UNE Landcare
At UNE in Armidale we are fortunate to have a large and beautiful bushland campus. Thankfully, we also have growing interest from students to do more to preserve and enhance the native vegetation we have. Each year since 2017 there has been an "Orientation Week Rivercare" event involving hundreds of new students.
Landcare is a community-based network committed to the sustainable management and use of natural resources. Landcare groups are formed by people with a common concern about the quality of land and water in their area. These groups adopt a landscape scale approach to environmental issues in rural and urban environments to undertake a wide range of activities, including on-ground projects, research and raising community awareness.
Image: Rivercare 2017
In light of the current issues affecting Australia’s biodiversity and the ongoing extinction crisis, the primary aims of the UNE Landcare group are to:
- Restore ecological integrity on the UNE property (providing insurance for native species);
- Increase public awareness and environmental education about moving towards ecologically sustainable development; and
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of UNE Landcare activities on the UNE campus.
Not only does Landcare help our native species and ecology - it feels SO good! If you have concerns about our environment, then getting your hands in the soil to plant a native tree or remove an exotic weed, is very therapeutic.
Anyone is welcome to join the UNE Landcare group including students, university staff and members of the wider community. In joining the group, members have the opportunity to participate in a range of community based projects and activities. Previously, these projects and activities have included bush regeneration, invasive weed control, revegetation with native seedling, awareness raising and workshops. These community based activities are extremely valuable and enable members to:
- Share knowledge, experiences and skills with the local community
- Develop communication skills and build team relationships
- Gain confidence in practical skills such as weed identification and removal, safe handling of chemicals, identifying land degradation, methods of rehabilitation and native plant recognition
- Work with people from diverse backgrounds, disciplines and perspectives in collaborative projects involving a variety of community and stakeholder groups
- Gain experience in problem solving, planning, project design and conflict resolution
- Initiate long term projects that leave a legacy for future generations
We would love for you to join in the action!
CONTACT:
Tim Collins
President, UNE Landcare
tcollins@myune.edu.au
Kaitland Parker
Secretary, UNE Landcare
kaitlandparker@gmail.com
