My key takeouts from the 2024 Victorian Landcare Forum - by Fred Ackland

Yarrilinks faciltiator Alicia (left) with Fred Ackland (right) at the 2024 Victorian Landcare Forum.

Landcare is about placemaking, using local knowledge, and lived experience to create a space where people feel they belong, where they have a connection, whether it be through a relationship with the land or through interpersonal relationships developed in the pursuit of a shared vision in a community activity. So, Landcare not only creates a space for plants and animals, but it also creates a space for the community, whether it be for the community collectively or the individuals of the community. I often say to my dog, as we are walking along the Yarriambiack Creek, or the many dirt roads with their native vegetation corridors, “this is our home, it is our place, this is where we belong”.

Landcare provides benefits to the community, so to be successful, Landcare Projects need to meet not only the environmental needs but also community needs. The community at large needs to be engaged, the need for the projects needs to be explained and the community needs to be able to trust the implementors of the projects. Project implementors need to be flexible in their approach, recognising the need to alter and adapt the projects as required in response to changing community concerns and needs, “placemaking is never finished”. 

An important part of community are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Land. There needs to be collaboration, with rapport and trust built through communication, understanding and mutual respect. Importantly, Traditional Owners and Custodians understand the land, the plants and the animals, with an intimate understanding of the effects of drought, salinity and loss of biodiversity, after all, they have lived on the land for eons. They can inform and participate in projects adding value with their knowledge of plants, animals and drought, providing information which can be used to shock proof projects, an important consideration, with increasingly variable climatic conditions.

The field trips provided insight into the development and management of projects. Listening to the project leaders together with questions and feedback from the conference participants was thought provoking.

Accept that projects can take a long time to come to fruition, there will be many obstacles along the way. Be aware that there will be community concerns, especially concerns about projects increasing fire fuel loads, an important consideration for areas where there is a risk of bushfire close to populated and farming areas. Engage with community, understand community concerns and the planning regulations, and be prepared to explain the project in detail and be flexible, for the project to be successful you need to bring the community along. Avoid dichotomous thinking, embrace complexity, there are multiple solutions, for example where continuous and contiguous planting may cause significant concerns around bushfire risks and accessibility, mosaic planting may be an option. Finally set yourself up for success and choose your project partners wisely, don’t waste time and effort trying to engage with people who are not interested and don’t share the same values and/or vision.

Yarrilinks provided financial support toward Fred’s attendance at the 2024 Victorian Landcare Forum via a Victorian Landcare Grant administered through the Wimmera CMA.