Nature Valley™, a General Mills brand, partnered with Landcare Australia to support landscape scale ecological enhancement and local communities.
This year the partnership supported a revegetation project which engaged 15 landholders in Victoria’s Mansfield region through Up2Us Landcare Alliance. Weed control was undertaken and 8,100 plants planted, enhancing areas of grassy woodland, foothill forest and grassy forest. The revegetation has increased the biodiversity of the landscape, and once fully established the plants will provide habitat for local native species, including vulnerable and endangered wildlife.
Nature Valley™ is passionate about people getting out more and giving back so we can all experience the magic of the great outdoors. In late 2020, Nature Valley™ turned this passion into action by partnering with Landcare Australia to support the rejuvenation of bushfire affected walking trails with the launch of the Nature Valley™ Trails Landcare Grants program- now we’re growing that impact together by planting 15,000 trees, shrubs and groundcovers across critical habitat in South Australia and Victoria!
15,000 Plants Partnership
The partnership also supported projects in Elliston in South Australia, and the Fleurieu Peninsula, improving habitat for species including the Glossy Black Cockatoo to bring the total plants established to 15,000.
Direct seeding projects as well as community planting events are a successful way to achieve landscape scale ecological enhancements while also providing opportunities for local communities to play an active role in restoring their local environment.
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Fleurieu Peninsula (SA)
The 2022 community planting day on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia has seen 1,000 trees, shrubs and ground covers planted to help improve habitat for native species including the endangered Glossy Black-Cockatoo. A further 3000 seedlings will be planted in the area by 2023.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse regions in South Australia, with 363 plant and animal species recorded- of these, 73 plant species and eight fauna species are threatened.
Elliston (SA)
The Elliston project has seen 3,000 trees, shrubs and groundcovers planted to re-establish Drooping Sheoak Grassy Woodlands, another vulnerable vegetation community in South Australia. The project site is located on a cropping property close to Elliston, with the plantings helping to support conservation efforts for the Near-Threatened Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.
Mansfield Shire (VIC)
Between 2022-2023, an additional 8,000 trees, shrubs and groundcovers will be planted across 11 privately owned sites in Victoria’s Mansfield Shire to create strategic landscape linkages. These works will enhance patches of remnant vegetation to provide habitat for the Critically Endangered Common Bent Wing Bat and Eastern Bent Wing Bat, as well as the Vulnerable Brush Tailed Phascogale and Southern Greater Glider.
Nature Valley™ Trails Landcare Grants
The two grant recipients were not-for-profit environmental conservation groups located on New South Wales’ mid-north coast and the Adelaide Hills. They received a combined total of $80,000 in funding. During 2021, the groups worked to implement these exciting projects to make their unique walking trails more accessible for all community members to enjoy.
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Accessibility without Erosion – The Friends of Lobethal Bushland Park (Adelaide Hills)
The Adelaide Hills’ December 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfires burnt Lobethal Bushland Park with such heat and intensity that the park suffered an unprecedented 95 percent loss of flora. Funding from a 2020 Nature Valley™ Trails Landcare Grant supported The Friends of Lobethal Bushland Park, with the Adelaide Hills Council, to rejuvenate and enhance these fire affected bushland areas with a focus on restoring walking trails. The Group built a 14-metre boardwalk and diverted surface water from eroded paths and completed restoration work. Now, local residents and nature lovers from all over South Australia and beyond can enjoy safely walking through this magnificent bushland park. Read case study.
Summit to Sea Walking Track Rejuvenation – Nambucca Valley Landcare (NSW mid-north coast)
The Summit to Sea Walking Track is a 12km trail connecting the summit of Mt Yarrhapinni to the coast at Grassy Head. When 68 percent of the Nambucca Valley was impacted by the 2019 bushfires, Yarriabini National Park was a vital refuge for animals. As the fires did not directly affect the park itself, it remains one of the most important pockets of rainforest on the coast. This project, is enabling Nambucca Valley Landcare in collaboration with National Parks and Wildlife Service, Nambucca Valley Council, volunteers and local schools, to enhance accessibility along the track by adding boardwalks, steps and managing vegetation. Work on the project commenced in the first half of 2021, but due to the COVID-19 lock-downs in New South Wales, its completion, scheduled for September 2021, was delayed until early 2022. Now the Track has officially reopened and provides an amazing walk across a mosaic of different habitats, providing visitors with the opportunity to connect to an area that is highly significant to the Dunghutti, Ngambaa and Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people.
