Reinvigorating PLC on the Mid Coast
Reinvigorating PLC on the Mid Coast
After decades of bouncing around different agencies, Mid Coast 2 Tops Landcare has taken all private land conservation agreement holders under our wing, to offer advice, resources and community.
Capacity to Deliver -
LP039-010
The issue
Over the years, various government restructures and reallocations of resources has created a void for overall oversight of private land conservation (PLC) on the Mid Coast. Each active agency plays a role, and cares for their own agreement holders, however some agreement holders, such as historic and smalller scale properties, were being left behind. In addition, the under resourced nature of the NRM industry meant that even the well served agreement holders were going years without engagement or follow ups.
This created a situation of separation and confusion on the Mid Coast, and was missing out on the fantastic potential of everything a PLC community could achieve. Land for Wildlife is one program that was underserved, partly due to the lack of any funding to support it's delivery. Most agreement holders in our region had not been supported locally since their initial inspection. In addition. our region has historic Property Vegetation Plan agreement holders, who were signed up by agencies that no longer exist.
The solution
When Landcare NSW offered an opportunity to partner with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust, we recognised this as an opportunity to fill this gap in PLC community service. By aligning closely with their recently shared Biodiversity Framework, we were able to source co-funding through our local council, Mid Coast Council. The combination of these funding sources enabled us to open up the program to our wider community of landholders, with no stringent criteria, inline with the ethos of our Landcare community.
In 2021, Mid Coast 2 Tops Landcare hired our first Private Land Conservation Officer, Isabelle Strachen, who is responsible to fostering a community of practice for all conservation-minded landholders across the Mid Coast. Isabelle runs monthly workshops addressing areas of interest for the community, while offering individual property visits for agreement holders. These visits include a walk of the property, advice on management, and a complimentary property report, summarising the discussions they have had.
The impact
In her first 8 months, Isabelle has made 38 property visits, and hosted 10 workshops, with over 130 people in attendance combined. Given the constraints of weather and covid during this period, these numbers far exceeded expected outcomes, and show the desire for this kind of program in our community.
In coming months, Isabelle will host an event to celebrate the 100th Land For Wildlife agreement within our area. This number is a result of combined effort from stakeholders, our local landcare coordinators and our PLC program to increase awareness, support and reinvigorate interest in private land conservation in our region.
Key facts
- Increased LFW and BCT enquiries for our region over the previous 6 months
- Consistent attendance at an increased number of events within our region, demonstrating an increasing interest in Landcare initiatives
- Over 100 Land For Wildlife agreements within Mid Coast