Community participation
General participation in natural resource management includes activities such as volunteering to work on environmental projects, investing in ethical investments, adopting environmentally responsible habits, and choosing to purchase goods and services with smaller ecological footprints.
Environmental projects in or adjacent to urban areas of the ACT include water quality and riparian assessment, stream bank stabilisation, riparian ecosystem rehabilitation, surveys of flora and fauna, and tree planting. Rural land managers are actively involved in maintaining native grasslands and woodlands. Groups are also removing weeds; revegetating denuded areas; educating and raising awareness; restoring riparian areas and wetlands; surveying, monitoring and researching natural resource management issues; subcatchment planning; and providing advice to government.
A number of community groups collaborate and/or complement each other in conserving and restoring the natural resources of the ACT – the main community natural resource management groups are urban and rural Landcare, Park Care, Horse Paddock Carers and Waterwatch.
Addressing weeds, revegetation and water quality in urban, rural and bush environments
57 Landcare groups and 100 Waterwatch groups
Membership: more than 2500 people in total, ranging from smaller groups to one group of nearly 200 people
Representing all parts of the community: men and women, younger and older, including indigenous people and people from non-English–speaking backgrounds
Individual community groups are supported by umbrella catchment groups – the Ginninderra, Molonglo and Southern ACT catchment groups – who assist with funding, communication, promotion and logistical support. Greening Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia provide valuable support by coordinating casual and regular volunteers, and providing technical and other support and advice.
Individual volunteers and landholders are also an important part of community-based natural resource management.
Diversifying the range of participation opportunities to reflect the current and future demographic profile of the ACT will promote greater participation. Opportunities also need to reflect the ACT’s diverse cultural identity.
This target aims to achieve higher levels of participation by increasing the range of opportunities available.
Doubling the current (5%) participation rate to 10% by 2030 means that at least 1100 more people need to become permanently involved every year. The rate is likely to grow faster at first as new opportunities pay off, then slow as the proportion reaches 10%. The calculation does not allow for people ageing or withdrawing. The target would be better expressed as person-days participation but no data are as yet available to support this.
Bushcare in the Bush Capital
BUSHCARE IN THE BUSH CAPITAL
Improving Canberra residents’ understanding of their local environment and how to care for it
Participants in Bushcare in the Bush Capital find out about how garden plants can escape into the bush thereby reducing its health and viability. They help conserve the bush at the edges of urban areas, and reduce weeds and grow native plants in their own backyards. New residents of Gungahlin also have the opportunity to learn about their nature parks. For example, creation of the Bush on the Boundary Reference Group in Gungahlin, brings together land developers, local community and catchment groups, scientists, and residents to work collaboratively in addressing the impact of suburban development on surrounding nature parks, reserves and public land, by targeting issues such as cat containment, urban wetlands, illegal dumping and weed control.
Australian Native Plant Society
Photos Micheal Schultz