The State of Bushcare and Landcare
Greater Sydney Local Land Services has released the latest Landcare and Bushcare survey results. The State of Bushcare and Landcare in Greater Sydney 2021/22 report highlighted how integral our Landcare and Bushcare volunteers are to the enhancement, maintenance and protection of Sydney’s unique and beautiful bushland. The report shows that community health and wellbeing, citizen science, specialist skills and community education are additional benefits that environmental volunteers provide our region.
Across the region, nearly 900 groups were engaged in bushcare or landcare activities, with 7,100 regular volunteers and 11,791 one-off volunteers. In the 2021/22 financial year, landcare and bushcare volunteers contributed more than 180,000 hours of environmental work. This equates to an incredible $7.8 million in in-kind labour costs.
Compared to the previous survey in 2019/20, the number of one-off volunteers more than doubled, reflecting community appetite for events such as National Tree Day. Regular volunteer numbers declined while the number of hours worked increased. This demonstrates the commitment of the volunteer population and the persistent challenge of attracting new volunteers. Landcare groups and networks reported that long-term funding and productive partnerships and collaborations would enable them to thrive in the future.
Greater Sydney Local Land Services provided $183,949 to Landcare and Bushcare, supporting them to continue work restoring and maintaining environmental assets. Funding was provided via the NSW Landcare Program, the National Landcare Program and NSW Government funding. In addition to Local Land Services, groups were supported by local councils, National Parks, landcare coordinators and Greater Sydney Landcare.
About the survey
Greater Sydney Local Land Services surveys landcare and bushcare groups across the region every two years to track the well-being of the volunteer community. This information helps us to understand the type of support these volunteers need and promote the benefits of environmental volunteering across the region.
Read past survey reports