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Landcare and the Natural Heritage Trust

Landcare and the Natural Heritage Trust

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 LANDCARE AND THE NATURAL HERITAGE TRUST IN AUSTRALIAN NATURE RESTORATION. Guest: Robyn Leahy, former Landcare coordinator, financial support agent and community capacity builder. Introduction to this episode: The separate but closely linked initiatives of Landcare and the Natural Heritage Trust represent two of the most import developments in the history of efforts to restore degraded natural systems and physical environment quality in Australia. The founding focus of Landcare, a community not-for-profit organisation, was the facilitation of local groups of volunteers working to restore and enhance nature and natural systems. Originating in Victoria in the late 1980s, Landcare projects focused initially on agricultural farmland, but later extended to cover urban areas, coastal environments and other communities of interest. The Landcare model implemented the initially innovative concept of collaboration across sectors to achieve environmental restoration objectives. It encouraged and developed project collaboration between farmers, conservationists, community members and scientists, all working together to improve agricultural and natural system quality and functioning. The Landcare model is still in operation and has extended its remit even further. For instance it now links, more systematically, to the work of indigenous community members on ‘Caring for our Country’ oriented projects aimed at nature restoration on indigenous lands. The Natural Heritage Trust, a government fund established in 1997, had an initial capitalisation of over a billion Australian dollars. Over the years it has been used to fund major works within nationwide Landcare projects, extensive tree planting programs and has helped support the indigenous ‘Caring for Our Country ’ initiatives already mentioned. My guest in this podcast episode, Robyn Leahy, developed extensive experience as a community capacity building change agent from the late 1990s, working with several Landcare initiatives in the Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland, and helping to administer significant amounts of the Natural Heritage Trust funding which helped enable them. In our discussion, Robyn describes some of her experiences from those heady days of an upsurge of interest in support for landscape and natural system restoration. And she draws out the arc of her continued regard, interest and affection for the natural world into the quite different context of her professional work settings today. INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS - with approximate time elapsed in mins. Guest foreshadow comments – 0.00Generic podcast series introduction. – 0.30Current guest and episode introduction. – 2.16 Guest’s main comments: How did your passion for the environment start? - 4.07 (the importance of early childhood nature experience) Who inspired or mentored you in your work? – 6.06How did you get involved with environmental conservation to begin with? – 8.00When did you first realise the impact of your work on the environment? – 10.42Any environmental achievements you are particularly proud of and why? – 12.58 (Holism principles as applied to environmental protection challenges) What are some of the challenges you have faced and how did you respond ? – 17.05How has your work influenced you to keep doing what you do? – 19.20 (Heart centred work and the quality and purpose of work more generally) Are you working on any current, exciting projects? – 21.24 (The potential of holism, heart centred and love ethic principles to enhance quality of life in communities) Guest takeaway message and advice for some next steps in environmental protection. – 27.05Thanks to guest, acknowledgements and episode close – 28.30End of recording – 30.19 IDEAS MENTIONED AND RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION Landcare in the Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland Landcare in Australia generic information on the Landcare initiative nationally. The Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland – basic information on location, history and economy. Some Landcare groups in the Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland Pittsworth District Landcare Association Clifton Landcare Group (Facebook page) Millmerran Landcare (Facebook page) Natural Heritage Trust in Australia - a brief overview of its history Feminist eco-philosophers (Australia) Freya Mathews, La Trobe University – some examples of her work Val Plumwood (deceased 2008) – an example of her past work Principles of Holism Some early ideas on holism by theorist Jan Christian Smuts (late 19th/early 20th century)A recent application of holism principles within regenerative agriculture developed by Allan Savory as part of the holistic management framework. Quality of work debates An example from the UK linked to job productivity (2017) An example from Australia around work-life balance (2023) Heart-Centred approaches An example of heart centred thinking from a business leadership perspective (...

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.