“My dream was to follow the path created by David Attenborough. He was my hero. I grew up watching his documentaries. From a young age I wanted to be a marine ecologist,” she said. 

Initially this appeared to be Dr Coupland’s destination, completing her PhD on the ecological interaction between insects and mangroves in Darwin Harbour. 
 
But her path changed in 2020 after watching a video from the World Economic Forum about Miyawaki forests, in which densely planted forests (< 200 m2) are created using locally indigenous species, offering a solution to help rehabilitate degraded areas and providing people with the capacity for tangible local environmental action. 

In 1970s Japan, botanist Professor Akira Miyawaki saw that the forests across Japan were being lost and biodiversity was declining. But he noticed that small pockets of forests remained around the temples and shrines across Japan and sought to use these as a template.  

Inspired by these natural wonders, he crafted the Miyawaki method, planting mini forests across Japan and Southeast Asia. It was this concept that ignited Grey Coupland's imagination.  

“I thought, what a brilliant way of bringing nature back into our cities and what better way to bring it into our cities than into schools where children would be able to reengage with nature and take hands on, environmental action. They would be able to see that their actions could have tangible outcomes,” she said. 

“I took it to a local school and the new principal was very supportive and she said ‘Yes let's create a forest together’. 

“So we did, with the first step being children creating compost from their food waste. We used this compost to help replenish the soil prior to planting the forest.  
 
“And following soil remediation, we planted the Miyawaki forest and ever since then we've watched it grow.” 

A few years later and Dr Coupland’s Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program, ‘pocket forests’ can now be found at 15 primary schools and community gardens across Perth and Western Australia. And soon the young scientists will connect with peers in the United States and Chile through the Sister Forest program, sharing their journeys as they work to address climate change, one tree at a time. 

Images: Planting at East Butler Primary School

Following planting, Dr Coupland’s tribe of citizen scientists monitor their Miyawaki forests as they grow. Lead by the Murdoch Forest Team, students collect data including plant growth rates and survivorship, animal diversity, and temperature, bringing environmental action and STEM learning into schools. 

“As a restoration ecologist, it is very rewarding to see children actively engaged in environmental stewardship and contributing to the greening of our urban environment,” she said. 

“It is a joy and a privilege to work with children in planting and then monitoring their forests and teaching them about their vital role in science and restoring ecosystems. 

“Children are the future custodians of our world. We need to ensure that they’re connected to nature, because you won’t truly fight for something unless you care for it.” 

Dr Coupland’s work has been so impactful, in 2023 she was one of three finalists for the Australian Museum’s Eureka Prize for “Innovation in Citizen Science”, and the project was recognised as one of UNESCO’s 100 Green Citizens for 2021-2022. 

“I feel truly honoured to have my citizen science outreach program listed on this global platform,” she said. 

“Groundswell movements led by citizens can be extremely powerful. It is truly within our capacity to positively impact our environment locally, and from this, make a difference on a large scale.” 

Dr Coupland runs the Pocket Forests WA program from Murdoch University’s Harry Butler Institute where alongside the forest planting program, she conducts Miyawaki forest research to assess how well pocket forests perform under Australian conditions and how the Miyawaki methodology can be adapted to Australia’s unique environment. 

But making a difference isn’t just for researchers or citizen scientists. 

“If you want to get started at home, a really simple action is to re-vegetate your verge. If everyone re-vegetated their verge with native plants, it would create a pollinator highway along our streets. Imagine how beautiful our suburbs could look and imagine the habitat we could create and the biodiversity that would follow,” Dr Coupland said. 

She often quotes a Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”