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Australia’s Grass Tree Fellowship Program
Across Australia, leaders from business, government, academia, community organisations and regenerative practice are taking part in our country’s first structured learning journey in Nature inclusive Governance.
Over six months they are exploring Indigenous wisdom, governance innovation, immersive experiences in nature and practical pathways for bringing the voice of nature into organisational decision making. Some are drawn to us for the explicit purpose of being a voice of nature in their organisation or learning how to legally apply this
If you feel called to this work, we invite you to join the waitlist for the 2027 Fellowship and follow the journey as this first cohort helps shape what Nature inclusive Governance can become in Australia.
JOIN THE 2027 WAITLIST – GRASSTREE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
What if Nature had a seat on your board?
Not as a risk to manage or a resource to protect, but as a living voice in how your organisation leads, decides and operates.
This is the question at the heart of The Grass Tree Fellowship Program, Australia’s first structured learning journey for leaders, founders, NGOs, and governance professionals who are ready to lead with purpose, create genuine impact, and build future-fit organisations with nature, not just for it.
Something is stirring in boardrooms, businesses, and communities across Australia and around the world. Those already pioneering Nature-inclusive Governance and those just beginning to sense that something deeper is possible are finding each other. This fellowship is where that conversation takes root.
Together, we explore what regenerative, nature-centred leadership looks like in practice, equipped with legal frameworks, Indigenous wisdom, nature-based practices, and practical tools, so you can design and implement your own nature-centred governance within your organisation.
Join us if you are ready to find your own way of bringing nature’s voice into the heart of your organisation.
WHAT IS NATURE-INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE?
A paradigm shift from managing nature to belonging
Nature-inclusive governance invites us to rethink the assumptions that shape our decisions and our institutional structures, and place the health of the living world at the centre of organisational purpose, decision-making, responsibility, and accountability.
This represents a paradigm shift away from ‘managing’ the environment, toward understanding our deep interdependence and kinship with nature. This moves us beyond sustainability, where the mission was to minimise harm, but where the living world continues to diminish under our watch.
Many people are now reaching for something deeper and more regenerative, to connect with a fundamentally different relationship with the living systems we depend on. Nature-inclusive governance offers a pathway into that change: not as a framework to implement, but as a way of seeing that changes everything.
OUR SYMBOL
The Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea)
The grass tree is one of Australia’s most ancient and resilient plants. It thrives across diverse ecosystems and regenerates in relationship with fire. It is the kind of leadership and governance we need in these times: grounded, responsive, resilient, and regenerative.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
For anyone ready to explore what changes when the living world shapes how we make decisions.
The program is open to anyone interested in exploring how nature can have a genuine voice in decision-making. In particular, this fellowship will be of value to:
- Those working for Boards, businesses, charities and community organisations who are exploring new governance approaches;
- Leaders wishing to integrate nature into their organisation’s strategy, risk and culture;
- Nature proxies, regenerative practitioners, and systems thinkers
- Government professionals assuming roles representing nature perspectives
- Anyone contributing to decisions that impact land, community, or long-term wellbeing
- Those working with risk strategies who would like to deepen the ecological lens
- Anyone working with risk strategies who would like to deepen the lens.
FELLOWSHIP FORMAT
A six-month co-learning journey to support you and your work
Rather than a single event, The Grass Tree Fellowship Program is a shared, six-month journey where Indigenous knowledge holders, organisational leaders, Nature proxies, and regenerative practitioners come together to co-create knowledge within a guided structure.
— Guest Speakers & Learning Sessions
International and Australian experts sharing the frontiers of Nature-inclusive Governance, legal frameworks, and lived practice.
— Community Connection Sessions
Facilitated group conversations where we pause, reflect, and share what we are experiencing in the fellowship. Bring your questions, your field experiences, and what is alive for you. We go deeper together not through new content, but through honest dialogue and collective sense-making.
— On Country Gathering — Arakwal Land, Byron Shire (Northern NSW)
A weekend in Northern NSW exploring forest bathing, regenerative business in practice, and time on Country with local Arakwal custodian Delta Kay. Designed to deepen your senses, awaken your intuition, and transform your relationship with nature from the inside out.
The Fellowship includes an immersive On Country gathering in Northern NSW. Dates for the 2027 cohort will be announced when applications open in early 2027.
— Your Personal Blueprint
Design sessions to help you create your own practical roadmap for bringing nature’s voice into your organisation, project, or community, co-created with peers and carried forward.
We recognise that different interpretations of Nature-inclusive governance will emerge, and we believe that inclusively holding this diversity is vital. The Fellowship creates the space to learn from ancient wisdom, immersive experience, test new models, build trust and uncover what this work means here in Australia, so that governance can be transformed to strengthen the conditions for life to flourish.
WHAT YOU WILL GAIN
Six things you will carry forward
1 Build knowledge of the global movement to bring nature into organisational decision-making
2 Explore your own worldview of nature and the living world
3 Understand First Nations relational worldview
4 Learn about governance frameworks, making nature’s voice possible in Australia
5 Create your own blueprint for bringing nature into your organisation or project
6 Network with diverse people who share your learning interests and vision
GUEST SPEAKERS
Voices from the frontiers of this work
The Fellowship is facilitated by Jannine Barron and co hosted with Dr Michelle Maloney, alongside guest speakers including:
- Char Love – Global Ambassador, Natura; Co-Founder of B Lab UK, Heliotropy and Volans. Executive-in-Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Voice of Mother Nature and Future Generations Director, House of Hackney;
- Dr Mary Graham – Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Queensland and Kombumerri person of the Yugambeh Language Speaking People.
- Delta Kay – Bundjalung woman of the Arakwal people, cultural educator and custodian of Country.
- John Seed – Rainforest activist and co-founder of the Rainforest Information Centre, and a leading voice in Deep Ecology.
- Dominique Hes – Regenerative practitioner and Voice for Nature advocate with Regen Melbourne, supporting the integration of living systems thinking into city and community leadership.
- Michael Howes – Founder of Australia’s Manuka, a family-run beekeeping enterprise with a global market by caring for bees, country, and community. His business demonstrates that ecological kinship and commercial success coexist.
HOW TO APPLY
Join the 2027 Waitlist
Australia’s Grass Tree Fellowship is now underway.
If you would like to explore Nature inclusive Governance with the next cohort, we invite you to register your interest for the 2027 Fellowship.
By joining the waitlist you will:
- Be the first to hear when applications open
- Receive updates from this year’s Fellowship
- Learn about upcoming events and opportunities related to Nature inclusive Governance
- Receive the 2027 Program Outline as soon as it is released
Places will again be limited.
Questions? Contact us at contact@ecocentrix.au
Personalised support
Ecocentrix understands that organisations are only as strong as their people.
In addition to a range of innovative training courses and initiatives, Ecocentrix also offers one-on-one mentoring with environmental professionals within the fields of environmental law, environmental management, climate change, the natural sciences, nature based governance and more. We offer unique, personalised support for individuals and teams who know they can benefit from experienced mentors, new networks and productive advice, at a time when environmental and climate change issues are challenging our capacity to cope, be productive and find new ways forward.
Embracing diversity
We understand that all organisations – businesses, government agencies and not-for-profits – need highly effective community engagement and cross-cultural skills to succeed within the complexities of multi-stakeholder engagement, collaboration and partnerships.
Contact us to discuss your goals and challenges, and we can provide you with bespoke training packages, advice and materials.
contact@ecocentrix.au
Learning how to let nature guide our strategies
Ecocentrix can provide training, advice and mentoring support to people developing nature based governance within their organisations, and in their external programs.
The Ecocentrix team can assist with a no obligation meeting, to discuss your interests and needs.
Our areas of expertise include:
- Training and mentoring staff to develop innovative nature-based and ecocentric governance initiatives for their internal and external operations – including nature on the board
- Providing advice about sustainability programs and regenerative initiatives for organizational operations
- Training and mentoring staff to develop effective cross-cultural communication, project management and stakeholder management skills and programs, to ensure nature based programs are locally appropriate and effective.
Ecocentrix offers a range of online and in person courses, workshops and training opportunities, to enable you, your team and your organization to build your ecoliteracy, nature-based governance strategies and cross-cultural competence.
Our courses and training are thought provoking and optimistic. They provide knowledge, tools and strategies to empower you, your staff and your organization to connect with cutting edge information, effective learning and productive personal and professional practice.
Workshops and Courses
Introduction to Earth Laws, Rights of Nature and First Laws
Ecocentrix offers half day and full day workshops that provide an introduction to the rapidly growing Rights of Nature and Legal Personhood for Nature movement. Delivered by internationally recognised experts in the field, this course introduces key concepts, global developments and enables you to explore how these developments impact your own strategies. Ticketing for our next workshop will be opening soon.
Grasstree Fellowship Program
Ecocentrix is hosting an Australian-first learning journey, enabling people to explore what it means to be a voice for nature – bringing nature into decision making in board rooms, community projects and more. The Grasstree Expression of Interest is now open here
Earth-Centred Futures
Ecocentrix, in partnership with AELA, hosts a 6-week course for people seeking to build a deeper understanding about Earth-centred thinking and action, and to apply these approaches to their own projects and work. This course is suitable for anyone who would like to engage with a positive vision for the future of the Earth community and human governance. It features experts from multi-disciplinary fields including Indigenous knowledge, western science, law, economics and policy.
Introduction to Decolonisation
Ecocentrix, in collaboration with Future Dreaming, offers introductory courses that explore what ‘decolonisation’ means in theory and practice, and how principles and practices of decolonisation can be used in our personal and professional lives.
Effective Strategies for Working with Communities and Stakeholders
Working collaboratively can be challenging in any workplace, and it brings additional challenges when organisations engage with external stakeholders and interest groups. Ecocentrix tailors workshops and courses to meet the needs of any business or organisation, to empower your people to understand the big picture and nitty-gritty of how to engage and work in genuine partnership with people and groups outside your organisation.
Introduction to Ecocentric Thinking and Nature Positive Strategies
This workshop invites people to ‘think differently’ and create innovative nature based solutions for their professional and organisational challenges. Tailored specifically for each cohort (or individual), this half day or full day training experience connects nature immersion, eco-imagination and creativity with biomimicry and strategies for nature based governance.
Bioregional governance and stakeholder engagement
Bioregioning is a growing international movement, and offers individuals, community groups, businesses and governments an opportunity to understand and support place-based regeneration and bioregional governance. Offered through training workshops or longer courses, our multi-disciplinary bioregional team bring “place” into focus, connecting Indigenous knowledge, natural sciences, economics, planning, social justice and governance for an integrated learning experience.
Bespoke Training
We can create bespoke training for organisations and teams, from short workshops to a longer series of training events and interactive learning activities. Email us for more information or to make a time to chat – contact@ecocentrix.au
