Landcare Australia welcomes four new members to its Board of Directors

22 December 2021 – Landcare Australia is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of four new Directors to the board. These appointments mark the culmination of an extensive national search to ensure the organisation is well supported by Directors with a comprehensive set of skills and experience, particularly related to engagement with youth, strong Indigenous connections, innovative services, agriculture and broader landcare knowledge.

The new Board Directors are:

Ricky Archer, CEO of the North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance. Ricky has extensive NRM and governance experience, and is a Director of various Indigenous and NRM organisations, including the NT Aboriginal Land Management Advisory Group and CRC for Developing Northern Australia. Now based in Darwin, he is a Djungan man from the Western Tablelands region of North Queensland.

Naomi Edwards, Co-Founder of Intrepid Landcare, a national network that inspires young people to act and lead with landcare and is a community engagement and communications specialist. Based in South-East Queensland, Naomi has a strong history of advocating for meaningful community participation in NRM, particularly in coastal and marine settings. Naomi is currently Campaign Manager for cChange, an innovative communications organisation based in the Pacific that leads behaviour change campaigns for a range of sectors.

Anna Hooper, a highly regarded agribusiness professional with extensive national resource management, policy, finance and governance experience. Anna has a strong practical background in the wine industry, being a winemaker and viticulturalist in Australia and overseas. Anna has been held various Board roles including with the SE NRM Board and Australian Vignerons. Anna is currently Manager, Industry Policy for Australian Grape and & Wine, based in Adelaide.

James Walker, is a fifth generation grazier operating Camden Park located near Longreach, Queensland. The property is a 8,000 Ha organic, global animal partnership (GAP) accredited cattle station that hosts agritourism and a large scale solar farm. Being a 2012 Nuffield Scholar and awarded Australian Farmer of the Year for excellence in diversification, James has built digital platforms and generated alternative businesses models to include environmental sustainability into farmer profit streams. James was a finalist for the 2020 Bob Hawke Landcare Award.

Chair of the Board, Doug Humann AM, said, “We are delighted to welcome Ricky, Naomi, Anna and James to the Landcare Australia Board of Directors.”

“The addition of our new Directors, each with their professional skills and background, round-out the Board’s expertise, better positioning us to support implementation of Landcare Australia’s new strategic plan. The new Directors will ensure the Board is well placed to support stronger engagement with the diverse landcare community, including Traditional custodians, younger landcarers and the rural sector.”

They will assist guide the establishment of new partnership opportunities and programs to generate much needed support for the landcare movement into the future.”

Doug Humann AM also noted the outstanding contribution of departing Director, Jan Davis.

“I would like to thank Jan for her significant contribution to the Landcare Australia Board and for landcare more broadly over the past 6 years. Jan’s extensive experience in the agriculture, NRM and not-for-profit sectors has provided invaluable governance support for the organisation as we have worked to create closer ties with our stakeholders, particularly our partner organisations in the landcare movement.”

Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, who was once a secretary of her own local landcare group, said that the experience of Landcare Australia’s expanded Board will assist benefits to flow through to the landcare volunteers.

“As one of the oldest conservation and sustainable agriculture movements in the country, our people in Landcare play such an important part in their communities and local environment. It’s great to see the new skills and practical experience added to Landcare Australia’s Board, reflecting the diversity of the landcare movement, and well equipped to support their needs. It’s got to be a win for landcare and a win for our country.”

The new Directors are formally appointed as of January 1, 2022.

Dig in and nominate now for the 2022 General Jeffery Soil Health Award

Program branding with image of General Jeffery

November 22 2021:

Do you know someone in Australia who is helping improve soil health and inspiring others? Nominations for the 2022 General Jeffery Soil Health Award open on World Soil Day, 5 December 2021.

Now in its second year, the award recognises the work of people who care for soil health and who are educating or inspiring others to do so.

Individual farmers, land managers, extension specialists or educators may be nominated for activities including undertaking and promoting good management practice, raising awareness about the importance of maintaining and improving soil health, and/or educating others about soils.

The Award honours and perpetuates the memory of Australia’s first National Soils Advocate, the late Major General the Honourable Michael Jeffery AC, AO (Mil), CVO, MC (Retd), who died in December 2020.

“Healthy soils are critical for human health and security and the health of our environment. This award was created to honour the soil health champions in our community. It recognises the outstanding achievement and individuals whose work is making a significant difference in the way we think about and manage Australia’s soils.” said the Honourable Penny Wensley AC, National Soils Advocate.

Ms Wensley had high praise for Western Australia’s Emerita Professor Lynette Abbott, who was the recipient of the inaugural General Jeffery Soil Health Award in 2021.

“Professor Abbott is a pioneering researcher and science communicator who established the innovative ‘Know Your Soil Biology’ workshops for farmers. Across a 40-year career she has shared her extensive knowledge with students and farmers and has international standing as a first class researcher and educator,” Ms Wensley said.

“Soil health improvement is increasingly recognised as an important component of Landcare. If you are, or someone you know is, doing great work in this area we encourage you to nominate for this prestigious national award,” said Dr Shane Norrish, CEO, Landcare Australia.

Nominations close Sunday 17 April, 2022. Finalists will be announced in June with the Award winner: announced at the 2022 National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner in Sydney on Wednesday, 24 August 2022. The Award winner will receive a trophy and a $20,000 cash prize to continue their work.

The General Jeffrey Soil Health Award was established in 2020 by the Office of the National Soils Advocate within the Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The award is administered by Landcare Australia.

More information

2021 Western Australia Landcare Awards celebrate outstanding landcare champions

November 19 2021:

Winning landcare projects were announced yesterday at the 2021 Western Australia Landcare Awards at the Kalamunda Community Centre, where community landcarers from across the state came together to celebrate their impressive achievements.

The awards celebrate the incredible efforts of individuals and groups, young and old, to protect Western Australia’s natural resources, stewarding a more resilient landscape for the future. The award winners and their projects are diverse, ranging from farming and Indigenous land management, to educational and mapping tools.

Mick Davis, Chair of the WA Landcare Network, thanked the award sponsors and paid tribute to the finalists and winners as champions of the landcare community.

“Last night’s event was a fabulous celebration of the breadth of landcare volunteering in WA. The awards recognise individuals, groups and partnerships, importantly including First Nations custodians caring for country,” he said.

“On behalf of the Western Australian landcare community, I would like to extend huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners in the award categories. We’re seeing real and substantial outcomes from the dedication and commitment of community landcarers. It’s critical that we continue to support and recognise their tremendous efforts.”

Winners in National Award categories will represent Western Australia at the 2022 National Landcare Awards, to be held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, on Wednesday 24 August.

Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish, commended recipients of the Landcare Western Australia Awards on their outstanding accomplishments.

‘It’s an honour to be able to recognise the great work being carried out by our landcare champions in Western Australia,” Dr Norrish said. “The Landcare Awards program provides landcarers with the ideal opportunity to get together and celebrate individual and collective achievements of landcare.”

He added: “Landcarers across Australia deserve to be acknowledged, and we’re looking forward to seeing the winners represent their communities at the National Landcare Awards next year.”

2021 Western Australia Landcare Award Winners

Australian Government Landcare Farming Award

Sylvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie

Sylvia and Peter farm Wilyun Pools Farm, a 1214-hectare property located in Wellstead District, 100 kilometres northeast of Albany on the south coast. The property motto is “Seeking Balance.”

Sylvia is a botanist, dedicated conservation and land management educator. In her role as a TAFE lecturer and leader of community workshops and field trips, she also serves as a mentor for scores of young people starting their careers in land management and farming.

In 1965, Sylvia was just a year old when her family arrived at their conditional purchase property, Wilyun Pools Farm, and set about clearing it for agriculture. Peter has a farm forestry and agriculture background and has worked with farmers across the region promoting integrated farm forestry. Together they are dedicated to returning the farm to a sustainable state using regenerative farming methods.

Regenerative farming has given them a network of fellow landholders with similar philosophies and language. They have adopted the three pillars of landcare and regenerative agriculture: healthy environment, healthy society and healthy economy. They believe in taking actions to increase their own and rural communities’ societal wellbeing and are concerned about the loss of populations in rural areas brought on by the amalgamation of properties.

2021 Western Australia Landcare Award Winners

Category	Winner	Highly Commended
Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award	Margaret Moir	Iszaac Webb
Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award	Moore Catchment Council and Yued Community of Moora
Australian Government Landcare Farming Award	Silvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie
Coastcare Award	Busselton Jetty Inc.
Australian Community Media Landcare Community Group Award	Katanning Landcare
Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award	Forest Crescent Primary School
KPMG Indigenous Land Management Award	Undalup Wadandi Rangers Program
Steadfast Young Landcare Leader Award	Jayson Sekhon	Talitha Huston

WA Landcare Award Winners standing next to their reserve signage

One Year On – Projects Have Improved Biodiversity in Australian Cotton Landscapes

Landscape photo of biodiversity cotton project

October 22 2021:

Over the last 12 months a unique partnership between Landcare Australia, Country Road and the cotton industry has resulted in 34 hectares of biodiversity improvements, including the planting of native species in the NSW Namoi Valley.

Funded by a corporate contribution and the sale of Verified Australian Cotton Heritage Sweats, Country Road has committed $600,000 over three years, with funds so far invested in two iconic projects near Narrabri and Boggabri, managed by Landcare Australia.

“It’s brilliant to see the impact this partnership has had in just one year. Country Road is so proud to support the great work being undertaken by local cotton farmers to leave a positive biodiversity legacy” Elle Roseby, Managing Director, Country Road

The project has seen weeks of restoration work including planting thousands of native trees and grasses on properties “Glencoe” and “Merriendi” on the Namoi River, both owned by local farming families.

“Landcare Australia is very proud of the achievements of this partnership to date. The project will assist to increase biodiversity, restore local ecosystems, protect soil health, provide natural habitats for threatened species, improve water quality and contribute to the sustainable management and productivity of the landscape.” Dr Shane Norrish, CEO Landcare Australia said.

The work draws on a 2019 Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) project that mapped biodiversity in Australian cotton landscapes, identified threatened and endangered species and recommended ways to protect them.

According to Cotton Australia, biodiversity is an important sustainability focus for the Australian cotton industry that needs to be addressed at both farm and landscape scales.

“This project is not only providing significant funds for implementing projects, it is showcasing the benefits of improving biodiversity to other cotton farmers in the region and beyond,” Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay said.

“We know our farms provide critical habitat for Australia’s native plants and animals, and when managed well these areas also provide natural pest control, improve soil health and store and sequester carbon,” he said.

The first project kicked off at the Kahl’s family farm near Narrabri NSW, where part of the Namoi River is being revegetated and stock excluded to increase habitat and shelter for native animals, reduce erosion and improve water quality.

The second project is with the Watson family at “Merriendi” near Boggabri where 3.7 kilometres of trees and grasses are being planted to improve ecology along the Namoi River on a newly acquired property.

Plans are underway for projects three, four and five which will all be located in priority biodiversity zones. The Australian cotton industry is providing additional support through the CRDC and Australian Government’s National Landcare Program Smart Farming Partnership Initiative’s- Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations 2021 project.

“This includes a five-hectare research trial by the University of New England to investigate which revegetation methods have the greatest survival rates on floodplain soils, drone plantings and a native plant propagation training workshop that’s been held with Kamilaroi traditional owners,” CRDC natural resource R&D Manager, Ms Stacey Vogel said.

Cotton industry research shows that while there have been some great steps forward, more needs to be done to protect and improve biodiversity on cotton farms and adjacent landscapes.

“We hope this partnership with Landcare Australia and Country Road will help focus industry efforts, accelerate our biodiversity work and provide a lasting legacy for our farmers, their communities and the natural environment,” she said.

The Stats So Far

Hectares repaired via weed control and planting native species: 34
Number of tree planting days: 20
Kilometres of river frontage improved: 5 km
Country Road have raised $200,000
Habitat enhanced for threatened species like the Koala, Large-eared Pied Bat and Barking Owl

Landcare Australia receives 2021 United Nations Day Honour

Group of young men and women standing amongst landcare worksite

October 22 2021:

The United Nations Association of Australia New South Wales (UNAA NSW) is delighted to announce that Landcare Australia has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 United Nations (UN) Day Honour.

The UNAA is the pre-eminent not-for-profit institution in Australia to promote the goals, and values of the United Nations. Established in 1946, its aim is to inform, inspire, and engage Australians regarding the critical work of the UN and to create a safer, fairer, more sustainable world. Around the world, UN Day is marked each year on 24 October to celebrate the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945.

UN Day Honour

As part of UNAA (NSW)’s UN Day celebrations, the prestigious UN Day Honour was created to recognise individuals or organisations in Australia that have made a significant contribution to the aims and objectives of the UN, for example in promoting peace, respect for human rights, equal opportunities, social justice and environmental sustainability.

Previous recipients include Ms Sam Mostyn AO (2020), Reconciliation Australia (2019), the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG (2018) and the Australian Red Cross (2017).

2021 launch of the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

2021 marks the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It is a call to halt the degradation of ecosystems around the world and drive their protection and revival for the benefit of people and nature. The Decade will run to 2030, which is also the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and the timeline identified by scientists for preventing catastrophic climate change.

In recognition of this important decade and UNAA’s current focus on raising awareness about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, special consideration was given to nominees with a strong track record of achievement in the areas of ecosystem restoration and protection of biodiversity.

Landcare Australia nomination and contribution

From a select shortlist of nominees, Landcare Australia was endorsed by the UNAA NSW Executive Committee as the 2021 UN Honour recipient. This award is in recognition of Landcare Australia’s strong track record supporting community led, on-ground projects to restore, enhance and protect Australia’s unique natural environment. Their bold vision of ‘all Australians actively caring for the land and water that sustains us’ leads their purpose to empower individuals to build resilient ecosystems and communities.

As a leading national not-for-profit organisation in the environmental sector for more than 30 years, Landcare Australia has supported thousands of landcare groups and other environmental volunteer groups in local communities across Australia to protect the environment through sustainable land management and conservation activities:

Community engagement and cooperation

Landcare Australia has successfully supported a strong and diverse people-based movement encompassing Traditional Owners, landholders, farmers and volunteers who are actively engaged in local community-led environmental initiatives. Through its emphasis on cooperation in caring for the land, Landcare Australia supports over 5000 groups and 140,000 volunteers.

SDG Partnerships

As demonstrated by its work with organisations like KPMG, Woolworths and Country Road, Landcare Australia embodies the values of Goal 17, Partnerships for the Goals, contributing directly towards the achievement of SDGs 6, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 by coordinating community involvement in erosion control, revegetation, weed control, and management of coastal and wetlands ecosystems across numerous projects.

Bushfire recovery and resilience

Landcare Australia has played a key enabling role in relief and recovery efforts in bushfire and drought-impacted regions. Through the collaborative WIRES Landcare Australia Wildlife Relief and Recovery Grants program, $1.185 million was awarded to 64 environmental groups for activities including rainforest revegetation, installation of nest boxes for native species, feeding programs for endangered wildlife, management of invasive weeds, erosion control, and protection of waterways and aquatic habitat. Funded projects will build drought resilience and over 96,000 plants were planted to revegetate and create habitat for wildlife.

UNAA NSW considers that Landcare Australia’s efforts over 30 years in caring for country have made a significant and enduring contribution towards protecting ecosystems and regenerating nature in Australia, in line with global goals. By conferring the 2021 UN Honour upon Landcare Australia, UNAA acknowledges the contribution the organisation has made towards realising the UN’s 2050 Vision of a world living in harmony with nature.

Note

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, Landcare Australia will be presented with the Honour at a formal in-person event to be held in 2022 at NSW Parliament House. More details to follow.