Press & media

Come along and meet iNaturalist ambassadors and City of Adelaide staff to learn more about using iNaturalist and discovering the incredible plant and animal life in our Park Lands.

Green Gecko Studios, in collaboration with Environmental Golf Solutions, co-authored a landmark regional study commissioned by The R&A under their global Golf Course 2030 (GC2030) initiative. The report demonstrates how golf facilities across Australia and New Zealand are evolving beyond traditional sporting venues to serve as critical environmental assets, urban cooling corridors, and biodiversity refuges. Click the picture to access the report.

Held by The R&A, The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), and Golf Management Australia (GMA), join me and other industry experts to learn about biodiversity, sustainable agronomy and compliance and EHS. The sessions will also include a Game Changer workshop designed to help golf clubs define a sustainability baseline and create a practical gameplan for launching well-founded sustainable initiatives.

It was an honour to join The R&A's Golf and Nature international webcast last month. 🌍⛳

Golf course staff manage vast landscapes globally - we are the custodians of green spaces which create vital habitat networks for thousands of species.

Monina had the pleasure of speaking about the reintroduction of the regionally extinct Olive perchlet at Glenelg Golf Club in partnership with Nature Glenelg Trust and Green Adelaide on The R&A's international webcast.

In this segment, Sophie Thomson catches up with Monina at Glenelg Golf Club. The club in Adelaide is transforming its landscape into a thriving native habitat. Despite being surrounded by urban development, the 49-hectare course has become an ecological haven, now supporting over 344 insect and 90 bird species!

The club has converted over 2.5 hectares of turf into natural rough areas using local species like the rare showy copper-wire daisy. This is increasing biodiversity while significantly reducing water and chemical use on the course.

Photo by Ben Blaess

Thanks to Luke Smith from the Australian Lawn & Garden podcast for the interview with Monina on the impact of lawn and golf courses on the environment. Luke and Monina discuss the contribution of golf courses to urban biodiversity - lawn and golf courses can be good for the environment.

Monina was interviewed by Leighton Walker from The Greenprint about environmental work underway at golf clubs in Australia

Birdwatching is a significant contributor to Australia's tourism economy. Read about birdwatching at golf courses and 13th Beach Golf Links work to use iNaturalist to record the birds visiting their course. Page 58-59 of the navigation.

It was a pleasure to join the discussion panel with Chris Daniels, Hannah Kennedy, and Uncle Jeffrey, facilitated by Stephen Yarwood. We talked about the incredible future for a cooler, greener, wilder Adelaide if we get our city greening right.
Photo of Adelaide National Park City graphic

At the Ecological Society of Australia Conference, Monina spoke in the Nature Positive Cities stream on: Redefining Green: Golf Courses as Crucial Urban Ecological Havens in Australia

At the National Parks and Leisure conference in Hobart Nipaluna, Monina presented on the green approach to urban biodiversity and environmental stewardship, challenges the common misconception that large urban green spaces, like golf courses, are water-intensive, ecologically barren, or provide little environmental benefit.

An article on the environmental work at Headland Golf Club under Course Superintendent, Ben Tilley. See page 52 of the navigation.

Thanks to the NSW GCSA for inviting us to write about using volunteers to help you increase biodiversity.

Karen Harding interviewed Monina Gilbey on her collaborative work as part of Torgersen Gilbey.

Monina co-hosted a workshop for the association, hosted by the Commonwealth Golf Club: Enhancing biodiversity at your golf course. After a 1.5 hour presentation on various topics to 33 people from 20 clubs around Victoria, we took a walk around the course to look at their naturalised roughs and carries.

Monina co-wrote an article for the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents' Association on unlocking the ecological value of out-of-play areas.

An article about Monina's work at Glenelg Golf Club, as well as the Parks & Leisure Australia National Environmental Stewardship Award.

Monina wrote an article for the magazine about the community benefits of golf: More than Golf: Driving sustainability in urban green spaces" covers rewilding, filtration ponds, pollinators and community engagement.

Monina's presentation showcases insights from the award-winning projects at Glenelg Golf Club and demonstrates how golf courses and green spaces can be transformed into vital urban ecosystems. Recreation & the environment can coexist!

Monina co-curated and co-Mceed the first dedicated environmental stream at an ASTMA conference.

Hosted by Sport SA, in collaboration with Parks and Leisure Australia SA/NT and Sports Environment Alliance you’re invited to join us for Breakfast with the LIV Golf Social Impact and Sustainability team, to hear about their Impact Strategy – Potential. Unleashed!

Starring Region Councillor Monina Gilbey, Parks and Leisure Australia SA/NT and the Sports Environment Alliance joined the LIV Golf Team for an interactive panel discussion.

Monina co-wrote an article on sustainable water management and how this not only benefits the environment but how it can lead to long-term cost savings.

Golf Australia writes about Monina's winning the National Environmental Stewardship Award from Parks and Leisure Australia

Monina is featured in an article on how she got her job at Glenelg Golf Club and what her job entails.

Monina spoke on the importance of golf courses to urban biodiversity: We're Fore Biodiversity - innovative environmental programs at golf courses.

Monina spoke at the Future in Turf Seminar in Perth on Wednesday 25 September.

This article explores the work of some of the speakers at the ASTMA's Turfgrass Conference first environmental stream session. See page 64 of the navigation.

Balancing Act: Navigating Environmental Responsibility in the Turf Industry - this article explores the positive environmental impact that can be made on and off course.

Held by PGA Australia and Golf Australia, this summit will be held in October. Kate and Monina will speak on Exploring your Roadblocks to Sustainability.

Monina presented to Golf Australia staff in a Lunch and Learn session about golf course biodiversity

In a joint article with the Toolbox Team, we talk about the biggest investment a business can make - your staff.

Clint Adams interviewed Monina on LawnHub Live and they played a game of Pest or Guest/Spray or Nay.

The Full Landscape podcast with Clint Adams from Waterpro.

Monina speaks at the Waterpro Open Spaces Seminar on biodiversity projects at Glenelg Golf Club

A young and energetic contributor to her Club, Monina Gilbey was a unanimous decision for this year's judging panel.

Sharing with the judges her passion and love for her work reflected exactly the written nomination provided by her manager.

Monina is clearly an asset to the team at Glenelg Golf Club.

As winners of the Claude Crockford Award, Monina copresented with Tim Warren on the work at Glenelg Golf Club.

Monina presented the Biodiversity in Turf Management component of the roadshow in Adelaide and Perth.

In 2022, Monina was co-winner of the Claude Crockford Environment and Sustainability Award – the second woman to win the award in 24 years.

As a winner of the Claude Crockford Environment Award, Monina appeared in the Syngenta-sponsored Turfectionist series. She was the first woman to be a part of the series.

An extract from the Turfectionists series on environmental projects

Working with Andrew Fielke, Monina and the Glenelg Golf Club catering team, presented a world-first degustation meal of food harvested from the golf course. This event was voted Sustainable Golf's international community event in 202.

Steve Smith, the Golfing Greenkeeper, interviews Monina about her work at Glenelg Golf Club

On a short-term contract with the Department of Environment and Water, Monina and her colleague, Pip Robinson, were interviewed on their work at LIttle Sprouts - kitchen garden education for early learners at the Adelaide Botanic Garden.