The Private Land Conservation Matters (PLCM) Project is an initiative by Landcare NSW and Biodiversity Conservation Trust providing educational events and information to support landholders conserve private land for biodiversity. In 2024 South East Landcare collaborated with eight District Landcare groups to deliver a series of events in the region covering a diverse range of topics including reptiles, conservation on farms, fungi, citizen science, regeneration, gliders, sustainable farming, improving the biodiversity values of farm dams and numerous threatened species.
You will find the summaries and webinar recordings from the events on this page.
Did you know that you can study private land conservation land management online for free? Explore a range on land management e-learning courses online to support your conservation goals. Find out more on the Biodiversity Conservation Trust website.
Landholders, conservationists, and conservation-minded individuals gathered on Friday, 8 November 2024, for the South East Private Land Conservation Matters Biodiversity Muster. This event provided a unique opportunity to celebrate and support private land conservation efforts across the South East region.
Upper Murrumbidgee Landcare took participants on a tour of three locations to explore the threatened species of the Monaro region near Cooma. Dave Eddy from South East Local Land Services showed people the importance of Natural Temperate Grassland and the work being undertaken to preserve it at the Top Hut Travelling Stock Reserve. Heading north to the Murrumbidgee Reserve Leon Minors, Anita Brademann and Kirrily Gould talked about koalas, Southern Pygmy perch and other threatened species. A busy day concluded with a visit to a Bush Heritage property near Scottsdale reserve.
Illawarra Landcare hosted a workshop about maximising the biodiversity benefits of farm dams with a practical focus on information about reintroducing native plants, tackling invasive species and using dams to support native fauna in periods of drought. The presenters were Jeff Harbrow from Whipbird Environmental and BCT staff.
The Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups (YAN) hosted a dynamic workshop titled A Bird in the Hand, Data in the App. This interactive day brought together community members passionate about the natural world to learn how to use citizen science apps and identify local flora and fauna.
Boorowa Community Landcare Group hosted an engaging one-day workshop focused on plant identification, seed harvesting, and propagation, attracting a mix of Landcare members and community members keen to deepen their skills and knowledge. Speakers included Alison Elvin (plant identification), Tom Deery (seed harvest) and Kath McGuirk (Propagation)
Upper Murrumbidgee Landcare explored wildlife surveillance, featuring Markus Buchhorn on cameras, Stuart Harris on citizen science apps, and insights into the how and why of monitoring. Participants left inspired, confident, and ready to monitor wildlife on their own properties.
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.
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
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.
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.
