Landcare Australia and Syngenta partnered in 2021 to improve the management of biodiversity in agriculture. The Syngenta Enhancing Biodiversity Project, managed by Landcare Australia, aligns with Syngenta’s 2020-2025 Good Growth Plan, which aims to support farmers to combat the impacts of climate change and enhance biodiversity for a more productive agricultural industry.

In South Australia, two projects were implemented to improve biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. A direct seeding project which will reap soil erosion benefits across 1,000 hectares of cropping land was undertaken on the Eyre Peninsula. In addition, the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association established 20,000 local native plants across 13 hectares, restoring habitat and creating linkage between Monarto Conservation Park and Ferries McDonald Conservation Park.

Maximising the number of hectares impacted by the on-ground works to provide a greater reach of impact across a larger scale is key to the project’s success. The initiative will involve seed collecting, planting, maintenance and monitoring to ensure key milestones are achieved.

To help farmers to improve biodiversity on farm, an online toolkit will also be developed. The toolkit will provide farmers best management practice guidance and information to help guide their revegetation decisions.