Our National Partners

Landcare

The National Landcare Network (NLN) was formed to be a representative voice for the tens of thousands of Australians who freely give their time to care for our lands and waters. It is run by a Board and an advisory council, both of which are made up of volunteers from across the country.

At the 2018 National Chairs' Forum in Darwin, an addendum to the NRM/NLN Statement of Common purpose was signed by Peter Bridgewater, Chair  of the National Landcare Network, and Clare Martin (Chair of Territory NRM acting as NRM Regions Australia representative).

This addendum was a re-affirmation of the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding between NRM Regions Australia and the National Landcare Network (NLN) that set out a common objective to:

Foster communities that are aware, engaged and active in ensuring Australian landscapes are healthier, better protected, better managed, more resilient and provide essential ecosystem services in a changing world.

Since its inception the NLN has become a major partner for NRM Regions Australia, and the MoU frames and formally acknowledges the important relationship between the two organisations, and outlines a collaborative process into the future.

In October 2010, NRM Regions Australia issued a statement stressing the critical role of landcare and other community groups who volunteer to restore and protect land water and biodiversity assets.  This includes Bushcare, Coastcare, ‘Friends of’, agroforestry, and agribusiness groups.

Collective local volunteer action has been a cornerstone of approaches to managing natural resources since the late 1980s. NRM Regions Australia believes that support for group action:

• helps secure long-term attitudinal changes in communities, building social capital, and invoking sustainable behaviour in production and consumption; and
• leverages government investment with labour and land for conservation. For every $1 invested, at least $3 in value contributed and their work has flow-on benefits in regional economies.

On 2 November 2022 NRM Regions Australia Chair Emma Jackson and WA Representative of the National Landcare Network Dr Louise Duxbury launched a set of National Collaboration Principles for community-based Landcare and Regional Natural Resource Management Organisations at the National NRM Conference in Margaret River, Western Australia. The principles acknowledge the important roles that both networks play in protecting our precious and unique environment- with regional NRM organisations playing a critical role in planning and implementing programs for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity at a regional scale, and grass-roots community Landcare groups acknowledged as the leading community-based environmental volunteer network for on-ground NRM in Australia. The principles provide a guiding framework that acknowledges the shared and overlapping roles of Landcare and NRM organisations, and identifies processes that will support and amplify the effectiveness and profile of both organisational networks. NRM Regions Australia thanks the National Landcare Network for their commitment to collaboration, and for their significant and ongoing contributions to community knowledge and on-ground action to protect nature.

To view the full report, click here or on the image to the right.