Since our inception in 2003, Brunswick Valley Landcare (BVL) has grown into a cornerstone of community-driven conservation and education in the Byron Shire. We have over 300 members, with a monthly newsletter reaching over 1,100 people. Funded by memberships, donations, government grants, and the support of Byron Shire Council, BVL works to enhance biodiversity, restore natural habitats, and promote sustainability through education and community engagement.
BVL’s work spans a wide range of ecosystems: subtropical rainforests, sclerophyll forests, coastal heathlands, beaches, dunes, and waterways. We also support productive farmlands, encouraging climate-resilient practices, healthy food production, indigenous knowledge, and regenerative agriculture principles.
We coordinate 16 locality groups across the Byron Shire. These are groups of volunteers who meet regularly through working bees and carry out on-ground restoration work across diverse sites as well as organise ecological surveys, develop restoration plans, and apply for grants to take on larger regeneration projects. Many of these groups have been doing this work consistently for decades, transforming degraded land into thriving ecosystems – slowly and patiently affecting amazing change from the ground up.
Current and planned BVL projects include revegetating riparian zones, planting wildlife corridors through our annual Mother’s Day community tree planting events, establishing pollinator gardens and habitats, building citizen science and education programs, monitoring artificial hollow habitats, developing a roving regen group, and delivering landowner property planning and restoration mentorships. We also have some inspiring talks, workshops and events coming up.
BVL supports a broad cross-section of the community – volunteers, landholders, farmers, producers, schools, and local government. Whether you want to learn more about conservation, join an existing group or project, or develop your own initiative, BVL offers plenty of ways to get involved and we are always up for a chat. We’d love to hear from you.
To find out more or get involved, visit brunswickvalleylandcare.org.au.
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