BirdLife Australia Gluepot Reserve swoops in to win national Landcare award
BirdLife Australia Gluepot Reserve took out the Fairfax Media Landcare Community Group Award last night at the 2018 National Landcare Awards which were held at the Brisbane Conference & Exhibition Centre.
This award celebrates an outstanding community group that is working towards sustainable land use or is undertaking on-ground action to protect, enhance or restore an area on behalf of the community.
BirdLife Australia Gluepot Reserve is Australia’s largest community managed and operated conservation reserve. Situated 64 km from the River Murray in South Australia’s Riverland, the reserve is managed and operated entirely by volunteers. Some 54,000 hectares in size, it is home to 22 nationally threatened species of birds, 53 species of reptiles and 12 species of bats, some of which are nationally threatened.
By successfully combining the elements of biodiversity conservation and enhancement through land management, scientific research and monitoring, environmental education and sustainable ecotourism, Gluepot Reserve has taken conservation management into a new era. The Reserve is providing an international model to show that sustainable use of the landscape is both feasible and desirable.
Duncan MacKenzie was excited to receive the award on behalf of Birdlife Australia Gluepot Reserve. “It’s an honour to be receiving this award, and it’s really encouraging to know that our work is being recognised by the Landcare community.”
Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish, commended the National Landcare winners on their outstanding accomplishments.
“It’s an honour to be able to recognise the great work being carried out by our Landcare champions,” Shane says. “The national Landcare awards offers landcarers the ideal opportunity to get together and celebrate the individual and collective achievements of the community. Landcarers across Australia deserve to be acknowledged and praised”.
Winners across nine diverse categories from sustainable farm practices to Junior Landcare, were announced at the National Awards gala dinner last night, which was emceed by ABC Landline host, Pip Courtney.
The National Landcare Awards are part of this year’s three-day National Landcare Conference, which finishes today, 12 October 2018. The conference provides the Landcare community an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments and share knowledge. For more information on the National Conference and Awards go to
nationallandcareconference.org.au.
All finalists case studies and photos by category are available at nationallandcareconference.org.au/awards.
