Recreating the Country – Ten key principles for designing sustainable landscapes  
​Second Edition
By Stephen Murphy

Published March, 2024.  For orders of the new Second Edition, visit the Shop Online 

Originally published by em PRESS for Ballarat Region Treegrowers, Recreating the Country challenges landholders and land managers to consider new ways of thinking about how we might reverse the inexorable decline and disappearance of Australian plants and animals from rural landscapes.

The updated and expanded Second Edition builds on 30 years of hard-won experience in rethinking revegetation strategies to match ten key design principles, as observed in nature by the author and ecologist, Stephen Murphy. The Second Edition includes three new chapters, along with revisions based on further observations of nature in action since 2009.

In a new chapter highlighting personal case studies, many landholders attest to having applied Stephens’ design principles and the results are now in – wildlife, in all its wonderful diversity, is returning. As fellow ecologist and Adjunct Professor, Richard Loyn, remarks in the Foreword: 'The beauty of this book and its predecessor is that they are written by and for active participants in the business of ‘recreating the country.’

We have all read about the relentless decline of Australia’s plants and animals and the need to repair the natural habitats we have lost. Stephen’s binary response to this challenging dilemma involves planting wider ‘biorich’ plantations that mimic nature, while integrating ‘useful’ plants for human harvest. Incorporating 20% of plants in revegetation for personal use makes significantly wider biodiversity plantations attractive to landowners and provides a lifeline for Australia’s flora & fauna. 

Stephen writes a regular blog on the environment, which is posted on his website. His clear informative articles have been republished in national community newsletters, as well as academic journals. You can visit his website – www.recreatingthecountry.com.au

In  2010, Ballarat Region Treegrowers (BRT) planted  a 15 ha demonstration model 'biorich plantation'  on a mining buffer site near Lal Lal Falls based on the principles in the book – visit the biorich plantation website.  

RRP: $35
ISBN  978-0-9557778-6-8
Second Edition, published March 2024. Paperback, 208pp, full colour, illustrated throughout 

Online article of an interview by Rhiannon Stevens on the  ABC Rural website  
Praise for Recreating the Country (Second Edition)
  • ‘Writing with passion, commitment and insight, Murphy emphasises the need to mimic nature and that working with nature requires a long-term perspective. It’s an important reminder that the actions we take today will shape the country that future generations will inherit.’ – Andrew Bennett, Professor in Ecology, La Trobe University​

  • ​“The sustainable biorich model is a way of ‘breaking down the fence’ between farmers and foresters.” – Geraint Richards, Head Forester for King Charles III

Praise for Recreating the Country (First Edition)
  •  “I found it interesting and very informative. There are some light touches, too! It's clearly laid out and ‘user-friendly.’ I certainly agree with the overall thrust of the book. I have always been critical of  ‘revegetation,’ which only includes trees, as if the lower storeys don't matter. I also like the recognition given to fauna.” – Well-known author and botanist Leon Costermans

  •  In this delightful small book, Stephen Murphy presents his unifying vision of why [revegetation] needs to be done and how it can be done, recognising the common principles that can apply to commercial plantations, shelterbelts, revegetation and the myriad types of planting in between.” – Richard H. Loyn, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DSE, Victoria

  • “I found it refreshing, informative and innovative. Most of it is not designed for quick reference, but for study and thoughtful consideration. All readers will find it useful in any of their tree-planting efforts.” – From a review by naturalist Roger Thomas in the Ballarat Courier

 About the author
Author and ecologist Stephen Murphy, with his wife Lina, ran a successful native plants nursery in central Victoria for over 25 years. At the heart of Recreating the Country are ten design principles, observed from nature, which set out to bridge the gap between farm forestry and environmental plantings and bring back the bush in rural landscapes.