Invitation: Resilient Landscapes Survey

Help Make a Difference for More Resilient Landscapes!

Natural resource management is a critical aspect of ensuring the sustainability and health of our environments. The Resilient Landscapes Hub, with funding from the National Environmental Science Program, has embarked on a national study called ‘Success factors for resilient landscapes’.

This project aims to delve into the factors that facilitate or hinder effective natural resource management activities such as tree planting, species protection, sustainable farming, and environmental enhancement across varied settings.

The study’s findings, which builds on previous research, will be invaluable for organisations involved in natural resource management. By understanding success factors, organisations can better design their programs and demonstrate their achievements across different scales.

To achieve a comprehensive and representative understanding, the project team is inviting members from diverse organisations and groups to ensure the findings reflect a wide range of experiences and opinions.

How You Can Help

If you are involved in environmental stewardship efforts, are just getting started, or work as a land manager, this is an opportunity to share your experiences, achievements, or aspirations in these efforts by completing this national survey.

Your response will help government and non-government organisations develop strategies that better support landowners, and communities in achieving more sustainable and resilient landscapes across Australia. Together, we can ensure that our landscapes remain resilient and thriving for future generations.

The survey explores three main themes: (a) your involvement in the activity, (b) your motivations and objectives, and (c) factors that help or hinder your efforts. It will take approximately 25–30 minutes to complete.

To encourage participation, we are offering incentives for those who complete the survey. At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you would like to go in a draw to win a prize. There will be a total of eight prizes, and all winners (drawn randomly) will be provided with free conference registration and a $1,000 gift card to support travel and accommodation.

The draw will take place on 1st August 2025, and winners will be notified by 8th August 2025. Terms and conditions apply.

You will be given the opportunity to tell us which conference you would like to go in the draw for – there are two tickets available for the NRM Knowledge Conference, the National Landcare Conference and the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, there is one ticket available for each of the others:

  • NRM Knowledge Conference – Cairns, 8th–12th September
  • The National Landcare Conference – Gold Coast, 21st–24th September
  • The National Farmers Federation Conference – AgXchange – Gold Coast, 23rd–25th September
  • The Australian Citizen Science Association Conference – Melbourne, 13th–15th October
  • The Ecological Society of Australia Conference – Adelaide, 23-28th November

 

This research survey is being conducted by researchers at the University of Tasmania, the National Landcare Network, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Western Sydney University with support from the Resilient Landscapes Hub of the National Environmental Science Program.

Please email successlandscapes@utas.edu.au if you have any questions or concerns about the research.

To learn more about the project visit: nesplandscapes.edu.au/projects/nesp-rlh/landcare-and-threatened-species

To complete the survey go to: bit.ly/successlandscapes

(Please enter this address in your desktop browser. The survey is not suited for mobile devices.)

Thank you for your cooperation and participation!

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