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What is Landcare? 

Do you ever think about who cares for the local bushland, waterways or coastline where you live or work?

You may have heard of landcare, or seen the caring hands logo – but what is it all about? Landcare connects people from all walks of life to do something good for the environment.

Landcare can be best described as a movement of individuals, groups and organisations across Australia with a shared vision to restore, enhance and protect the natural environment in their local community through sustainable land management and environmental conservation. 

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Landcare today

For over 35 years, landcare has evolved to become one of the largest volunteer movements in Australia. There are thousands of people and countless communities working together on projects that will help improve the landscape, waterways, biodiversity and habitat restoration across Australia. People come together in their community, identify an environmental issue, and then work together to find a solution. You can read more about the origins of landcare here.

Landcare Australia is the national not-for-profit organisation, established in 1989 by the Hawke Government, that supports the landcare movement with their important work. You can read more about what we do and our impact here.

Volunteering with landcare and caring for the environment has a positive impact on the mental and physical health and wellbeing of individuals. You can read about this research in the Landcare Australia and KPMG Australia publication Building resilience in local communities: The wellbeing benefits of participating in Landcare here.

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How to get involved in landcare at home or work

We know many people are time poor, however there are many ways to get involved in landcare that won’t take up a huge amount of time. It is easy to get involved in landcare in your community, at home, or in the workplace. Every little bit helps, so we have created a list of ideas to help you get started and get your family, friends and colleagues involved too!

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Read about what people involved
in landcare do and get inspired

From remote and rural areas of Australia, to regional, urban and coastal communities, every day, there are people who are caring for the environment. We have created a list of landcare activities landcarers do that may inspire you to get involved with your local group:

  • Mobilise volunteers to come together and help restore, enhance and protecting the local environment in their community
  • Plant native trees, shrubs and grasses to create habitat for native animals to improve biodiversity
  • Community events including planting days, weed and rubbish removal, installing bird nesting boxes, education workshops and so much more…
  • Care for the soils to maintain soil health and productivity to help prevent salinity and erosion
  • Implement energy and water-usage efficiencies, such as farming effluent recycling, sediment control and solar panel installation
  • Grow community resilience to respond to disasters like drought, flood and fire – landcare groups support farmers and land managers so they are not working in isolation in caring for the environment on their property.
  • Create partnerships to help resolve local environmental issues, including Traditional Owners, First Nations organisations, local councils, natural resource management agencies, farming groups, schools and youth groups, universities and researchers, business and industry
  • Landcare farmers engage in sustainable agriculture practices to create and manage productive, profitable and healthy landscapes

  • Design and lead adventurous Intrepid Landcare and other youth projects to enable young adults to connect to their community, nature and each other, while taking action for the environment
  • Care for our rivers and waterways keeping our beaches and oceans clean, and protect marine animals from the impact of rubbish including plastics
  • Care for our coasts by protecting and stabilising beaches and sand dunes, this work helps to protect our fragile coastline
  • Consult and work with Traditional Owners and First Nations organisations about Cultural land management and decision making, they are the original landcarers and have been caring for our natural environment for thousands of years
  • Create habitat for native animals and birdlife by constructing and installing nest boxes, especially after bushfires
  • Build ‘bug hotels’ to encourage bees and beneficial insects to pollinate gardens
  • Create awareness for children to learn about biodiversity, First Nations perspectives, waste management, and where our food comes
  • Connect urban and rural communities to bridge the city-country divide. Many rural groups host city volunteers on their properties for community planting events; what landcare volunteers can do in a weekend can take a farmer or land holder a year to do themselves
  • Protect the habitat of threatened species like the koala, platypus and Regent Honeyeater from the impact of urban development and a changing climate
  • Citizen science projects to monitor the impacts of a changing climate by working with community volunteers to monitor the changes in the habitats of fauna and flora, and provide research data to universities and research agencies
  • Landcarers help Australia to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals, through their community-led environmental projects protecting and restoring our land and water assets
  • Rehabilitate degraded landscapes by planting trees to act as shelter for livestock and native species, and manage soil health and grazing systems to help support the growth of native grasses

  • Manage invasive weeds and pests like feral pigs, foxes, deer, invasive introduced weeds such as Pattersons curse and Prickly Pear, and other species that compromise ecosystems and native animals

  • Actively campaign for green spaces to local councils to help the local community care for parks and urban bushland

  • Host education programs and workshops to share knowledge; Landcare is about lifelong learning and connection to place

  • Manage community native plant nurseries and educate the community about the value of local indigenous plant species

  • Support the education of private landowners in ways to improve management of their land to support species conservation

  • Install fences to protect vegetation, livestock and keep out feral pests, waste and litter removal from bushland, wetlands, waterways and coastlines.
  • Volunteer and get your hands dirty at the next local community event. You may not have time to join your local group but lending a hand at the next event will help make an impact
  • Start your own local group in your suburb, at work, your local school or youth group. We have easy tips on how you can get started, it costs nothing but your time.
  • Fundraise for a local group. Your donation can help them buy trees and native shrubs, or materials like timber to build boardwalks at your local beach, animal nesting boxes and so much more!
  • Get social and promote your local group’s activities online to encourage people to volunteer or donate. 
  • Volunteer your skills! You don’t even need to get your hands dirty. Volunteer your professional skills to your local group, such as web design, newsletter writing, applying for grants, bookkeeping, event management or fundraising.
  • Handy with your hands? Many groups need help from people who like woodwork and can help them make and maintain birdhouses and nesting boxes for different species like birds, possums and bats. Every animal needs a home! 
  • Save your items from landfill by joining your local Pay It Forward/Free Stuff Facebook group to pass on preloved goods through a give and take system, helping save our environment while helping others within your community.
  • Sign up to your local landcare, ‘friends of’ or environment groups newsletter to keep informed on what is happening in your neighbourhood and be aware of the local environmental issues.
  • Learn more about your community’s First Nations Cultural heritage. Traditional Owners and First Nations people have been caring for Country for tens of thousands of years.
  • You can help protect native species in your own backyard. Bring back native bees and birds by enhancing their habitat by creating a bee hotel or bird nesting box, leave out water so they can drink especially on a hot day.
  • Woof woof! Ensure your dogs are kept on a leash in nature reserves or bushland where native animals are likely to be vulnerable. Landcare groups work on these sites to enhance the habitat of native animals to protect them.
  • Go natural and help give bees and local insects a helping hand by avoiding chemical pesticides and herbicides in your garden, consider using natural alternatives.
  • Plant native shrubs, trees and flowers to bring bird life and bees into your garden.
  • Keep cats inside overnight, even well-fed cats roaming at night hunt and kill possums and other small native mammals while birds are often targets at dawn and dusk when they are most active. 
  • At the beach keep on the walking tracks. This protects the vegetation that provides habitat for local native birds and other animals and prevents erosion.  
  • Local business owners can support their local groups and help sponsor fundraising activities, promote their community working bee events and volunteer their time.
  • Help injured or lost wildlife by calling local authorities including WIRES.
  • Reduce your plastic footprint to help protect our rivers and waterways by keeping our beaches and oceans clean and protect marine animals from the impact of rubbish including plastics.
  • Reuse if you need to use plastic products, make sure you reuse items over and over again before disposing of them thoughtfully at the end of their useful life.
  • Recycle if you can’t reuse an item, recycle it or compost it. Putting something in the rubbish bin for landfill should only be a last resort. Many household groceries come in soft plastic wrapping. Most major supermarkets now will recycle your soft plastics for you. Just bag them up and take them to the supermarket when you go shopping.
  • Compost your food waste and fertilise your garden, it will help make your garden grow and reduce waste to landfill.
  • Be water wise and water your gardens early in the morning or late afternoon to reduce water wastage.
  • Sustainability at home can start by using products that are good for the environment. 
  • Find a transport buddy and carpool to work or when taking your children to school. Consider taking public transport, walking or riding your bike to work or school.
  • The Junior Landcare Learning Centre has many fun, educational activities for children of all ages. A great way to introduce landcare to the young people in your life so they understand how to be aware of natural environment around them.
  • Students can start a  Youth Landcare Group at high school, university or in the community. 
  • Sign up to Landcare Australia’s newsletters and keep informed on grants, campaigns, projects and learn what other groups are doing so that you can do it too!
  • Thank your local group if you see them volunteering on a project in your local area. The work of landcarers is often unseen, so giving them a big wave and thank you is a good way for them to feel acknowledged for the work they do for you, for all of us and future generations.
  • Corporate Environmental Volunteering gets you and your colleagues out of the office and outside for some on-ground, ‘get your hands dirty’ activities. There are multiple projects you can get involved in from planting, cleaning up rubbish and removing weeds, seed propagation, building walkways, nest boxes….and so much more! 
  • Grab your work colleagues and get involved with a local group and help them with their next working bee – lending your hands to landcare will help a local group with their project and can help with community engagement for your business.
  • Can’t get away from your desk? Motivate your work colleagues and your company to get involved in Workplace Giving. A small, regular donation to Landcare Australia will help support long term projects that will continue to make a difference.

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