Program
Key activities in the 2021 National Landcare Conference program:
Thursday 5 August 2021
- Conference Plenary and Stream Sessions
- 2021 National Landcare Awards
Friday 6 August 2021
- Conference Plenary and Stream Sessions
The 2021 National Landcare Conference program will be announced in September 2020.
With Landcare champion Costa Georgiadis as the MC, the 2021 National Landcare Conference promises to be a dynamic event for anyone who is passionate about conservation activities, sustainable land management practices and community wellbeing. The Conference will include speakers on bushfire and resilience recovery, Landcare Farming, Wellbeing and Mental Health and Cultural Land Management. The session streams include Environment and Climate Change, Sustainable Farming, Landcare Impact and Community Partnerships in Action.
The 2021 National Landcare Conference includes field trips to a variety of locations across Sydney and the greater Sydney area. The field trips will provide delegates an opportunity to experience firsthand the diversity of Landcare, sustainable farming and natural resource management projects in Sydney.
A key event in the program is the 2021 National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner to celebrate the 69 finalists from the 2019 State & Territory Landcare Awards, at this event we will announce the winners of the nine Landcare awards categories. To keep informed about the 2021 National Landcare Conference, we recommend that you subscribe to our conference newsletter.
Session Streams

Sustainable Agriculture | Sponsored by Gallagher
Innovation and technology, soil health, adaptation to climate change, young farmers, connecting farmers to students
Farmers manage over half of the Australian landscape, and in order to ensure a better tomorrow, innovation and conservation are critical for managing land and water assets. This stream will focus on how agriculture is adapting to an ever-increasing range of challenges including climate change. Also how Landcare is developing and implementing innovative farming practices to sustainably manage our productive natural assets.

Environment & Climate Change
Call for arms for all Australians to be on the frontline together to do something with Landcare action
With the impact of climate change, drought and natural disasters like fire and flood, Australia’s landscapes and biodiversity are under immense pressure. Communities and individuals need to understand how they can take action to make a difference individually and together to help restore, protect and manage our Natural Assets. This stream will demonstrate how various Indigenous, Bushcare, Coastcare and other Landcare community groups are contributing to successfully meet these challenges and provide ideas fore more people to take action with Landcare.

Community Partnerships in Action | Sponsored by Saving our Species
Building community capacity and resilience, communicating and storytelling, volunteering, partnership, building and sharing knowledge
Community participation is at the heart of Landcare. This stream will demonstrate the achievements of individual Landcare community groups and projects that demonstrate the value delivered from investing in communities and successful partnerships. The stream will also explore how we can enhance engagement with rural communities, support the sharing of knowledge and help breakdown the disconnect that exists between the city and the bush.

Landcare Impact
Landscape, biodiversity, community resilience, mental/physical health of individuals, economy
This stream will demonstrate the impact that Landcare has on multiple areas in our community including the environment, landscapes, community, health and economy by creating jobs for rural Australian and Indigenous communities. Demonstrating the impact, will help influence governments, business and industry, and philanthropic supporters that value Landcare and show why ongoing investment is required now more than ever.
The 2021 National Landcare Conference program
7.00am – 5.00pm | FIELD TRIPS | |||||||
8.00am | Registration Opens for National Landcare Youth Conference | |||||||
9.00am | National Landcare Youth Conference commences | |||||||
3.00pm | Registration Opens for 2021 National Landcare Conference | |||||||
4.00pm | National Landcare Youth Conference concludes | |||||||
6.00pm – 7.30pm | Welcome Reception sponsored by Weedtechnics | |||||||
DAY 1 CONCLUDES |
7.30 am | Registration Opens for National Landcare Conference | ||||
8.30am | DAY TWO COMMENCES | ||||
8.30am – 8:45am (15mins) | MC Welcome: Costa Georgiadis with Welcome to Country | ||||
8.45am – 8:50am (5mins) | Doug Humann AM, Landcare Australia Chair to Welcome Guest Speaker | ||||
8.50am – 9.10am (20mins) | Conference Opened by Guest Speaker | ||||
9.15am – 10.00am (45mins) | Keynote Speaker | ||||
10.00am – 10.30am (30mins) | MORNING TEA | ||||
10.30am – 11.30am (60mins) | Bushfire & Resilience Recovery Panel | ||||
11.30am – 11.40am (10mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | ||||
Sustainable Agriculture Stream | Environment & Climate Change | Community Partnerships in Action Sponsored by Saving Our Species | Landcare Impact | ||
11.40am – 12.05pm (25mins) | Overcoming the tyranny of distance and time: Phantoms in the Rangelands – Roxane Blackley, Desert Channels Queensland | Regional Horizons: Farming communities leading the recovery – Peter Holding, Farmers for Climate Action | From Litle Things Big things Grow, Habitat Recovery Alliance, Kim Thompson Upper River Torrens Landcare Group | Jallukar Native Grasslands In Action – Angela Turrell, Jallukar Landcare Group | |
12.05pm – 12.10pm (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | ||||
12.10pm – 12.35pm (25mins) | What is Multi Species cover cropping? – Michael Godden, Local Land Services | Bangalow Koalas Community Wildlife Corridor: protecting the Northern Rivers Koalas, Linda Sparrow Bangalow Koalas Inc | Project Hindmarsh: a 22 year journey reconnecting the Little Desert and Big Desert regions in Victoria’s wild west – Jonathan Starks, Hindmarsh Landcare Group | Volunteers: their significant contribution to the management of Perth’s environmental values – Ingrid Sieler, Perth NRM | |
12.35pm – 1.35pm (60mins) | LUNCH | ||||
Sustainable Agriculture Stream | Environment & Climate Change | Community Partnerships in Action – Sponsored by Saving Our Species | Landcare Impact | ||
1.35pm – 2.00pm (25mins) | Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations 2021 – Stacey Vogel, CottonInfo | Greening the Hill, so as to bring about community-wide behavioural change – Simon Richard Molesworth AO QC, Landcare Broken Hill | Why the way we are engaging youth just isn’t working anymore – Saskia Gerhardy, YACCA | The potential of International Landcare – Mary Johnson, RMIT and Clinton Muller | |
2.00pm – 2.05pm (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | ||||
2.05pm – 2.30pm (25mins) | Grazing Systems: 30 years of change in Australia – Terry McCosker, Resource Consulting Services | Biological control of environmental weeds: a long-term investment to protect and manage natural assets – Louise Moran, CSIRO Health & Biosecurity | Making seagrass sexy. How a world-first partnership between landcare and the commercial fishing industry is restoring Corner Inlet’s seagrass meadows – Scott Elliot, Yarram Yarram Landcare Network | Wild wellbeing: personal and community resilience in a disrupted world Megan Rowlatt, Intrepid Landcare | |
2.30pm – 2.35pm (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | ||||
2.35pm – 3.00pm (25mins) | Restoring degraded saline land through the development of a saline bush foods: paddock-to-plate supply chain – Ella Maesepp, Katanning Landcare | Increasing stakeholder capacity and skills to carry out fire as a restoration tool that will mitigate wildfire intensity, thereby preparing for climate change – Xuela Sledge, Greater Sydney Landcare Network | Taking Care of Our Place – Shelley McArdle, Capricornia Catchments | The profound impact of a garden in the ascent of culture, community and health – Vicki Horstman, Fitzroy Basin Association | |
3.00pm – 3.30pm (30mins) | AFTERNOON TEA | ||||
3.30pm – 4.30pm (60mins) | Wellbeing & Mental Health Panel | ||||
4.30pm – 4.40pm (10mins) | Closing Remarks | ||||
4.45pm | Conference Day One Closes | ||||
6.30pm – 11.00pm | 2021 National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner – ICC |
8.30am | Registration Opens for National Landcare Conference | |||||||
9.00am | DAY TWO COMMENCES | |||||||
9.00am – 9.10am (10mins) | MC Costa Georgiadis Welcome Final Day | |||||||
9.10am – 9.40am (30mins) | Plenary Speaker | |||||||
9.45am – 10.45am (60mins) | Landcare Farming Panel | |||||||
10.45am – 11.15am (30mins) | MORNING TEA | |||||||
Sustainable Agriculture Stream | Environment & Climate Change | Community Partnerships in Action – Sponsored by Saving Our Species | Landcare Impact | |||||
11.15am – 11.40am (25mins) | Care for the land in drought, what the farmers say – Jennifer Laffan, NSW DPI | Healthy environment, healthy landscapes, healthy people: why biosecurity matters to Landcare – Ian Thompson, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment | Empowering rural women to influence decision making both on and off farm – Karen O’Keefe, Corangamite CMA | The Gondwana Connections Art Program: Giant Paintings Mapping Special Country – Basil Schur, Green Skills | ||||
11.40am – 11.45am (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | |||||||
11.45am – 12.10pm (25mins) | Farming Forecaster: dynamic data to improve pasture and grazing decisions to avoid over grazing – John Klem, Chair, Farming Forecaster Steering Committee and Deputy Chair, Tablelands Farming Systems | The Landcare Illawarra Woodlands and Rainforest Project – Richard Langley Scarborough, Landcare Illawarra | Connecting and collaborating through a dedicated online community for Landcarers – Trish O’Gorman, Landcare Australia | The NSW Landcare Program: What are the critical elements that continue to enhance its IMPACT beyond local coordinators? Chris McCulloch, Local Land Services and Natasha English, Landcare NSW | ||||
12.10pm – 1.10pm (60mins) | LUNCH | |||||||
Sustainable Agriculture Stream | Environment & Climate Change | Community Partnerships in Action – Sponsored by Saving Our Species | Landcare Impact | |||||
1.10pm – 1.35pm (25mins) | Management of high country native pastures – Caroline Love, Agriculture Victoria | Making business work with biodiversity: leveraging the financial sector to improve conservation outcomes – Natasha Cadenhead, The University of Queensland School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, UQ |
Breaking the barriers between landcare in NSW and our First Nations peoples: Recognition, Value, Collaboration – Craig Aspinal, Landcare NSW | We don’t just grow trees, we grow people – Phillip Moran, Noosa & District Landcare Group | ||||
1.35pm – 1.40pm (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | |||||||
1.40pm – 2.05pm (25mins) | On-farm value of biodiversity through sustainable agriculture practices – Danny Pettingill, Loddon Plains Landcare Network | Increasing the salty feet canopy in the Lower Hawkesbury through a multidisciplinary partnership – Ana Rubio, Hornsby Shire Council | Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Landcare in West Gippsland – Belinda Brennan, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority | Have we made a difference? Landcare and landscape change in the Holbrook region – Kylie Durant, Holbrok Landcare Group | ||||
2.05pm – 2.10pm (5mins) | CHANGE OVER FOR NEXT SESSION | |||||||
2.10pm – 2.35pm (25mins) | Integrating timber production with Landcare practices for conservation and profit – Rowan Reid, Bambra Agroforestry Farm | Seeds: getting back to landcare roots – Dr Lucy Commander, Australian Network for Plant Conservation | Roving Restorers: a win-win for nature, landholders and community – Susi Duncan, Hinterland Bushlink | Landcare Impact: the Gully an Aboriginal Place a story of community resilience and wellbeing – David King, Gully Traditional Owners | ||||
2.35pm – 3.0pm (30mins) | AFTERNOON TEA | |||||||
3.00pm – 4.00pm (60 minutes) | Cultural Land Management Panel | |||||||
4.00pm – 4.10pm (10mins) | Closing Remarks | |||||||
4.10pm (5mins) | MC Closes Conference | |||||||
4.15pm | CONFERENCE CONCLUDES |