Private Land Conservation Matters Project

About the Private Land Conservation Project

The Private Land Conservation Matters (PLCM) Project is an initiative by Landcare NSW and Biodiversity Conservation Trust aimed at advancing conservation efforts on private lands. South East Landcare is collaborating with eight District Landcare groups to deliver a series of events in the region covering a diverse range of topics including reptiles and conservation, fungi, citizen science, regeneration, gliders, sustainable farming and dams and threatened species.

Events & Activities

This year we have an exciting range of events planned for the Private Land Conservation Matters Project.

A Bird in the Hand, Data in the App: Citizen Science Workshop

Sunday 27 Oct 2024, 9:30 - 3:30, Yass Gorge, Yass

Join an exciting workshop at Yass Gorge, where you’ll learn to use citizen science apps like Nature Mapr and Birdata to explore and protect local biodiversity. Led by experts Michael Mulvaney and Margot Oorebeek, the event will cover citizen science app uses and bird identification, followed by a guided walk to apply your new skills. Enjoy a provided lunch, connect with nature enthusiasts, and gain resources to continue contributing to environmental research. It’s a perfect opportunity to combine technology, conservation, and community involvement.

Identify Harvest Grow Workshop

Wednesday 30 October 2024, 9.00am-2.30pm, Boorowa

Join Boorowa Landcare for a day with experts and get a hands-on learning experience to explore:

  • Plant identification – learn about the identification of different native species with expert Alison Elvin
  • Seed Harvesting – explore the world of native seed harvesting, what’s involved and how you can do it yourself with Tom Deery
  • Propagation – now you can harvest seed, find out how to correctly propagate it ready for planting on your property with Kath McGuirk

Private Land Conservation Matters Biodiversity Muster

Friday 8 November, 9.00-4.30, Jerrabomberra Community Hall and Wandiyali

‘Celebrate, be inspired and share your biodiversity story’

Join us to celebrate private land conservation in south eastern New South Wales. Seek inspiration and share stories with ecologists, landholders and Local Landcare Coordinators. Learn about the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) and how they work with partners to protect and restore biodiversity. Visit Wandiyali (located near the venue) a property with three different types of BCT agreements.

The muster is about how we as a community work together to protect and restore biodiversity. With 60% of Australian land privately owned or managed, private land conservation presents a big opportunity to turn the tide on nature loss. Together we can make a difference.

Get to know your threatened species bus tour

Event Details: Saturday, November 23 8.30am-5.30pm, Cooma
Learn about the threatened species of the Monaro district on a bus tour to look at Natural Temperate Grasslands, koalas, native fish species and other threatened species. Talk to experts working in the region from the Bush Heritage Australia, Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach and George Story the Local Landcare Coordinator.
 
Biodiversity Conservation Trust landholders, Landcare members and everyone interested in private land conservation is welcome to attend this event.

Resources & Recordings

Love Reptiles Webinar Recording

Love and reptiles are not usually found in the same sentence, join South East Landcare for a webinar all about reptiles and the important role they play in biodiverse landscapes. From farms to back yards slithery critters like snakes, lizards and turtles do more than provide a heart starter on a sunny day. Learn why we should love them and how we can create habitat to help them do their job at your place.

Jack Hinde is an environmental educator at the Illawarra Environmental Education Centre and Bomaderry High School where he teaches children from Kindergarten to Year Twelve. He studied at Wollongong, Canberra and New England Universities and has qualifications in ecology, education and indigenous archaeology.

Jack has a lifelong passion for the outdoors and observing local ecosystems. When he is not engrossed in local environments he is typically thinking about or working with reptiles and snakes. He has kept venomous snakes since the age of twelve and is currently focused on the captive breeding of the Broad Headed Snake, Australia’s only endangered snake species.

Jen Byrne is a Regional Team Leader at the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust in the South East. Jen supports our regional team of landholder support staff and ecologists, who support landholders to enhance and conserve biodiversity. Landcare NSW and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust are working together to raise awareness and support private land conservation efforts across the state.

Riparian Restoration and Waterwatch Webinar Recording

Water is the lifeblood of rural landscapes and essential for everyone in the community. At this webinar Lori Gould and Jed Pearson from the Australian River Restoration Centre will discuss riparian restoration and Waterwatch.

About our speakers Lori Gould specialises in riparian rehabilitation projects that focus on engaging the community in improving biodiversity, linking vegetation, addressing salinity, etc. She is the Program Manager for Rivers of Carbon at the Australian River Restoration Centre and Managing Director of her own company Environmental Restoration Design and Planning. Lori is practical, approachable and a great person to talk to about all things riparian. She is a skilled community practitioner and is always willing to share her experiences with others.

Jed Pearson is an avid conservationist with a background in agriculture and project management. Coming from a rural community, he brings his love for rural Australia, our unique natural landscapes and passion for river ecology to conservation and land management projects around the ACT. Jed is a Land for Wildlife Assessor and Waterwatch training provider. He is the coordinator for the Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch Program

Adding Complexity to Restoration Sites Webinar Recording

Humans don’t like their world to be messy, complex or untidy. Beth Mott and Jedda Lemmon discussed how to nurture nature by planning native revegetation projects that support natural regeneration and restore complexity in modified landscapes. Jen Byrne from the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) discusses the opportunities available for landholders interested in conservation agreements and the support available for people wanting to get involved. 

The recording includes information on what landholders can do to help restore ecological function on their property, including design tips to minimise the impact of predators and natural elements to include in regeneration sites. Learn how messing it up and thinking ‘outside the box’ can enhance habitat for endangered species and the difference landholders implementing these changes are making in the landscape.

Citizen Science Webinar

This is an edited webinar recording from the 2nd September 2024 with Dr Michael Mulvaney from NatureMapr.

Michael has been involved with NatureMapr since its inception 13 years ago, when his curiosity about native plants and the environment led him to start recording species that were new to him. Have you ever wondered what that plant is in your grassland? Had difficulty distinguishing a ‘weed’ from a native plant? Are you bewildered by technology and the myriad of “apps” available?

In this webinar recording Michael offers his expertise on how to use NatureMapr for threatened species monitoring and discuss guidelines on how to collect high quality data as a citizen scientist.