Valuing Quality Riparian Vegetation
Capacity building - LEP23_026_LLC
The issue
2025 has been an exceptionally wet year in the Manning Valley, with record floods damaging waterways, farmland, and infrastructure. Many landholders have suffered unprecedented soil loss.
The solution
As a long-term Landcare Co-ordinator, I wanted to see the impact of Landcare projects on property owners. After the floods, I visited sites improved or managed differently about 20 years ago. Were there lasting successes, and what made them work?
The impact
Many properties along the Manning River suffered severe damage, leaving landholders devastated and unsure how to recover. Erosion was particularly concerning on steep, unstable banks. Yet one property stood out—it had been part of a Landcare project 20 years ago. Fenced off from the creek with stock excluded, the area featured a mature canopy and supplemental Lomandra plantings, maintained until established. The current owners continued sustainable grazing and long rest rotations, preserving a healthy, deep-rooted groundcover of grasses and legumes.
Despite being submerged by over 8 metres of flood water for up to 4 days, the site’s banks and vegetation remain largely intact. Fencing was lost, but soil erosion was minimal and riparian plants recovered quickly. A wide buffer of diverse native vegetation has made this property’s riverside resilient and thriving.