Volunteer networks celebrated across NSW during Landcare week

Local Land Services together with Landcare NSW are celebrating the impressive work of volunteer networks across NSW during this Landcare week.

50 Landcare networks have delivered projects under the Riparian Restoration Grants including erosion control activities, fencing, weed control and revegetation.

The projects have brought schools, community groups and landholders together to volunteer their time.

Earlier this year, Local Land Services were part of the 2023 Landcare State Gathering and with over 180 Landcarers in attendance, it was a chance for everyone involved in the Landcare industry to reconnect and recharge.

Local Land Services are now looking forward to working with Landcare NSW over the next four years to deliver the $59 million NSW Landcare Program.

A Local Land Services survey also found that Landcare and bushcare volunteers in Greater Sydney provided $7.8 million worth of conservation efforts and 187,000 hours of environmental service in the 2021/2022 financial year.

The survey has highlighted the integral role landcare and bushcare volunteers play in the enhancement, maintenance and protection of Sydney’s unique and beautiful bushland.

NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty noted “Overall, across Greater Sydney nearly 900 landcare and bushcare groups were engaged in bushcare and landcare activities, with 7,100 regular volunteers and 11,791 one-off volunteers contributing a total of 187,362 hours of work.

“This work is estimated to be equal to $7.8 million of in-kind labour costs which is a truly remarkable achievement given the first half of 2021/22 resulted in reduced numbers of workdays and volunteers due to COVID-19.

“While regular volunteer numbers declined by 30%, the number of one-off volunteers more than doubled compared to the last survey in 2019/20 and there was a 13% increase in the number of hours worked.

“Volunteers carried out activities including bush regeneration, tree planting (with 669,000 plants propagated in 26 community nurseries), community education and advocacy work.

“Community health, wellbeing, citizen science, specialist skills and community education are all additional benefits that environmental volunteers provide to our region.

“They are very much the unsung heroes of our natural environment, working quietly behind the scenes purely for the love and passion for what they do.”

Greater Sydney Local Land Services provided $183,949 to landcare and bushcare groups, supporting them to continue work restoring and maintaining environmental assets.

Funding was provided to the groups via the NSW Landcare Program, the National Landcare Program and other NSW Government funding.

Greater Sydney Regional Landcare Coordinator Madeleine Florin said landcare and bushcare groups across the region are surveyed every two years to track the wellbeing of the volunteer community.

“This information helps us to understand the type of support these volunteers need and promote the benefits off environmental volunteering across the region,” Florin said.

Read the full report on the Local Land Services website

Images. Credit: Local Land Services