Clarence Landcare

Engaging Gumbaynggirr Youth – South Grafton Dunggirr (Koalas)

Working with local primary schools to engage their Aboriginal students to gain knowledge and understanding about the local koalas.

The Issue

Clarence Landcare was contracted to engage Gumbaynggirr youth for future koala projects in the South Grafton area. The Gillwinga and St Josephs primary schools are across the road from one another and both schools regularly have koalas on their school grounds and property. The aim was to foster a relationship with the schools and their Aboriginal students for a koala education event.

The Solution

We teamed up with Michael Kennedy, Aboriginal Landcare Officer, and conducted a site visit to the area in South Grafton where there are a number of koala records. A meeting with the principal of St Josephs led to an invitation to use their school property and facilities for an event. The grant we received through the NSW Koala Strategy via Envite Environment gave us the resources we needed to implement the project.

The Impact

We organised a school event and invited Gillwinga’s Year 5 & 6 Aboriginal students and St Josephs’ 9 Aboriginal student across all year levels. In total, 31 students and 2 teachers from the schools attended the ‘The Cultural Program for Gillwinga and St Josephs Schools – Koalas in Clarence Valley’.

We held a Welcome to Country in Gumbaynggirr Language by Michael Kennedy and three koala songline stories were told. Landcare Coordinator Debbie Repschlager presented an introduction to Landcare and Junior Landcare. Senior Project Officer & Ecologist, Annette Cook, gave a koala presentation, conducted an afternoon in the field learning about koala food trees, and demonstrated how to plant a tree. It was wonderful to see enthusiastic hands shoot up in the group when asked who wanted to be involved in a Junior Ranger Koala Team.

Learnings

The inside presentation worked well to give an overview education about koalas. The outside activities after lunch were hands-on and engaging. The students learnt how to use tree features to identify koala food trees and also how to plant a tree.

– Debbie Repschlager, Local Coordinator, Clarence Landcare

This initiative made possible by the NSW Landcare Enabling Program, a collaboration between Local Land Services and Landcare NSW supported by the NSW Government.

Parliamentary Friends of Landcare 2024: ’Trees in the House’ Event Case Studies

Landcare NSW is proud to host the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Landcare (PFL) ‘Trees in the House’ 2024 event, presenting case studies that highlight Landcare NSW’s community-led approach to natural resource management and its inclusive motto, “Landcare is for Everyone”.

Established in 2015, the PFL provides a unique platform for NSW Members of Parliament from all parties to connect with and support Landcare initiatives across both urban and rural areas. Landcare NSW, as the peak representative body, focuses on fostering sustainable farming, environmental conservation, and stronger communities, underscoring its role in building a resilient and sustainable future for the state.

Fire Ant Workshop

Granite Borders Landcare Committee hosted a fire ant biosecurity workshop in Tenterfield to address the increasing threat of fire ant infestations spreading from South East Queensland into New South Wales.

With expert guidance from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the New England Weeds Authority, locals learned about fire ant ecology, infestation indicators, and risk mitigation strategies. Participants developed property biosecurity management plans, received biosecurity signs, and engaged in hands-on training, including a demonstration by a canine detection unit.

The success of the workshop, which fostered community awareness and inter-agency collaboration, led Tenterfield Shire Council to request future workshops to strengthen biosecurity efforts in the region.

Presenter: Granite Borders Landcare Committee

Engaging Gumbaynggirr Youth – South Grafton Dunggirr (Koalas)

Clarence Landcare collaborated with local primary schools in South Grafton to engage Gumbaynggirr youth in koala conservation and environmental awareness.

Supported by the NSW Koala Strategy through Envite Environment, the project brought together Aboriginal students from Gillwinga and St Josephs schools – both of which regularly have koalas on their grounds – for a cultural and educational event.

With guidance from Aboriginal Landcare Officer Michael Kennedy, the students participated in a Welcome to Country, listened to koala songline stories, and enjoyed interactive presentations about koalas and Landcare. The day included hands-on outdoor activities where students learned to identify koala food trees and planted their own, fostering a sense of responsibility and pride in protecting their local environment.

The students’ enthusiasm and interest in joining a Junior Ranger Koala Team underscored the event’s success in inspiring a new generation of environmental stewards.

Presenter: Michael Kennedy, Aboriginal Landcare Officer, Landcare NSW

OzFish & Landcare NSW Collaboration

Landcare NSW and OzFish have partnered on 100 projects across the state to address the critical ecological issues facing NSW waterways, such as declining fish populations, riverbank degradation, and habitat loss.

By uniting recreational fishers and Landcare groups, these projects promote hands-on community involvement in fish habitat restoration, including planting native trees and installing in-stream habitats. The initiative has mobilised thousands of volunteers, strengthening local ties to the environment and showcasing how collaborative efforts can drive meaningful environmental conservation.

This partnership model exemplifies how empowered communities can safeguard NSW’s waterways and promote ecological sustainability for future generations.

Presenter: Ryan Lungu, Program Manager, OzFish Unlimited

Soil Ya Undies

The ‘Soil Ya Undies’ activity, part of the Western Landcare School Education Program, educates primary students in Western NSW about soil health by engaging them in hands-on learning.

Inspired by work from Oliver Knox at the University of New England, the program involves burying cotton and synthetic underwear in school grounds to observe how soil affects decomposition over six weeks.

Supported by worksheets on soil types and fibre composition, the activity encourages students to discuss soil’s role in sustainable agriculture, food production, and environmental health. This fun, practical approach fosters early understanding of the vital connection between soil health and agricultural productivity.

Presenters: Associate Professor Oliver Knox, University of New England, and Vanessa Anderson, Local Landcare Coordinator Schools & Junior Landcare, Western Landcare NSW

WildVenture Landcare for Young Adults

WildVenture is a program in Greater Sydney that creates flexible, social events aimed at engaging young people in environmental restoration and building a community connected to nature.

Responding to challenges like eco-anxiety, digital isolation, and the difficulty young people face in finding supportive networks and accessible volunteer opportunities, WildVenture offers low-commitment events that allow young adults to participate in activities like citizen science, bushcare, and tree planting.

Over the past seven months, WildVenture has hosted eight events with around 100 young volunteers, fostering friendships and encouraging recurring involvement. To expand its impact, WildVenture seeks funding to increase event coverage across the Greater Sydney Basin, provide more restoration opportunities, and improve transport options, aiming to grow a vibrant environmental community for Sydney’s youth.

Presenter: Sophie Blair, Local Coordinator, Greater Sydney Landcare

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 –