Minister Greg Hunt, the Federal Environment Minister announced the successful applicants for Round 3 of the Green Army Programme on 24 June in Canberra.
One of the recipients was Landcare ACT who has received approval for a two-year project, which uses Green Army teams to supplement the work of committed local volunteers. This is the first project of the newly formed peak body for community landcare in the ACT – Landcare ACT.
A thrilled Glenys Patulny, Chair of the interim Steering Committee for Landcare ACT, said “This is a win-win for everybody – the Green Army participants receive great training and experience in environmental management and our local groups get a welcome boost to their resources which enables them to achieve more for the environment and the community.”
Southern ACT Catchment Group Coordinator, Martine Franco, said “our landcare volunteers love working with the Green Army teams – it gives them new energy and inspiration to keep going”.
Launched last week, Landcare ACT is also supported by the Australian Government through the National Landcare Network. It will represent the wide diversity of community landcarers in the ACT region. There are over 60 Landcare groups in the ACT region including Parkcare Groups, urban, rural, junior and Aboriginal Landcare group. Landcare ACT will provide a peak body for these groups as well as Waterwatch and Frogwatch volunteers, rural landholders and Aboriginal traditional custodians. Landcare ACT was initiated by the ACT’s three catchment groups (Ginninderra, Molonglo and Southern ACT), who provide support for many landcare groups across the ACT region.
Community Landcare is a grassroots movement and one of the things that Landcare ACT will aim to do is facilitate collaborative projects like this ACT Green Army project, which supports community efforts. It will also be seeking new partners and funding to build on government funding and promote Landcare to the wider community.
Landcare ACT is supported by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme