In June the Australian Government announced it will be providing $33.6 million over four years under Caring for our Country to fund up to 56 landcare facilitator positions across Australia.
Each landcare facilitator will have the following roles:
· to promote sustainable agriculture and contribute to the uptake of sustainable farming practices in a changing climate, with a focus on Caring for our Country Sustainable Farm practice targets where they apply, including establishing information networks and brokering projects to deliver these outcomes
· to establish, link, support and develop landcare and production groups that participate in sustainable farming practices and on-farm natural resource management
· to provide an effective interface between the regional NRM bodies and landcare and production groups.
· to promote opportunities for groups and networks to access public and private funds to address public benefit sustainable practice initiatives and improving on-farm natural resource management
· to provide feedback to the Australian Government on emerging issues and current attitudes and activities in the region relevant to sustainable agricultural practices and the needs of landcare and production-based networks.
From next year, facilitator positions will be funded under an open, competitive process to ensure broad representation across different regions and agricultural industries. Details on this competitive process will be made available over the coming months.
This week the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry is writing to each regional NRM body about interim funding which is to be made available to each regional NRM body to cover the cost of continuing to employ a landcare facilitator from 1 July 2009 until 31 December 2009. To be eligible to receive this funding, a regional NRM body needs to have at least one currently existing staff member who is filling the specified landcare facilitator role and who would otherwise cease employment before 31 December 2009
Leading Victorian Landcarer bound for the USA
Amongst the 2000 participants in a huge environmental conference in Portland, Oregon this October will be Goulburn Valley Landcare co-ordinator, Karen Brisbane. She is the latest winner of the Victorian Landcare Travel Fellowship.
The Land Trust Alliance 2009 Rally will promote better management of the natural values of North American land; the LTA creates ‘conservation easements’, on which landowners are paid to complete works programs. The Rally will include workshops on Landcare, to be run by Karen and her counterparts from the state of Virginia, the seat of Landcare in the US.
Elsewhere, when travelling through Missouri, Kansas and Seattle, Washington, Karen will meet numerous farmers, environmentalists, wildlife managers, pest plant controllers and municipal officials.
Karen has co-ordinated the Goulburn Murray Landcare Network in the intensively farmed irrigation country surrounding Shepparton for eight years. It numbers over 40 groups. She has also been active in the State Landcare Network, a professional guild for Victoria’s 300 co-ordinators and facilitators.
Previous Fellows were Stephen Guy, who went to NZ, and John Robinson, who spent October 2008 working with Virginian landcare activists and groups.
For more information:
Rob Youl 0407 362 840; 03 9650 3555
Karen Brisbane 0407 867 318; 03 5832 1133