Category: News

MEDIA RELEASE – TEAMING UP TO BUILD MENTAL FITNESS IN RURAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES

Joint Media Release: Wednesday, July 8 2020

People across regional NSW will benefit from mental health and wellbeing workshops focused on ‘prevention through connection’, thanks to a four-way collaboration between the NSW Government funded Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) and Gotcha4Life, Landcare NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW.

Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the partnership would bring together a wealth of experience and knowledge to provide support for regional communities who were facing ongoing challenges.

“It continues to be a really tough time, especially for people living with the triple challenge of drought, bushfire and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mrs. Taylor.

“It is completely normal for people to be having confronting thoughts and feelings, and this is about making sure that people have strong connections in the community and know where to go to for specialist help when the going gets really tough.”

“Each of the partners has a good understanding of the unique local challenges as well as a great deal of trust within the community, which means they are well-placed to make a difference from the ground up.”

The RAMHP is a major project of the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (CRRMH) in partnership with each of the rural NSW Health Districts, and is funded by the NSW Government. There are currently 20 RAMHP Coordinators who live and work across NSW. RAMHP works to address the short and long-term mental health needs of rural and remote communities in NSW by connecting people to the help they need.

RAMHP Program Manager Tessa Caton said continuing to find new ways of building mental fitness and capacity in rural communities was essential.

“RAMHP will provide the advice that only a ‘local’ knows about each rural community and where to get help for your mental health.”

“We are looking forward to working with Gotcha4Life, Landcare NSW and Surf Lifesaving NSW to ensure our rural communities have access to a full suite of mental fitness programs and are equipped with the skills and tools to cope with ongoing challenges,” said Ms. Caton.

Founder of Gotcha4Life and media personality Gus Worland said the not-for-profit foundation’s vision is a world where people are open, honest and supportive in their relationships and comfortable to express themselves when they are not okay.

“We envisage a society in which everyone has a Gotcha4Life mate who they can open up to, warts and all, and rely on no matter what. This collaboration will be vital to help engage people across NSW who are battling with the effects of drought, fire and COVID-19,” he said.

Dr Adrian Zammit Chief Executive Officer at Landcare NSW said that while the organisation’s mission is to continue to care for the land and environment, it is founded on a series of close-knit communities that they support.

“The value we all gain from investing in these relationships and harnessing our extensive network means thousands of members across NSW will be able to have access to the mental fitness programs and powerful messaging that Gotcha4Life can bring,” Dr. Zammit said.

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce said the visions and beliefs of all the organisations are closely aligned, and the concept of building emotional muscle to protect against poor mental health really resonated.

“While the role of the surf lifesaver is to be a first responder, Surf Life Saving also plays a powerful role in protecting life, whether it be by saving people on our beaches or through saving them from poor mental health by building resilience and fostering healthy, connected communities”.

If you have any concerns about yourself or a loved one, please contact the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

MEDIA:

Richard Shute (Dept Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women) | 0409 394 232

Samantha Stratton (Landcare NSW)  | 0487 767 955

Landcare NSW COVID-19 update – July 2020

As we move into the second half of the year, the days and months since the first official announcement of COVID-19 have changed the framework of how we conduct our lives and work. 

In an environment where each week and day can be different from the next, we would like to reach out to remind you to continue to take appropriate measures within your Landcare workplace and work sites.

As of July 6, the NSW Government states that no more than 20 people are allowed to gather outside in a public place and all businesses can now open and operate under the one person per 4 square metre rule.

For some types of businesses, you are required to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan. Find out about developing a COVID-19 Safety Plan for your business.

Ongoing recommendations remain in place for any vulnerable members of the community.

For many of our Landcare groups this has been a trying time and we would like to thank our entire community for the flexibility and strength that they have shown in these past months.

However, we would remind our members who have insurance through Ceneta and Community Underwriting, of the statement they released on Friday March 20 via Landcare NSW stating that:

“The advice they have given for Landcare groups holding events is as follows:

– We are unable to cover events where the attendees exceed either the current federal or state advice for public gatherings and visits to vulnerable groups.

– Where events are conducted with attendees less than the government recommendation, we recommend an organisation to undertake a risk assessment taking in the government advice.

An update as of July 6, 2020 is as follows:

If the groups are acting within the government rules and taking all reasonable care and precautions, there would seem to be no reason an event could not proceed, particularly if their own risk assessment suggests it is O.K.

There is no exclusion for COVID-19 in the policy wording but reinsurers globally are moving fairly quickly to impose them.

All new business and renewals from 1 July will be subject to new wordings which include a Listed Human Disease Exclusion.

As the majority of Landcare groups renewed before the new policy wording was released on 1 July, they are subject to the original wording which does not exclude COVID19.

However please note that Indemnity under any policy depends on the specific facts of any particular incident and terms and conditions.”

This response remains in place and is guided by the State and Federal guidelines.

We encourage you to speak directly to your insurance provider should you have event specific queries and visit NSW Health to see updated guidelines in response to each event you hold.

Additionally, NSW Workplace Health and Safety has guidelines and a risk assessment in response to COVID-19 to help guide you and your activities during this time.

Here at Landcare NSW our staff are still working remotely where practicable and we are registered as a COVID-19 safe workplace.

As always, we are only a phone, email, or social media message away.

Stay up to date with current advice as circumstances change and review your activities and risk management accordingly. Visit www.health.nsw.gov.au.

Above all, practice healthy hygiene and always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

MEDIA RELEASE – Landcare NSW keen to create environment jobs for economic stimulus

Landcare NSW keen to create environment jobs for economic stimulus

Landcare NSW is part of a coalition of 70 conservation and farming organisations calling for a large-scale investment in conservation and land management by all levels of government.

A report delivered by Ernst & Young and released by Pew Charitable Trusts, found that a $4 billion national conservation and land management employment program would create 53,000 jobs, reduce welfare costs by $620 million and raise economic output by $5.7 billion over the next four years.

“The ‘Delivering economic stimulus through the conservation and land management sector’ report highlights the need and ability for organisations such as Landcare NSW to deliver large scale, high quality conservation and land management programs,” says Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit.

“Landcare is a well-established community movement with projects ready to go; we are ready to scale up our activities to create jobs and help local economies.”

“This is a hugely beneficial investment, both for the government and the wider community. By investing in this positive initiative, we will see enormous social, economic and environmental benefits in the short, medium and long term.”

“The NSW Landcare community stands ready to scale up in response to the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, bushfires and drought. We have the skills and knowledge,” said Dr Zammit.

The investment would fund practical activities such as tree planting, weed control and restoration of rivers, wetlands and coastal habitats especially in areas whose economies hard hit by COVID-19 and natural disasters.

“Landcare in NSW has the infrastructure in place, which means funding would not get wasted setting up new bureaucracies but would go straight to local jobs through an established community-based organisations.”

In partnership with the NSW Government and NSW Local Land Services, Landcare has a central team, 73 Local Landcare Coordinators and 11 Regional Landcare Coordinators who assist in the running of Landcare groups and implementation of projects across the state.

Media contact:
Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit
e: azammit@landcarensw.org.au
p: 0487 767 955

Landcare NSW COVID-19 update

Please check the NSW Government website for the most up to date information.

We understand that you may have many questions on what to do with your Landcare group as restrictions are eased. The NSW Government has eased certain restrictions with further changes coming from 1 July.

We’d like to update you on the measures we’re taking at Landcare NSW.

To ensure we are providing a safe workplace, Landcare NSW has registered as a COVID Safe business. However, there are some things that need to be completed but we are on our way.

We strongly recommend all Landcare NSW member groups complete the check list for your workplaces (offices, events, working bee site, etc) and register as a safe work place:

  • Register at https://www.nsw.gov.au/register-your-business-as-covid-safe
  • Download and complete the check lists
  • You should complete the list with staff, volunteers before going to the next step
  • Register as a COVID19 safe workplace (including volunteers)
  • Display this on all sites (website, social media, etc).

If any groups can not comply with this then they are NOT COVID Safe. It is up to your group to ensure that you are acting consistently with current regulations.

All volunteer Landcare activities must be conducted in accordance with current legal requirements in place in NSW. Rules regarding gatherings and movement outside of home have changed and are likely to continue to change. It is up to you and your group to ensure you act in accordance with these requirements and check with your insurance provider before undertaking activities.

For all insurance related questions, please contact your insurance provider directly.

Pay particular attention to the guidelines that apply to vulnerable people, who are encouraged to continue to stay home and protect their health, or take extra precautions when out and about.

For many of our Landcare groups this is a time of change and we would like to thank our entire community for the flexibility and strength that they have shown in these past weeks and months.

Stay up to date with current advice as circumstances change and review your activities and risk management accordingly. Above all, practice social distancing, healthy hygiene and always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

Biodiversity development key component for environmental projects

Burrumbuttock Squirrel Gliders LAMP Project by Lou Bull.

There is a dark stripe from between the eyes to the mid-back, and the tail is soft and bushy averaging about 27 cm in length. Distinct in appearance and vulnerable in habitat, Squirrel Gliders are some of Australia’s smaller residents.   

In the small town of Burrumbuttock, in the central southern part of the Riverina region, Landcare and community groups have been busy advocating, preserving and enhancing their natural habitat to ensure that future generations, both of the human and glider variety, are here to enjoy it.

Naturally, their homes of choice are tree hollows in 100 year old eucalyptus where they can hide in the dark until evening falls and then come out to feed on insects, flowers and tree sap.

The Burrumbuttock Squirrel Glider Local Area Management Plan (LAMP) Project aims to double the glider population at Burrumbuttock to 1,000, but at a starting number of 555 it’s a long road.

“This project has been going for 20 years. Squirrel gliders are hollow dependant but hollows only start forming when trees are over 100 years old and a nesting pair can use up to 30 hollows across their home range. They move around a lot to match where available food is at different times of year, weather, avoid different predators,” says Regional Landcare Coordinator for the Murray Region, Paula Sheehan.

“The trees we planted may be 80 years away from being homes for the gliders, but we are 20 years closer than if we had not started. In the meantime, they will be a food source and help the gliders move about their range.

Support from private landholders and the wider community is essential for the longevity of the project, Paula says.

“So far we have 41 landholders who have committed to supporting the project on their properties with more on the waiting list. Their support is crucial in ensuring the long-term viability of the species.

“Projects such as these are about supporting and developing biodiversity. It’s not as simple as putting some trees in and waiting. It is so much more than that. We are not just supporting gliders, we are supporting trees, grasslands, lizards, birds, insects and the farmers themselves. It’s all part of a much bigger picture,” said Paula.

Local Landcare Coordinator for Mid Lachlan Landcare Tracee Burke agrees, saying projects that groups develop are not just about one specific species. They are about supporting and protecting biodiversity across all landscapes.

“The collaborative role Mid Lachlan Landcare and private landholders have in the Box Gum Grassy Woodland Habitat on Farm project is crucial. We are working together to create bio-diverse, healthy farms that protect and enhance this woodland.  

“We are working with landholders to find the best way to maintain the remaining trees, encourage natural regeneration, provide connectivity and plant new species if required.”

With less than 10% of its pre-European distribution intact, the open woodland trees are listed as critically endangered both at a state and nationwide level. With their range spanning from Queensland to Victoria, it’s a big task.

“The trees are just one component in the biodiversity of the surrounding areas. With them comes shrubs, grasses, native herbs and with that comes mammals such as the Squirrel Glider, birds such as the Superb Parrot, reptiles and frogs. These all work alongside one another and need to be protected. By doing one, you are supporting the other and we are always thinking of both,” Tracee said.

Images produced with permission.

‘Squirrel Gliders’ Lou Bull – Petaurus Education Group Project Officer 

‘Box Gum Grassy Woodland’ – Local Landcare Coordinator Tracee Burke – Mid Lachlan Landcare 

To find out more:

Samantha Stratton – Landcare NSW

sstratton@landcarensw.org.au

Box Gum Grassy Woodland by Tracee Burke

Community involvement crucial in environmental protection

If you didn’t know where to look, you would hardly notice them. But for those well versed in cane toad’s habits and habitat’s the quest to eradicate the estimated 200 million amphibians seems insurmountable. But you’ll be hard pressed to see that attitude here.

Armed with torches, buckets and good ears to tap into calling toads, volunteers and field workers in the Clarence Valley undertake night-time cane toad surveys across multiple private properties.

Community efforts and collaborations between government and local bodies such as the Clarence Landcare, Clarence Valley Conservation in Action (CVIA) Landcare Group, Department of Primary Industries, NSW Local Land Services and the Office of Environment and Heritage are crucial in helping stop the spread of invasive species.

Local Landcare Coordinator for Clarence Landcare, Debbie Repschlager, says projects such as the community and professional Cane Toad Control and trialling of Cane Toad Detection Dogs, are all tools used in the crucial role of supporting local ecology.

“We are trying to reduce and halt the Southern Front of cane toad migration and it is a big undertaking. The project covers a large area, over 30,000 hectares, with very diverse environments, but for us it’s as much about community participation and education as it is about on-ground work,” Debbie says.

“Since this project began in 2019, we have collected 13,361 mature and juvenile cane toads and 565,232 tadpoles. That’s 578, 593 toxic species removed from the local environment! That is a lot, but there’s a long road ahead of us.”

With females being able to produce between 8,000 – 35,000 eggs at a time, usually breeding twice a year and few predators to control the population, the job at hand is a long-term approach.

“It’s what we do” says Debbie.

“Landcare is about a long-term approach and thankfully we are supported in our endeavours. With this project we worked with Border Ranges Richmond Valley Landcare Network and the Office of Environment and Heritage. We share information, resources and landholder contact details in overlapping areas. There’s no such thing as borders with invasive species and it takes a strategic community approach to deal with them.”

The economic cost of invasive species in Australia is large. A study published in 2016 (using data from 2011/12) found the combined estimated cost of invasive species was $13.6 billion in the 2011-12 financial year. In 2019, the Invasive Species Council of Australia released a paper advising that an estimated $155 million over just five years would be needed to deal with invasive species in Australia.

Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit is not surprised.

“The cost of invasive species to our economy and ecology is not to be underestimated. You have incredibly delicate ecosystems versus thousands of different invasive species who see opportunity and jump on it. These are animals, birds, plants, insects and other invertebrates, fungi, parasites and marine creatures. There’s thousands of them killing off our native species who have few, if no, defences against them.”

But we are not without hope.

“In the NSW Landcare network alone you have citizen scientists, industry leaders and the average concerned landcarer dealing with them. They are upskilling and educating themselves in best practice and management.

“Our Landcare groups work within all borders, both local and state, to ensure that vulnerable species are supported and maintained. Each region may have its own unique problems, but they joined in being a network of dedicated individuals and communities that want to see their native environment survive and thrive.

NSW Landcare Program Manager Natasha English agrees, saying that all groups, regardless of their location, are on the forefront on invasive species management.

“Every one of our Landcare groups across NSW are dealing with pests and weeds. From the madeira vine to feral cat and dog control, they are part of a strategic approach, working with government agencies to tackle a wide range of bio-security threats. With bushfires, droughts and flood exacerbating pest control through the migration of species you’ve got to work towards being responsive to each challenge and I believe we are doing just that.”

Image courtesy of Clarence Landcare – Cane Toad Control – 

Thousands of new trees to be planted across Greater Sydney

The NSW Government is investing nearly $5 million to plant thousands of new trees across  Greater Sydney to expand the city’s green canopy in partnership with Greening Australia and Landcare NSW.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the partnerships will see 172,000 new trees planted in Greater Sydney’s parks, schools and communities over the next two-and-a-half years, with the first 32,000 to be planted by the end of 2020.

“We have connected with leading environmental organisations to increase our tree canopy cover, cool our communities and create great new green public spaces across the city,” Mr Stokes said.

“New trees today mean more healthy shaded public spaces and beautiful tree-lined streets for communities to enjoy now and for years to come.”

The NSW Government has signed two contracts totaling $4.77 million for:
–  100,000 trees to be planted across Greater Sydney, with a focus on Western Sydney with Landcare NSW; and
–  72,000 trees to be planted across parks and community spaces and schools across Greater Sydney with Greening Australia.

The two new partnerships will contribute to the NSW Government’s ambitious target to plant     one million trees by 2022.

Landcare NSW CEO Dr Adrian Zammit said the project will help support the development of green spaces across Greater Sydney.

“With the support of the Greater Sydney Landcare Network we will help grow native canopy to cool our city with Landcarers helping landowners and community members participate in tree planting activities.

“Our shared challenge is not only to get the trees in the ground but to monitor and provide education to ensure they survive.”

Greening Australia’s Nature in Cities Director Paul Della Libera said the ‘Cooling the Schools’ program will establish native habitats and help cool urban areas.

“By working together with schoolchildren across Greater Sydney to increase the tree canopy cover in their neighbourhoods, we can lower temperatures and create healthier communities for both people and wildlife. This is particularly important in urban areas given rising summer temperatures.

“We will be partnering with Western Sydney University to identify and prioritise the communities with the lowest canopy cover and greatest vulnerability to the urban heat island effect.”

MEDIA:

Jodie Lovel Landcare NSW | 0439 316 151 

Courtney Taylor DPIE | 0499 699 226

Environmental leaders call for $4 billion boost to support economic recovery

MEDIA RELEASE

15th April, 2020

Environmental leaders call for $4 billion boost to support Australia’s economic recovery

Landcare NSW is one of over 70 environmental and farming groups that have signed a proposal to the Australian Government to create 24,000 jobs in land rehabilitation through a post-pandemic stimulus package.

The $4 billion plan would apply the skills and infrastructure of these respected organisations to the massive task of rebuilding the economy when the COVID 19 situation transitions from crisis to recovery.

The goal is to create jobs and economic stimulus by activating land management and conservation projects across the nation.

Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit, says the nation-building proposal represented a remarkable show of unity by organisations that offer an extraordinary depth of experience, skill and commitment to conservation and agriculture.

The stimulus package would get the recently unemployed back into jobs where they would be engaged in meaningful work to help the land recover after the devastation of natural disasters.

“Drought, followed by catastrophic bushfires and flash flooding, have wreaked havoc on farms, landscapes and communities, and on-ground recovery work has been curtailed due to regulations to contain the virus,” says Dr Zammit.

“A national environmental stimulus package will help communities and landscapes to recover from the economic impact of COVID 19 and the financial and social impacts of the recent natural disasters.”

“Across Landcare alone there are tens of thousands of Australians actively involved in environmental action across all types of land tenure.”

“Stimulating community Landcare offers a huge opportunity to employ a workforce in improving the sustainability of our communities, environment and agricultural sectors,” says Dr Zammit.

Jobs in areas such as weed and pest control, river and catchment restoration and the repair of habitat and infrastructure damaged by fire would ensure tens of thousands of workers across NSW would be supported beyond the immediate crisis. The program would include funding for private land conservation by farmers and other land managers, tree-planting in urban and rural areas, coastal habitat restoration in partnership with communities and the fishing industry and marine plastics clean-up projects.

Media Release: 20 04 15 – Environmental Leaders call for $4 billion boost to support Australia’s economic recovery

A Landcare-led recovery is taking place across Australia

Opinion editorial courtesy of the National Landcare Network and NLN Chair Dr Patrick O’Connor

Landcare has a long history and has been an example to the world of the mobilisation of people to a sustainability ethic and the formation of an incredible number of groups focusing on local environments.

However, Landcare is commonly mistaken as only being an on-ground implementation program – engaging people in projects to plant trees, manage introduced species, protect endangered species, or otherwise halt environmental decline.

All these are actions that individuals and groups can undertake beneath a Landcare banner, but they are not what Landcare is really about.

Landcare is a social movement for managing change. The movement is 30 years old and arose because Australians naturally care about places we know; we want to connect to people we share ideas with and we feel part of the environmental awareness that has grown alongside agricultural change in post-war Australia.

Tens of thousands of Australians are attracted to Landcare, often as their first contribution to environmental action, because it gives them a chance to express their desire for sustainability and environmental protection through action.

Landcarers often find their voices by first using their hands.

Landcare in Australia is a collective movement and the National Landcare Network (NLN) is the representative voice of Landcarers at the National level.

The NLN and state are accountable to the collective of community Landcare networks and groups.

It is the chain of representation that connects community Landcare groups to the national conversation and ensures the Landcare movement fulfils its role as a movement of change management.

In order to be the best leader of change it is necessary to understand the movement and listen to representatives from all parts of the movement.

Without representative processes Landcare could become a project management business or another part of natural resource bureaucracy.

You are part of the Landcare movement if you have a say in project priorities, if you have a say in adapting actions to local conditions, have a say in bringing innovation to environmental stewardship, if you have a say in fair distribution of funding, and if you have a say in representative organisations from your group up to the NLN.

If you don’t have these things your project falls short of the Landcare ideal.

Why does all this matter? Because environmental variability throws real challenges at our communities, our management of land and water and our economy.

When environmental change is part of natural cycles we learn to live with and adapt to the change.

When the changes come at us from a drying climate or a bushfire, or left field from a virus, we mitigate what we can and we adapt as we must.

Landcare exists because tens of thousands of people recognise that we are more resilient together to tackle the challenges of local environmental degradation, natural disasters, climate change, and species extinction.

Landcare participation is a way of building networks and skills for adapting and responding to changes expected and unexpected.

The key is to be a participant in action, in a learning and sharing environment, with others, and in Landcare organisations where each voice is valued.

It is not easy to see our way past the natural disasters that have hit Australia hard in the last few years, compounded by the massive disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we do know is that human health, the environment, society and the economy are interwoven and positive actions on one can have benefits for the others.

When the economy starts to wake from the current hibernation it will need to stretch and yawn for a while before it is fully alert.

Stimulating community Landcare activities across Australia offers a huge opportunity to employ an underutilised workforce in improving the sustainability of our community and agricultural sector, and the environment on which it depends.

Landcare programs can be upscaled to get people working immediately and we should take the opportunity to employ Australians in helping to repair the natural infrastructure on which our healthy society depends.

Dr Patrick O’Connor is Chair of the National Landcare Network

Opinion Editorial: Landcare is central to natural disaster response, recovery and resilience building

While Australia grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic which poses an acute threat to our wellbeing and way of life, climate change and its many manifestations remains a serious and chronic threat to life as we know it.

Unpredictable and devastating shifts in our weather patterns are creating havoc in the bush, with devastating impacts such as prolonged and severe drought and widespread bushfires, like the unprecedented events we witnessed last summer.

The cost of these natural disasters to our communities, our economy and our environment is incalculable. Is this the new normal given that an ever-increasing human population may be pushing the limits of our planet’s natural systems? If so, how do we as a society best respond to these challenges to be prepared to respond, recover and build resilience to future natural disasters?

Government cannot solve such complex and large-scale natural calamities alone. As we are seeing with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it needs to partner and work together with communities to be able to prioritise, and get support for, on-ground action that delivers real outcomes.

This also applies to other common natural disasters in Australia, such as drought and bushfires. Indeed, the federal government’s National Strategy for Disaster Resilience- Community Engagement Framework (2013) recognises that emergency management is a shared responsibility for all of society.

By working directly with communities, governments can provide a sense of hope, build community resilience and increase preparedness for the next drought, bushfire or pandemic.

By working with and through community-led charity organisations, government can leverage its investment by tapping into an army of volunteers, as well as their social capital and the intimate knowledge and expertise of their local landscape for lasting and effective solutions.

Landcare, both at a state and federal level, can provide these benefits to government. Today, in NSW alone, there are tens of thousands of Landcarers aggregated in thousands of groups. Not only are they passionate and highly knowledgeable on matters pertaining to environmental protection and agricultural systems, they also deliver enormous value to NSW. A recent study indicated that Landcare in NSW delivers more than $500 million a year in value, a massive return on investment.
 
Landcare’s ability to punch way above its weight hinges on its massive network and social capital that connects people at the local, district, regional, state and national scale. This unique combination is one of Landcare’s secret sauces – the other is its people’s intimate knowledge of their local communities, farms and landscapes, essential ingredients to finding solutions tailored for local needs.

Landcarers live and work in local communities and are part of the social fabric: for example, they volunteer with the Rural Fire Service and other community organisations, many of whom are on the front line of natural disaster management.

They are farmers and landholders dealing with prolonged drought, business owners dealing with difficult economic conditions; above all they are local citizens committed to making a difference.
NSW Landcarers have been heavily involved in emergency responses, recovery and resilience-building work for many years and have delivered great value to their communities in this area.

Landcare’s activities are many and varied. For example, Landcare is a critical source and channel of communication to communities; Landcare supports farmers with government funded relief programs, raises awareness with their local communities of Rural Support Services Network, and organises social events, get-togethers and workshops to help communities cope with the stress.

Landcare organises educational programs and workshops to help raise awareness and best-practice in relation to natural disasters and building community resilience. Furthermore, Landcare undertakes on-ground projects related to natural disaster recovery and preparedness and leverages government funding to attract additional funding from corporates, philanthropy and local government for local projects.

Landcare wants to do more, much more, and it is ready.

Given what Landcare does, and considering the enormous benefits that Landcare has so consistently delivered these past 30 years, why would government not choose to partner with Landcare as a delivery vehicle for its natural disaster response, recovery and resilience-building programs?