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Above: A site where WACMAC Landcare has assisted the landholder to control erosion.

WACMAC Landcare is a community based project promoting sustainable land management across the northern rural fringe of Melbourne. The project is supported by the Whittlesea Agricultural Society, Arthurs Creek District, Merriang District, Cottles Bridge and Strathewen Landcare Groups as well as the City of Whittlesea and Nillumbik Shire Council. The Project has historically received major funding and support from Local, State & Federal Governments from programs including Second Generation Landcare, Envirofund, and the National Landcare Program.

WACMAC Landcare's most recent project, PHARLAP (Productive Horse and Rural Action Program) has been offered $70,000 funding from the Federal Government's Caring for Our Country Program. This program will engage the local grazing and horse-keeping community to significantly increase productive and sustainable land-use within the northern rural fringe of Melbourne and provide real benefits to rural land-owners, their land, their horses and the environment.

WACMAC Landcare has also embarked on another new project – a $40,000 salinity control project funded by the State Government Department of Primary Industries and the Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Management Authority. This project is designed to run in tandem with PHARLAP and will provide many complementary benefits.

Since its inception in 2000, WACMAC Landcare has provided many positive achievements for the community and the environment including:

WACMAC Landcare is a community-based incorporated body. Its steering committee includes representatives from each of the Landcare Groups involved, the City of Whittlesea and Nillumbik Shire Council. The committee meets on a monthly basis to discuss the progress of the project and to plan future works and events.

The City of Whittlesea and Nillumbik Shire Council have historically shared the provision of office support and accommodation for the project coordinator (3 days per week) and also provide a forum for the committee meetings.

The WACMAC Landcare project relies heavily on volunteer labor and is fortunate to have the strong backing of five active landcare groups with a collective membership of over 230 people. The volunteers have been active in propagating and planting several thousand indigenous plants, fencing project areas and assisting with running field days and seminars.

The achievements of WACMAC Landcare

Since its inception in 2001, WACMAC Landcare has provided many positive achievements for the community which are summarised on the following few pages under three broad headings: demonstration sites, community education events and individual advice to landholders.

Since April 2001 the WACMAC Landcare project has provided financial and physical assistance for landholders to undertake works on over a dozen rural properties. In return, the landholders agree to make these sites available for public field days and farm walks. The sites provide on-going value to the community in terms of public education and evaluation of methods used.

Assistance to landholders at demonstration sites has included professional advice and funding for works including fencing, earthworks, indigenous revegetation and the provision of work crews to assist with planting. WACMAC Landcare often assists landholders in conjunction with other agencies such as Melbourne Water, Department of Primary Industry and the local municipalities.

The WACMAC Landcare project has played a key role in over 25 public education events (information sessions, field days, seminars and whole farm planning courses), attracting well over 1,500 people. In addition WACMAC Landcare has assisted in the operations of many other public education events where other agencies/organisations have taken the lead role. These events have helped to cement a strong network between local landcare groups, government and non-government agencies and the broad public.

Topics for the community education events are many and varied and include: salinity and erosion farm walks, how to protect your waterways, managing your farm dam, farm forestry, establishing trees by direct seeding and chemical safety & accreditation courses.

Whole Farm Planning is a key tool for landholders to improve the productivity and sustainability of their properties and as such WACMAC Landcare provides a variety of farm planning events ranging from simple information sessions to detailed & accredited multi-day courses.

The WACMAC Landcare coordinator has visited the properties of over 250 landholders to give free on-site advice on issues relating to sustainable land management. Such visits typically last one to two hours and often require follow-up advice and further information to be sent to the landholder. In some instances WACMAC Landcare will refer the landholders onto other organisations for complementary advice or additional assistance. Most of the landholders agree to have their contact details placed on a WACMAC Landcare data base, so that they can be easily informed of up-coming events or information that may be of particular interest.

Advice from WACMAC Landcare encourages landholders to aim for property management options that provide benefits in terms of increased productivity, prevention of land degradation and protection of the environment.

WACMAC Landcare is often approached to give on-site advice regarding the control of relatively small scale yet potentially serious land degradation problems. If left unchecked these situations can quickly escalate and seriously degrade the environment and become very difficult and expensive to rehabilitate.

For further information on the WACMAC Landcare Project please contact:

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