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2024 Bupa Landcare Grants Program

In 2024, Bupa and Landcare Australia partnered to create the Bupa Landcare Grants program, supporting urban and peri-urban communities across Australia. This initiative celebrates Bupa’s ‘Healthy Cities Challenge’.  

The 33 funded projects focused on planting locally endemic trees and shrubs, enhancing native vegetation connectivity, and creating new green spaces in urban areas. These efforts support community wellbeing by offering local volunteers the opportunity to get active through landcare, which benefits both mental and physical health, and they create healthier, greener environments that encourage all community members to spend time outdoors and stay active.  

Key program statistics:  

  • 100,735 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers planted 
  • 163,000 square metres of weed control undertaken 
  • 16,487 volunteer hours contributed 
  • 5,540 community members attended planting days 
  • 102 hectares of public green spaces and parks enhanced 
Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Port Phillip Eco Centre
Friends of Pledger Wetlands
Fingal Head Coastcare
Trillion Trees
Biodiversity Victor Harbor Incorporated
Treeforce Association Inc

Read more about the projects below:

New South Wales

The Dunecare group held two community planting days and planted 680 plants to regenerate the dunes at Avoca Beach with the help of 50 local volunteers. The project enhanced an area of the dune that was previously littered with rubbish and overgrown with invasive weeds. 

Empower community volunteers to enhance urban forest planting 1,500 trees and engage over 100 participants across three community events. The planting increased wildlife corridors, improve liveability and create valuable urban habitat. 

The project expanded native vegetation on ten bush regeneration sites along the Cooks River. The group planted 1,500 native seedlings over 40 events and involved 320 volunteers.  

This project helped the group engage the community in a lesser-known park. It has raised the profile of the area and improved the native Woodland habitat. The group held two community events with 41 volunteers planting 5,000 native grasses.  

196 Fingal Head community volunteers and students planted over 600 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers enhancing the Tweed Coastal landscape. The project engaged volunteers from different countries of origin and ethnic cultures, which help build connections in a highly diverse community.  

The Kiama Coastal Walk was improved through five community events, with 1,500 native seedlings planted to expand the wildlife corridors. The events attracted over 100 participants to get their hands dirty and help the environment. 

Rooted in Community exceeded expectations, the project reconnected ecologically important areas within Arthur Byrne Reserve in Maroubra, a site uniquely positioned near the biodiverse Malabar Headland National Park. Across four events, more than 380 volunteers planted 2,886 native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers, helping to create safer and connected corridors for native fauna like skinks, Jacky lizards, blue wrens, and yellow-tailed black cockatoos.  

The project has revegetated a riparian area in their community with native plants and removed weeds. The funding boosted community participation, with the group meeting regularly and new members joining. Overall, the project planted 2,750 native seedlings over five community events supported by 35 volunteers.

150 volunteers and students planted over 2,500 plants along the Pioneer Creek riparian area to enhance biodiversity and increase food for pollinators. The community and volunteers participated across six community events and three school excursions.

Queensland

North Brisbane Catchments - Fig Tree Corner Downfall Creek Virginia

The project helped transform Downfall Creek from a weedy wasteland to a beautiful biodiverse native habitat. Across two community events, 80 volunteers planted 2,000 native plants. The restoration of native vegetation to this area improves biodiversity and habitat and provides an improved wildlife corridor along the Creek. 

The project focused on rehabilitating an abandoned quarry into a native grassland to support Kedron Brook’s abundant and diverse bird population. Across nine community events, 138 volunteers planted over 9,800 native plants to enhance native insect and bird habitats. 

The reconstruction of a significant area of the endangered lacustrine and palustrine wetlands has been achieved by the group. In five community events, 138 volunteers planted over 4,000 native seedlings. The project connected community with the local environment, supporting long-term resilience for both the environment and residents. 

The project supported the connectivity of the Freshwater Creek Wildlife Corridor, which creates flow between Mount Whitfield and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. Over 1,700 native seedlings were planted by 180 volunteers across five community events, which supported the enhancement of the endangered Lowlands Rainforest.  

The Doonan Planting Festival brought together 300 volunteers to plant 6,000 native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to improve the ecological connectivity within the Noosa -Maroochy Wallum corridor. This area is critical for the movement and survival of threatened species including koalas, glossy black cockatoos, and grey-headed flying foxes. 

South Australia

Biodiversity Victor Harbor Incorporated - The Bluff (Rosetta Head) Victor Harbor Revegetation Project

Engaging the community to revegetate and improve habitat areas of the much loved and visited Bluff at Rosetta Head. This large-scale, environmentally focused initiative brought together a wide cross-section of the community. In a single large community event, 110 participants planted 2,500 native plants. 

The project engaged over 50 volunteers from many local community groups to plant 900 native species to enhance habitat for native birds, insects and reptiles across the greater open space network throughout Pledger Wetlands. 

Enhanced the natural open space and vegetation along the Little Para River catchment. The Council hosted community and school planting events. 3,000 native seedlings were planted with the help of 85 volunteers in the Little Para River corridor, increasing habitat for smaller birds in the local area. 

Victoria

Port Phillip EcoCentre Inc. - Albert Park Habitat Revival – An Intergenerational Biodiversity Classroom And Corridor

The project supports local fauna, particularly native pollinators, insects, and small birds, by providing food sources, shelter, and nesting opportunities. The group planted 2,900 native species with the support of 300 volunteers over three community events to enhance biodiversity and habitat connectivity in an inner urban suburb of Melbourne.  

The area creates habitat for threatened species of birds, bats and the Grey-headed Flying Fox connecting the Kiewa River Regional Park to nationally significant First Nations managed Ryans Lagoon Wetlands. The project supported over 50 volunteers across four community events to plant 3,620 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers. 

The Greening Whittlesea project planted 4,065 indigenous seedlings representing 53 native species to provide lasting benefit for the local birds and other wildlife. The project engaged 230 participants across six community events that built on previous ecological restoration plantings. 

The Cabarita Community connected over 400 volunteers through a community festival with the local lake and its environment. They planted 290 plants and provided an education filled day. 

The group planted 1,789 native seedlings to enhance plant biodiversity at the site. The project supported 67 community members over five planting events to get their hands dirty and engage with the local environment along a popular walkway in Kirrip Park.  

Huntly Natural Reserve was a lesser-known reserve until now. With support from this project the group engaged 152 volunteers and students in planting and education at the site. They have planted 2,520 native seedlings enhancing biodiversity at the location and managing invasive weeds. 

Assisted the recovery of Kalorama Park and local residents after significant natural disaster. The group planted 1,160 native plants across four community days with the support of 130 local volunteers and students. 

The project re-established local habitat integrity planting over 7,500 indigenous plants around artworks along ngurrak barring Ridge Walk at three key sites. The project engaged First Nations Peoples, volunteers and students while strengthening connection to Country and promoting sustainable land management.   

The Living Ark project has established 5,700 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers that will support seed collection and plant propagation into the future. The group engaged 120 volunteers across six community events to clean, propagate and plant the project location.  

Plant indigenous plants along Taylors Lane and Taylors Creek Reserve to improve the sites biodiversity and amenity values. The project aims to plant over 1000 native seedling to improve habitat quality and urban amenity.  

The project planted 3,500 native seedlings grown by the group to create a bushland link along Dandenong Creek. The group held one community planting event with over 100 participants learning about the local environment and planting. The project has improved the amenity and usability of the location for people and wildlife. 

Project SPROUT engaged over 800 volunteers across 16 community events to restore urban parks and create wildlife corridors. Over 12 days, the community planted 8,666 native seedlings at 19 urban sites including parks, rail trails, and creek systems. 

Western Australia

Friends of Lake Claremont Limited - Lake Claremont Conservation Project

The project revegetated a barren site by planting a wetland area with trees, shrubs and groundcover to reestablish a native ecosystem and stabilise the site. The group planted over 9,500 plants with 138 volunteers getting their hands dirty in nine community events, improving the amenity of the site and enhancing the environmental values of the area. 

The St Peters Green Reserve is a small but important pocket of urban bushland. Over 40 community volunteers planted 2,450 seedlings in two community events to improve the amenity and environmental values of the site following tornado damage in 2024. 

The project restored a wetland area by engaging over 100 volunteers in propagating and planting 3,000 native seedlings at the site. The biodiverse planting provides habitat for a wide range of locally endemic wildlife including birds, insects and small mammals. 

The project engaged local residents to help restore habitat and improve amenity at John Crescent Reserve. The project planted 1,350 native seedlings with the help of 50 community volunteers and students. The planting has improved biodiversity and enhanced community well-being and engagement within the Reserve.  

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