Brunswick Valley Landcare Inc

"To conserve and restore our natural environment from forest to foreshore" Brunswick Valley Landcare (BVL) is a volunteer organisation supporting and encouraging effective natural resource management (NRM) in Byron Shire, northern New South Wales. BVL is a support platform and encourages the community to restore and enhance the natural resources of the Byron Shire. We work with Council, community, schools and locality groups. We have approximately 130 members and 25 locality groups. BVL offers a relaxed and enjoyable way to be socially involved in the community.

Brunswick Valley Landcare Inc was established in 2003 as a non-political, not for profit organisation to help Landcare groups and landholders in the Brunswick catchment develop projects and apply for funds. We work with everyone in the Brunswick catchment and the coastal catchments of Belongil and Tallows creeks that drain the Byron Bay area.  We hold regular workshops and bushwalks to help you understand our natural environment, whether you live on a farm, a rural property or a residential block in town.

Brunswick Valley is a tiny gem of  a catchment nestled between the Tweed and Richmond Valley in northern NSW.  We are situated in the Byron Shire local government area.  It measures only 26 km at its widest point.  Despite it's size, the Brunswick catchment has phenomenal biodiversity with around 750 locally native species.  The Brunswick and Tweed catchments have the richest diodiverse area in NSW and lie with the third most biodiverse area in Australia.

BVL now forms an umbrella body to support 25 volunteer locality groups and provides support, particularly public liability insurance, employ professionals, and have an effective interface with the North Coast Local Land Services to negotiate funding.

All members of the affiliated locality groups make up the membership of BVL, which is also open to individuals not associated with a locality group. BVL is administered by a management committee elected from the general membership.

With membership fees BVL is able to purchase umbrella insurance (including public liability insurance) so often out of reach for small groups. This provides cover for all members of affiliated groups undertaking landcare activities as well as volunteers who may not be members of BVL Inc. but who work on the locality group sites.  Membership also covers costs such as bank fees, accounting and administration. When these charges are spread out over the whole membership they become more affordable for everyone.

The management committee’s duties include administering funds and assisting locality groups with their submissions for funding grants, thus improving their chances of competing for the available money with other groups around the state and nationally.

Locality groups, which may also be formed for specific projects such as re-establishing forest/park vegetation, continue to organise and manage their own work sites and projects.

BVL organises regular workshops and bushwalks to share knowledge with the wider community about our natural environment, whether you live on a farm, a rural property, or a residential block in town. BVL Inc. publishes a monthly newsletter available on their website, as well regular updates via Facebook and Instagram.

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