Blog Articles

Embarking on a New Adventure as Regional Landcare Coordinator

By Claudia Macleay posted 11 days ago
Hello Landcare community! I'm excited to share my new journey with Landcare as the Regional Landcare Coordinator for Central Tablelands. I am transitioning from my role at Local Land Services. With a Masters in Equine Science, my approach to landcare is deeply rooted in the intricate balance between nature and science. My mission is to bridge local communities with environmental conservation, fostering a shared responsibility for our beautiful landscapes. When not working, I'm often found riding my horses, bushwalking, or wild swimming. I can wait to learn more and feel like I am part of solution to helping restore our planet...as they say "Act Local, Think ...

Experts share tips to turn farm dams into wildlife habitat during FrogID Week field day

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 14 days ago
Enhancing your dam to encourage and support native wildlife might seem daunting, but sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. At a dam enhancement field day, held on a NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust conservation agreement property in the western Sydney suburb of Mulgoa, we asked our guest experts Australian Museum Curator Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Dr Jodi Rowley, and Murray Wildlife ecologist Dr Matt Herring, the best ways to improve and manage natural water assets. The good news is most Australian wildlife loves a farm dam. Frogs appreciate a diversity of habitats with different ...

Landcarer Sharer Series

By Bruce Maynard posted 17 days ago
Join on the Landcarer site across various communities of interest to see a range of science background, how to guides, videos and webinars from the current Bob Hawke Landcare award winner- Bruce Maynard. Topics from across Australia including: No Kill Cropping, Stress Free Stockmanship, Self Herding, Native Fodder Shrubs, Whole Farm Planning, Weed Eating, Pyric Grazing, Passive Chemical Exposures, Agroforestry, Carbon sequestration and more..........

Indigenous artist Wayde Clarke weaves stories of culture, bugs and landscapes into new artwork

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 24 days ago
When Newcastle-based artist Wayde Clarke looks at a blank canvas, he’s seeing an opportunity to bring people together. As a Wiradjuri/Birpai man living on Awabakal land, the stories his paintings tell and the many ways they can be interpreted are what brings meaning to his art. "A lot of my works are about joy and coming together. The most important part is keeping people together," he says. "I add lots of layers because life is layered and complex and when you come back to it you see something new." His artwork for the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust pulls together these complex layers of cultural knowledge and experience from the coast, across ...

Snowy Monaro couple protects critically endangered snow gum woodlands with funded conservation agreement

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 24 days ago
Thomas and Barbara Evision have travelled the world, but they always knew they would return to Australia to settle in the Snowy Monaro region of NSW. Their search for land with the potential for biodiversity conservation and habitat protection led them to Beaureden, a property near the tiny Snowy Mountains town of Moonbah. In 2021 they submitted an expression of interest in the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) Snow Gum Woodlands and Grasslands conservation tender and are one of 8 families in the region to successfully bid for a conservation agreement. “We wanted to ensure there would be funding for the protection of what’s here once our children, ...

Lake Macquarie Council Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement helps restore threatened wetland reserve

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 24 days ago
Restoring native bushland to its pre-disturbance state is complicated. When that disturbance comes after decades of mining on threatened wetland and bushland, it’s fair to say environmental restoration requires a little extra planning. Since 2013 Lake Macquarie Council has been actively working to regenerate a 40.9 hectare site at Jewells after sand mining operations closed in the late 1970s leaving behind a vastly changed landscape. The success of its efforts, possible under a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT), has restored 27 species, 10 that were not present before regeneration efforts. ...

Guppy family continues bird study legacy on conservation agreement property near Moruya

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 24 days ago
The birdlife on the conservation agreement site of South Coast couple Sarah and Michael Guppy is very important to them. For years they have been banding and monitoring the bird community on their property and expanding on work started by Sarah’s father in 1975. Sarah’s father, Stephen Marchant was an avid amateur ornithologist and when he bought the property of Ballara, near Moruya, he began a study on the breeding biology of the resident bird population that lasted almost 10 years. The couple now live on the 20-hectare property, and starting in 2007, continued the research Stephen started. Between August and February they spend hours each day walking ...

Welcome to Neurodiversity for not-for-profit boards (Webinar)

By Sarah Richardson posted 16-10-2023
If embracing diversity is important to your organisation, working out ways to accommodate neurodiversity in your not-for-profit board should be on your agenda. As progressive organisations accept neurological diversity as a feature and not a flaw of human variation, the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) is aiming to help crack open assumptions about people who think differently, while showing you how knowledge of neurodiversity can help you lead better. Neurodiversity spans the spectrum of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and Tourette syndrome, to name a few diagnoses. As well as ...

New Natural Capital Handbook available for download

By Tom-Croft posted 22-09-2023
New CSIRO handbook to guide Australian businesses towards nature positive future. The Natural Capital Handbook delivers practical step-by-step guidelines on how to measure and incorporate natural assets such as clean air, water, soil and living things into operations. https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2023/September/New-CSIRO-handbook-to-guide-Australian-businesses-towards-nature-positive-future The book is available to download. # #LandManagement #FarmingAgriculture

New online learning supports landholders to protect biodiversity

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 17-08-2023
The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) has launched a series of online learning modules to guide landholders in how they can protect native habitat. The e-learning modules are free and are designed to empower and build confidence in conservation management on private land. The BCT’s Senior Ecologist, Joel Stibbard, said: “Our online education course is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help private landholders protect native habitat. It provides best practice guidance across the many elements of conservation land management. This includes conservation grazing, vegetation restoration, hydrology, pests, weeds and fire management. ...

NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust information sessions for Upper Hunter conservation tender

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 26-07-2023
The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) will soon be taking expressions of interest (EOIs) for our new Upper Hunter conservation tender . Through the Upper Hunter conservation tender, eligible landholders are given the opportunity to set a price to protect and manage important native vegetation on their land. If successful, landholders will receive annual payments to implement an agreed conservation management plan and enter into an in-perpetuity agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust. Landholders in the Upper Hunter Shire are invited to learn more about earning annual payments to protect remnant ...

Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2023 - September 6-8, Margaret River WA

By Bonnie Jupp posted 12-07-2023
Regenerative Agriculture Conference 2023 6-8 September, Margaret River WA The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has partnered with DPIRD to deliver an exciting two-day conference held at the Margaret River HEART, on 6 & 7 September followed by a day of field trips. This convergence will feature international, national and local keynote speakers addressing the most promising farming approaches for producing healthy food, building soil carbon, rehydrating landscapes, increasing biodiversity and gaining resilience to climate change. Keynote speakers include renowned farmers and agronomists who are experts in their fields including Terry McCosker, ...

Owners buy land for agriculture and conservation at Fernleigh

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 10-07-2023
With its r ich black basalt soil and extensive groundwater resources , the Liverpool Plains on Gamilaroi Country in n orth - w est NSW is home to some of the most productive agricultural land in Australia and some of the most vulnerable ecological communities . Fernleigh , owned by Malcolm Coleman , is 116 5 hectares of productive grazing land and critically endangered box gum woodland at the foothills of Coolah Tops where the Liverpool Plains opens out . When the family bought the property two years ago it came with a n established NSW Biodiversity ...

Mirrambeena landholders balance conservation and grazing in state’s central west

By NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust posted 03-07-2023
Lisa McCann is not your average Central Western NSW grazier and the land she calls home is far from being your average grazing property. From the discovery that her mother had ancestral Wiradjuri links nearby to the deep feeling of being “home”, Lisa knew as soon as she saw her 1200-hectare property on the northeastern side of the Herveys Range that this was where her family was meant to be. They settled onto Mirrambeena and in 2019 entered into a funded conservation agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust after entering a successful bid in the 2018 Central Tablelands conservation tender. The family quickly began the work needed ...

Planning and managing your senior years of farming:

By Mal Cock posted 01-07-2023
Planning and managing your senior years of farming: Lucky people have opportunities and rewards to be proactive about the life’s changes, particularly in the sunset years ! There are lots a questions that need to be asked, thought about and discussed with self and partner(s) when contemplating major changes , There are pros and cons that come with aging and good planning helps to make the most of the pros and limit the effect of the cons. Some examples of changes that are likely to occur: Developing a current venture Starting a new venture Managing current & perceived challenges Downsizing ...

Exciting field-based tree guard trial in the works

By Mary-Claire Picton-King posted 28-06-2023
At Arborgreen, we're proud to be a supporting partner of Landcare Australia. We are Australia’s largest provider of products and materials for tree establishment and care – you would have seen our iconic tree guards at many planting projects across the country. Together with Landcare Australia, we're launching a field-based tree guard trial in cooperation with Greening Australia, which begins in July. This study will test various tree guard combinations, gathering valuable data on factors like ease of installation, lifespan, weather impact, and their influence on seedling health. The insights gleaned from this study will guide recommendations for Landcare ...

Exciting field-based tree guard trial in the works

By Mary-Claire Picton-King posted 28-06-2023
At Arborgreen, we're proud to be a supporting partner of Landcare Australia. We are Australia’s largest provider of products and materials for tree establishment and care – you would have seen our iconic tree guards at many planting projects across the country. Together with Landcare Australia, we're launching a field-based tree guard trial in cooperation with Greening Australia, which begins in July. This study will test various tree guard combinations, gathering valuable data on factors like ease of installation, lifespan, weather impact, and their influence on seedling health. The insights gleaned from this study will guide recommendations ...

Country Needs People: Request For Expressions Of Interest for Indigenous land and sea management staff and contractors

By Gabrielle Stacey posted 27-06-2023
Country Needs People: Request For Expressions Of Interest for Indigenous land and sea management (ILSM) staff and contractors. About Country Needs People: Country Needs People (CNP) is a small non-profit organisation that supports Indigenous communities to protect, maintain, and restore biodiversity and sustain, strengthen, and pass on cultural practices on Country. We advocate for strong Indigenous Land and Sea Management (ILSM) support from state and federal governments and provide practical assistance to Indigenous peoples managing or aspiring to manage their Country. Working with Indigenous organisations We work together with an extensive ...

Trees for Bees Community Tree Grants

By Ella Capewell posted 05-06-2023
A new community tree grants program is providing small community groups with the opportunity to make a big difference for pollinators. The Trees for Bees Community Tree Grants program is providing grants of up to $500 to community organisations, schools, sporting clubs, gardening clubs and environmental groups to plant pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs in their local area. Trees for Bees Community Tree Grants are proudly sponsored by Carman’s. Applications are now open and close on 31 July 2023 5pm AEST. To apply for a Trees for Bees Community Tree Grant visit wheenbeefoundation.org.au/communitytreegrants

Pittwater Natural Heritage Association and Trad Smut

By marita macrae posted 05-06-2023
Tradescantia fluminensis formerly called Wandering Jew, now simply WanderingTrad, is a dreaded weed mostly of coastal or cool damp areas. It grows densely, smothering natives such as ground covers and seedling trees and shrubs. In late 2020 PNHA received some Trad stems from the CSIRO. These were infected with a Smut, a type of fungus Kordyana brasiliensis found infecting the Trad in its native Brazil. Extensive testing had proved this did not infect closely related native species, such as Commelina cyanea and others. We planted the stems among healthy Trad in several bushland reserves and were prepared to wait up to a year for the Smut to spread. ...