With NSW at risk of losing a thousand of our native animals and plants, the NSW Government established Saving our Species, our flagship threatened species conservation program.

Saving our Species (SoS), sponsor of the Community Partnerships Stream at the upcoming National Landcare Conference, is one of the biggest conservation commitments ever undertaken in NSW.

Bringing threatened species back from the brink of extinction cannot be done alone. SoS brings together volunteers, scientists, businesses, community groups and the NSW Government – enabling collaboration to achieve greater conservation outcomes. They work with Landcare groups throughout the state, and these groups play an important role in the success of SoS.

Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) males
Credit: Helen Fallow/DPIE

Joining Forces

Local Landcarers, Landcare NSW and Saving our Species work in partnership to deliver projects for threatened species conservation. Together, they are raising awareness, capacity, resources and funding to support conservation projects across NSW. Landcare NSW has helped SoS make a difference by connecting grassroots communities with projects, and SoS can provide expert developed strategies and advice on best practice monitoring and conservation techniques to support the expertise of Landcarers.

SoS is collaborating to save species and ecological communities by:

• improving habitat and controlling threats, like weeding, planting and fox baiting
• monitoring the effectiveness and response of on-ground actions to improve our projects
• galvanising the support of local communities so their actions are making a difference, and;
• actively working to conserve threatened species, especially those plants and animals found on private land.

Powerful Projects

Saving our Species,Llandcarers and Landcare NSW work on crucial conservation projects with real, measurable impacts – made possible by joining forces. Some of our recent collaborations include:

• The Milton Rainforest Revival Project – enables Milton farmers to receive and plant thousands of rainforest trees and fencing materials to help restore the endangered Milton-Ulladulla Subtropical Rainforest. Over the past three years, local Landcare volunteers have been collecting seeds from the rainforest and painstakingly propagated more than 10,000 trees to be replanted across the region. This project is led and funded by SoS and developed in partnership with Milton Landcare.
• Saving our Superb Parrot – SoS is providing nearly $400,000 to help farmers and land managers look after hollow-bearing trees and woodland vegetation and replant trees and shrubs, which will contribute to sustainable farming ecosystems. This community-based project adds to the work already being done by farmers and the Boorowa Community, Hovells Creek, Upper Lachlan, LachLandcare and Mid Lachlan Landcare groups who have planted hundreds of thousands of superb parrot feeding and nesting trees and shrubs, along fence lines and creeks and rivers.
• The Save Our Scarlet Robin project is led by SoS and aims to enhance the long-term viability of scarlet robin populations and seven other bird species listed as vulnerable in NSW: hooded robin, diamond firetail, gang-gang cockatoo, glossy black-cockatoo, flame robin, speckled warbler and the brown treecreeper. The project includes a series of property visits and workshops focused on community awareness and education, private land management and conservation covenants, and the encouragement of regular monitoring for these birds and their habitat. Assistance is being provided by professional specialists, community groups, bird enthusiasts and local landholders who evaluate the success of the project and assist in the development of future decisions on threatened species management. Landcare groups involved include Carwoola, Michelago, Tombong Corrowong, Upper Murrumbidgee, Upper Shoalhaven, and Upper Snowy Landcare.

Other notable projects that are making a conservation impact include regent honeyeater wild release, Box Gum Grassy Woodland Habitat on Farm project, Saving our Species Iconic Koala Project and many more. All these projects have enabled SoS to pool expertise and resources to give our plants and animals a fighting chance of ongoing survival.

Local Community Involvement

Landcare Australia along with Landcare NSW and SoS believe that the local community can make a real difference to the success of conservation initiatives, and often the key to achieving long-term results and stewardship for our plants and animals. Local communities are intimately knowledgeable of their local areas – one of the reasons why Landcare is such a powerful movement.

For more information on how you can join the movement to save our species visit: environment.nsw.gov.au/helpsos