innovative ideas and actions that address key environmental or conservation challenges

The 14-week-long program began in February, and the HATCHlings have received more than 100 hours of mentor support, as well as fully immersive days with workshops, presentations and discussion panels.

“The HATCH program has turned my vision into a reality,” Dr Carthey said.

"I've gone from concept to a clear business plan and now have a good understanding of how to make ReHabitat work. I've also met the most amazing people along the way and now have a fantastic network of experts, supporters, and collaborators that I can draw on to fuel the business. The rest of the cohort are now like a little family to me, and that is one of the most valuable things I have gained from the program,” she added.

Her idea for the habitat pods came after the 2019-20 black summer bushfires, when almost 3 billion animals were killed, injured or displaced. Those who survived found their habitat destroyed, and the lack of vegetation cover left small, ground-dwelling animals exposed and vulnerable to cats and foxes.

“I am a wildlife ecologist by training, having devoted my scientific research career to understanding the impacts of threats such as introduced predators such as cats and foxes and habitat loss and degradation on Australian native wildlife. Watching the footage of injured animals wandering alone through incinerated habitat during the Black Summer bushfires, I was struck by the need to provide emergency shelter for wildlife, just as we do for people,” she explained.

“Habitat pods will be a core part of future disaster responses for wildlife - when the Black Summer fires hit, we didn't know what to do in the face of all that animal suffering. Next time, we will have emergency shelters ready to deploy to assist surviving wildlife in situ, supporting population recovery and boosting the regeneration of their habitats,” she added.

She believes the habitat pods have the potential to protect native wildlife following other habitat destructions or disturbances, such as large-scale clearing of weeds during bush regeneration or ecosystem rehabilitation after mining and other developments.

Previous HATCH initiatives include the team behind edible coffee cups Good-Edi and Xylo Systems, a cloud-based platform that uses AI for tracking and managing conservation programs.

The six ecopreneurs that took part in Taronga’s HATCH accelerator program 2023 were:

WINNER: Habitat Pods - Founder: Dr Alexandra Carthey ReHabitat
Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity worldwide – after a fire, wildlife are in dire need of refuge. Habitat pods are lightweight, modular and biodegradable emergency refuges that can be rapidly deployed to protect wildlife in this critical post-fire period. Pods can be joined to create any shape or size required to shelter wildlife after natural disasters or during bush regeneration activities.

Be The Future - Co-founder: Sally Giblin
Be The Future is creating multi-sensory climate EDUtainment for kids that bursts with hope, humour and playful action. Be The Future believes we can still create a future where people and nature thrive. Its mission is to unleash the power of families and educators to be part of rewriting our climate story. Let’s change the future for our children, together!

LOWN - Founder: Emma Foster-Geering
LOWN is a fashion rental platform with products that were designed to restore nature. Its goal is to reconnect humans with nature through their wardrobes by providing high-quality products made with natural materials via a premium rental service that eliminates the burdens of the style and ethical decision-making process and costs of ownership.

Scrunch - Founder: David Roberts
Scrunch is a low-cost compression system to manage bulky soft plastics within the home and QR system which will allow it to be recycled through standard waste streams. It is not just your solution for storing soft plastic at home but a solution for keeping plastic out of our oceans by making sure it gets recycled. - Founder: David Roberts

OneFishTwoFish - Founder: Dr Chris Gillies
OneFishTwoFish believes it is entirely possible to reverse biodiversity loss in the oceans within our lifetime. Its strategy is to move towards a ‘circular’ seafood economy, where fish stocks are regularly replenished, and harvest is balanced with production. For every fish sold, caught, or consumed, OneFishTwoFish will return two fish to the ocean.

Reviving Cultural Practises - Initiative leads: Rebecca Woods and Tara Mercy
Reviving Cultural Practises is led by Traditional Owners and will be an education program with hands-on activities that will increase cultural and environmental awareness of the importance of cultural fire-burning and its role in maintaining healthy ecosystems whilst preserving traditional knowledge and practices.

Image top: Habitat Pods - Founder: Dr Alexandra Carthey ReHabitat. Credit:Dr Alexandra Carthey;  Image above: Winner Dr Alexandra Carthey and CEO Cameron Kerr Winner Dr Alexandra Carthey and CEO Cameron Kerr

For more information about HATCH, head to taronga.org.au/conservation-and-science/act-for-the-wild/hatch

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