Blog Articles

WeedScan: A new weapon in the war against weeds

By Centre for Invasive Species Solutions posted 27 days ago
Weeds are one of the biggest threats to Australia’s biodiversity, agriculture and economy, costing us about $5 billion a year in lost productivity, control and environmental damage. They represent a serious risk to our native flora, fauna and water quality and contribute to bushfire risk with additional fuel loads. Recent floods across the country have the potential to trigger the next surge of weeds in Australia. Floods can spread seeds and plant parts to new areas that may have been weed-free. These conditions can also be favourable for weed germination, growth and reduced competition from other plants and animals. Major weeds at risk of further spread ...

New AI-powered app set to transform weed management in Australia

By Centre for Invasive Species Solutions posted 15-12-2023
This week saw the launch of WeedScan - Australia’s first AI weed identification, reporting and management app! It's free & easy to use – simply snap a photo of a suspected weed & upload to identify and report ...download WeedScan from the App Store or Google Play and get started today. Funded by the Australian Government's National Landcare Program and developed by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions , CSIRO , NSW DPI , the Atlas of Living Australia and the South Australian , Queensland and Victorian Governments : truly a team effort. WeedScan is powered by a CSIRO AI identification ...

Landcarer Sharer Series

By Bruce Maynard posted 20-11-2023
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..........

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

The passing of Horrie Poussard OAM, one of Global Landcare's founding father

By Emily Mason posted 09-01-2023
On Christmas Day 2022, Horrie Poussard OAM passed away in Melbourne and Global Landcare lost one of its founding fathers, mentors, innovators, colleague and friend. Horrie grew up in Melbourne and gained his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in agriculture at Melbourne University. A consultant to graziers in NE Victoria, he went on to a three-year consultancy in South Korea for the Australian government in the early 1970s. This shaped his outlook, and that of his wife Wendy, who, with strong support from the family, became an esteemed figure in aid projects in the Pacific and Asia through co-founding the International Women’s Development Agency. In 1986, ...

Wishing you a happy holidays!

By Emily Mason posted 23-12-2022
Wishing you a Happy Holiday and a joyful New Year from the team at Landcare Australia! We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing contributions by individuals, groups and organisations involved in restoring, enhancing and protecting our natural environments. We look forward to working together again in 2023 and continuing to grow our impact, inspire change and create a lasting Landcare legacy!

The end of #CoastcareWeek22... and the beginning of Summer Up with Coastcare! 🌊

By Emily Mason posted 12-12-2022
As the sun sets on #CoastcareWeek22 , let's take a look at some of the amazing work being done by our Coastcare teams across Australia! In the Northern Territory, Larrakia Land & Sea Rangers hosted the 13th annual Darwin Clean-Up! Under their leadership, teams of volunteers spread out across 17 sites- picking up 295 bags of rubbish that weighed nearly 1.8 tonnes. Now on to Lennox Head Landcare , in NSW, and their amazing efforts to rehabilitate and restore natural areas around Lennox Head - including a former mining site at Boulder Beach, where sand dunes once stood 3 metres high but were flattened by sand mining in the 1950s. In QLD, Southern ...

This Week's Funding Opportunities: A Wrap-Up

By Emily Mason posted 04-11-2022
If you are a member of the News, Awards & Funding community of practice , you may have seen how many funding opportunities' are out there with applications currently open! For those who haven't joined just yet (join by clicking the link above!), here is a round-up of the active opportunities available to you: Firesticks Alliance are hiring an Executive Officer - apply today! Critical Producer Grants are available for those in areas impacted by severe weather and/or flooding - click here for more information . Round 2 of the Biosecurity Business Grants has opened - check if you qualify! University of Sydney PhD have ...

Heytesbury Landcare has launched a farming podcast!

By Melissa Higgins posted 03-11-2022
There are now 30 farms taking part in Heytesbury District Landcare Network’s Climate Resilient Farms Project and lots of exciting things have been happening. So, we told the project’s communications specialist, Kirsty Hawkes, to get out there and investigate. Between February and May 2022 Kirsty spent time on six farms interviewing nine farmers. The result is six podcasts, recorded and written by Kirsty and put together by Bruce Campbell. Each episode is no more than 30 minutes and together they cover a range of topics from the benefits of dung beetles, wildlife and multi-species pasture crops to composting, wetland restoration and shelter belts. Listen ...

Wongaburra Men's Shed x Beaudesert Landcare tackle Myna birds

By Emily Mason posted 28-10-2022
Wongaburra Men's Shed has stepped up to support Beaudesert Landcare in efforts to reduce the number of Indian Myna birds making a comeback in the region. Landcare treasurer, Leo Goggins, flagged the problem of the pest species back in 2016, when Men's Shed volunteers made chicken wire traps to catch the birds on Scenic Rim properties. Indian mynas were introduced to Australia in 1862. "Since then, their ever-increasing numbers have been a blight on our landscape and an ongoing threat to our native birds and hollow tree dwelling animals," Leo Goggins said. "They are very messy birds, evicting animals and birds from nests, attacking chicks and breed in tree ...

Landcarers joined forces to build and install nesting boxes around the Brisbane Ranges National Park

By Toby9005 posted 08-10-2022
Construction workshops run by the Brisbane Ranges Landcare Group, Rowsley Landcare Group, and Moorabool Catchment Landcare Group have seen 59 nesting boxes being installed on private property around the eastern flank of the Brisbane Ranges. The nesting boxes will support breeding for several species living in the Brisbane Ranges, including barking owls, powerful owls, parrots, sugar gliders, phascogales, microbats, grey shrikethrush, southern boobook owls, greater gliders, and kookaburras. Research has shown that suitably sized tree hollows for large birds and animals require more than 100 years, perhaps even 200 years, to develop naturally. The Brisbane ...

Results of the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants Program!

By Melissa154 posted 05-10-2022
The $14 million Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants Program has just wrapped up and the outstanding results speak for themselves: THIS is the incredible impact we achieve working together! Landcarers across Australia are celebrating their outstanding achievements for bushfire affected environments and communities following the completion of the landmark $14 million Landcare Led Recovery Grants Program. Managed in partnership between Landcare Australia, the National Landcare Network and the peak Landcare State and Territory organisations, the program saw almost 66,000 Australians – including over 10,000 volunteers, working together to deliver 111 community-driven ...

ABC Youth Trailblazers Program | Applications Open!

By Emily Mason posted 30-09-2022
Applications are now open for the ABC’s Trailblazers program in 2023! The ABC is looking for Trailblazers aged 18-to-28 who are doing inspiring things in their regional town. Does anyone spring to mind? Have them apply! From young community leaders to social entrepreneurs, advocates to event organisers, we’re looking for young people with a commitment to making regional Australia even better. Trailblazers will have their work featured on the ABC and receive an amazing package of support. Applications close on October 20, 2022, so there's still almost three weeks left to refine your/their application! Trailblazers is an opportunity for young ...

Landcare Webinar Series

By MelanieH posted 24-07-2022
The #LandcareWebinarSeries brings people interested in sustainable land management and conservation activities together. It showcases the rich diversity of knowledge, passion and expertise within the landcare community. Hosted by a facilitator, speakers in the webinars present content ideas to inspire people and provide tools that people can apply with their groups in their local community to manage the environmental issue in their patch, and support community resilience. Subscribe Make sure you subscribe so that you can watch any session in the series, ask questions, and interact with presenters and other viewers. By subscribing you'll receive email ...

Landcare Collaborations

By James432 posted 03-08-2021
The Hunter Region Landcare Network began working with the 9 Councils of the Hunter region in November 2019, to build better bridges between Landcarers and Landowners. The objective was to bridge the gap between the on-ground work that Landcarers do on public land, with each respective Council's strategic direction for their natural assets. The method used was to start a Landcare conversation with the appropriate managers and officers in each of the 9 Councils. From here we met on a regular basis to look at gaps in communication and knowledge, with both Landcarers and Councils sharing and building knowledge together. The key findings included the identification ...