Landcare Australia a key partner with the 20 Million Trees Program
The 20 Million Trees Program was an Australian Government initiative managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, the program has several large scale service providers one of which is Landcare Australia. Since 2015, Landcare Australia has worked with local communities and groups to deliver large scale restoration projects, while also working towards the overarching goal of establishing 20 million trees and associated understory species by 2020. Landcare Australia’s portfolio of 20 Million Trees projects are a great example of what can be achieved when local community groups, farmers and traditional owners work in partnership to deliver landscape scale ecological outcomes.
What is the 20 Million Trees Program?
The 20 Million Trees Program is part of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. The aim is to plant 20 million native trees and understory across Australia, establishing healthy, self-sustaining tree-based ecosystems. One of the most important factors of any project within the program is improving habitat for native wildlife, including endangered or threatened species, and threatened ecological communities.
The projects demonstrate hands-on engagement with local communities and Landcare groups, capture carbon, and contribute to a reduction in Australia’s net greenhouse gas emissions.
How is Landcare Australia involved?
Landcare Australia is a service provider under the 20 Million Trees Programme and works with local communities to deliver large-scale native tree planting in diverse regions across Australia. To-date, Landcare Australia has overseen more than 3,500 hectares of on-ground projects, including multi-stakeholder nature corridors across public and private land.
The 20 Million Trees Program has closed, and is no longer accepting applications, however Landcare Australia continues to play a key role in delivering high-quality landscape restoration and revegetation projects.
Some of Landcare Australia’s 20 Million Trees projects include:
Dakalanta – Australian Wildlife Conservancy
In partnership with Australian Wildlife Conservancy, we are revegetating and enhancing severely degraded Drooping Sheoak Woodlands on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. This project will provide habitat for the regionally threatened Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.
Banrock Station
In partnership with Accolade Wines, we are revegetating mallee and river red gum and black box communities to provide habitat and food for the vulnerable regent parrot, also in South Australia. We are also contributing to the enhancement of a Ramsar-listed wetland that is of international significance.
Swan Reach
In partnership with Trees for Life SA, we are revegetating 746 hectares of degraded private land and re-establishing a corridor of native revegetation near the River Murray. Over 373,000 trees and shrubs will be planted to provide habitat for threatened species, including the regent parrot (eastern), mallee fowl, and southern hairy-nosed wombat.
Goolwa to Wellington
In partnership with the not-for-profit Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association (GWLAP), we will restore degraded landscapes in the Fleurieu Peninsula area of South Australia. The first project will restore 172 ha of the critically endangered peppermint box woodland community by enabling community groups to plant over 123,000 trees and shrubs across a number of private properties. The second project will revegetate 124 ha of eucalyptus low open forest and mid mallee woodland. Community groups will plant over 70,000 trees across 11 private properties. Both projects will provide increased connectivity between remnant areas, grow the extent of vegetation, and provide habitat for threatened species including the southern emu wren and malleefowl.
Please contact us for further information about Landcare Australia and its programs.
