Saltmarsh restoration on the Murray lands Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group National Coastcare Award
The Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group won the Sure Gro Tree Max Coastcare Award last night at the 2018 National Landcare Awards which were held at the Brisbane Conference & Exhibition Centre.
This award recognises a community group or network that has demonstrated excellence in activities that have contributed to the significant improvement of local coastal and/or marine environments, including estuaries, coastal and marine wetlands and salt marsh ecosystems.
Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group aims to protect and rehabilitate saltmarsh areas, with a focus on reconnecting waterways. The Murray Mouth Estuary Restoration Project has been the Group’s major restoration project since 2001. Seventeen years later, 500,000 plants have been planted on over 100 sites. The Group has also coordinated woody weed control and used roadside plantings to improve the development of corridors, particularly in areas adjacent to the Murray Mouth.
Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group’s work in increasing habitat connectivity, propagating local species, and mitigating erosion via fencing and strategic plantings has achieved long-term benefits for local flora, fauna, native fish, and invertebrates.
The Group’s revegetation experience has led to SA’s Department for Environment and Water calling on the group to assist in the selection of plant species for commercial planting sites near the Murray Mouth.
Richard Owen was excited to accept the award on behalf of Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group. He said, “The quality and diversity of projects across this category was very high and we are rapt to be signalled out to receive this award.”
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.
The National Landcare Awards is delivered by Landcare Australia and the National Landcare Network in partnership with the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
