Landcare Week

NORTH Coast Landcare groups in Ballina, Byron, and Tweed are gearing up for a range of community activities as part of National Landcare Week 2024.

The annual event, from August 5 to 11, celebrates and acknowledges Australians who work to restore, enhance, and protect the natural environment in their community.

This year’s ‘Landcare is for Everyone’ theme encourages people to participate in local land care or other community environmental groups. It also celebrates a range of achievements – from farmers planting wildlife corridors to students learning about biodiversity. It also highlights community groups creating native seedbanks and businesses encouraging staff to volunteer.

The motto Landcare is for Everyone (L.I.F.E) leads volunteers and groups to work all year to care for the environment in their community, including coast, bush, dune, and river care.

The 35-year-old national Landcare movement has over 6,000 groups, each providing opportunities for 140,000+ volunteers nationally. The collective encompasses land care and other groups, farmers, landholders, Traditional Owners and First Nations organisations, youth groups, researchers, academics, and government agencies.

Landcare Australia provides a communications kit on their website for people wanting to become involved or start a group. The kit contains social media content, fact sheets, newsletter articles, templates for stakeholder and advocacy letters and posters for promoting the group’s activities.

A flourishing Landcare structure is becoming critical with a changing climate leading to increased natural disasters, including drought, bushfires and floods. Any community-led group working on environmental projects can still get involved and promote their work during Landcare Week 2024.

For information on how to start or join a group in our region, visit richmondlandcare.org, brunswickvalleylandcare.org.au, or tweedlandcare.org.au