Sydney Bushcare| Sydney Community Bushcare Program |
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Starting in the 1980s, the Sydney Bushcare movement was spurred by committed individuals and small groups (such as at Ku-ring-gai Flying Fox Reserve) taking action to restore damaged natural ecosystems within their neighbourhoods. Winning the support of local governments and state agencies, it has now expanded to become a large and sustained movement across Greater Sydney and beyond. In 2009, most local governments in the Sydney Metropolitan CMA area managed Bushcare volunteer programs, with more than 6000 volunteers registered as working in regular (usually monthly) Bushcare groups. There are an estimated 1000 Bushcare sites across Greater Sydney, with more than 20 years ongoing community involvement at some sites. So far 812 sites have been mapped and details can be viewed on the SMCMA website. Find a Bushcare Group 2012: Volunteer Recruitment and Motivation: February Training Hosted by the SMCMAThis training was held at Parramatta on February 15. This training is designed for Bushcare Volunteer Co-ordinators and site supervisors working for local government, the NSW Government or volunteer environmental groups. The course ran over a full day covering the following topics:
Restoring sites at the urban bushland interface, especially in species-rich or endangered ecological communities, requires considerable skill and experience. An important aspect of Sydney Bushcare is the level of training provided to all volunteers. Modules from Land Management and Conservation accredited courses have been especially tailored for Sydney bush regeneration volunteers. This training also helps to imbue an ecologically-based philosophy among participants. Ecological outcomes: The program dovetails into state or local governments' own extensive and professional programs of bushland management and restoration. On-ground results generally reach a high standard of native vegetation recovery at a far wider range of damaged sites than could be achieved within government budgets alone. Some examples of outcomes of Bushcare programs can be seen in the following case studies. Environmental outcomes: Improved condition and extent of nartive vegetation. Increased capacity of community and land managers to engage in natural resource management. Downloads Bushcare Training Review - 2011 - Executive Summary SMCMA 2011 Regional Awards - Winners 101 Secrets for a Successful Environmental Volunteer Group - Suggestions from participants of the 2009 Community Forum Environmental Volunteering in the Sydney Region 2009 - Most recent biennial survey of volunteering hours across the Sydney region Environmental Volunteering in the Sydney Region 2007 - The previous survey of volunteering hours across the Sydney region The Volunteer Coordinators Manual - A Guide for organisations on how to develop environmental programs involving volunteers Bushcare with Students Guide - Cumberland Plain Counts - A Teaching Manual and Guide for Natural Resource Management in Schools Bushcare with Care - Protecting and Conserving Aboriginal Landscapes - SMCMA Publication that assists Bushcarers to manage Aboriginal Sites
The SMCMA Bushcare Support program undertakes a range of support activities for Bushcare in the SMCMA region and beyond. Foremost is the administrative management of the Volunteer Coordinators Network (VCN) which meets quarterly in Sydney for professional networking and sharing of ideas. The SMCMA also coordinates a number of network projects including Bushcare training for volunteers and a Bushcare promotional stall at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The SMCMA Bushcare support program also publishes a biennial survey of volunteer hours worked in the catchment on on-ground projects and has an ongoing role assisting new volunteers to join local bushcare groups. Other activities of the SMCMA Bushcare support project include capacity building activites to increase awareness, knowledge and engagement of new volunteers, especially among youth and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The SMCMA hosts an annual Community Forum. This provides an opportunity for Bushcarers across Sydney to get together and share experiences. The most recent SMCMA Community Forum was held on Saturday, May 21 2011. |
The technical focus of Bushcare typically involves weed removal in a manner that enables natural regeneration, ensuring systematic follow up until native resilience is reinstated and weed resilience minimised. The land managers support such programs with additional inputs to address causal factors such as weed dumping, drainage and fertility problems and inappropriate fires regimes.