The Landcare groups receiving Strategic Groundworks funding from the South West Catchments Council (SWCC) are not only increasing the capacity of local Landcare Coordinators but also making a difference on the ground.
GeoCatch has partnered with the City of Busselton to continue working on revegetating a reserve vested in the City that abuts the Broadwater nature reserve that was previously farmland.
“GeoCatch has been taking action to rehabilitate this site for the last 9 years. We have made some great progress in transforming former pasture into natural habitat for local fauna and look forward to seeing the revegetated site once it is fully established,” GeoCatch Chairperson Will Hosken commented.
City of Busselton’s Senior Environment Officer, Will Oldfield, said the project will return multiple benefits. “The revegetation work will help form a buffer for the nearby wetland. It will also create a corridor by linking nearby vegetation thus providing the threatened Western Ringtail Possum with important habitat.”
SWCC Project Manager, Wendy Wilkins, described the revegetation project as first class. “It’s been planned and implemented well and as a result the project has achieved a 90% seedling survival count.”
The Strategic Groundworks Program has provided funding over 3 years to thirteen community Landcare groups within the South West Catchments Council Region who directly facilitate and engage the community in Landcare and sustainable agricultural activities on private and public land.
The funds go towards onground works to protect biodiversity and sites of ecological value and support the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, the funds also assist to build capacity of the Landcare groups and to engage the community and increase knowledge and skills.
This project is supported by the South West Catchments Council, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
