LANDCARE AUSTRALIA AND COUNTRY ROAD EXPAND $1MILLION BIODIVERSITY PROJECT WITH NEW FARMING FAMILY TO SUPPORT HABITATS AND THREATENED SPECIES

Landcare Australia, in its ongoing partnership with Country Road, is expanding The Biodiversity Project, which has already received $1 million in funding to deliver biodiversity restoration projects across Australian family-owned cotton farms. The latest family to join the initiative is the Schwagers, whose 550-hectare dryland farming property along the Namoi River, will be the fifth site to benefitprogram and will support biodiversity outcomes for threatened species along 2.8 km of riparian and floodplain habitat on the Namoi River. The project will involve planting shrubs, understory, and canopy species to protect natural habitats and threatened species.

Owned by Kevin and Mary-Ellen Schwager, the property known as ‘Wentworth’ is a 550-hectare dryland (non-irrigated) farming operation. As with previous projects, this site has been identified as an area of interest for biodiversity enhancement for a range of threatened species in research findings from the report, ‘Management of Biodiversity in the Cotton Landscape: Iconic and Threatened Species’ developed by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) with support from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Smart Farming Partnerships Initiative.

Stacey Vogel, the Innovation Broker and Extension Lead with Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) confirmed the benefits that The Biodiversity Project bring not only to the environment but also to farmers.

“These projects are restoring regionally important threatened species habitats and improving native vegetation connectivity within the Namoi catchment. We know from our research that well managed areas of native vegetation on farm bring benefits not only for iconic and threatened species but also to the farm by providing natural pest control, improving soil health and storing and sequestering carbon.”

Since 2020, Landcare Australia and Country Road have worked together to support the restoration of Australian farmlands, with a focus on increasing biodiversity in cotton-growing regions. Since 2020, Country Road has provided over $1 million of funding to the program, raised through brand contributions and sales of its famous Verified Australian Cotton Heritage Sweat.

Landcare Australia CEO Dr Shane Norrish said that this level of funding provides Landcare Australia with the means to deliver multiple biodiversity projects across local farming landscapes.

“Throughout our partnership with Country Road, Landcare Australia has worked with five Australian farming families to plant 18,300 seedlings along 14.4 km of riverbank in the Namoi Valley, rehabilitating a total of 102.6 hectares of native vegetation.

Together with Country Road, our work on The Biodiversity Project is achieving our shared vision to improve biodiversity and habitat connectivity, support threatened, vulnerable and iconic fauna species while also providing farming co-benefits.”

Kevin Schwager says being a part of The Biodiversity Project enables his family to play a part in making a meaningful, responsible impact on both the environment and community.

“Through The Biodiversity Project, we wish to demonstrate that we are responsible custodians of our land. We want to show that farming and the environment and young families can and do coexist.

“Our grandchildren are now the third generation on our farms. There is keen interest from our grandchildren about what we do on the farms. They love the crops, the machinery and the family barbecues by the river.

“Consumers are becoming more interested and discerning about where their food and clothes are coming from. As farmers, we wish to be outward looking and thinking, we need to respond to a changing marketplace. Being involved with The Biodiversity Project allows us to play a part in societal change.”

A mix of shrubs, understory and canopy species will be planted, specifically to:

• Increase habitat for browsing and wildlife movement along the riparian corridor.
• Increase the presence of pollinators, small birds and micro bats in the area.
• Increase native vegetation and canopy cover across the riparian and floodplain zone at Wentworth to help support ecosystems in the Namoi River catchment.

The Schwager project involves planting 4000 native seedlings on 43 hectares. These locally sourced natives, including River Red Gums, casuarina species and shrubs such as sweet bursaria, will increase habitat for wildlife along the riparian corridor.

Further information on each of the projects involved in The Biodiversity Project can be found below:

• Project 1: The Kahls
• Project 2: The Watsons
• Project 3: The Hamparsums
• Project 4: The Pursehouses