Blogs

By Greater Sydney Local Land Services

Greater Sydney Local Land Services tackled the issue of city-based rural landholders through a unique program funded through the Environmental Trust.

The absentee landholder project, which ran for three years, aimed to engage and educate rural landholders living and working in Sydney on all aspects of sustainable land management.

The program saw almost 400 landholders attend nine workshops held in the CBD, covering various topics including pest animal management, weed control, water efficiency, identifying native vegetation, and the importance of conservation.

Greater Sydney Land Services officer Angela Maier said a smartphone app was also developed as part of the project.

“The Landsmart app was developed to tap into a broader audience and give landholders access to expert advice, resources, and information at the touch of a button,” she said.

“It is a very unique resource that has never been offered to rural property owners before and is designed to help them look after their land sustainably and responsibly.

Wendy Friezer took part in the absentee landholder program and is an avid user of the app. She runs a 28ha beef fattening property in Canowindra and the app has been a great benefit.

“Using the LandSmart app I’ve been able to quickly and easily identify plants that have appeared on our run down pastures to determine if they are native and it is excellent to be able to access information on upcoming events and resources so simply,” she said.

Features of the app include:

• View upcoming events and workshops and save them directly to your calendar
• Details on nearby Local Land Services offices and Landcare groups
• Access to the “Rural Living Handbook” – a guide for rural and rural residential landholders
• Information on topics such as soil, water, plants, animals and more
• Access to latest project news and upcoming events

The Landsmart app is available for both Apple and Android devices via AppAdvice. For more information, contact Nikki McGrath of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment on (02) 4724 2138 or 0448 953 755.