Enhancing Biodiversity and Building community Capacity in orange, nsw

Over 2018-2019, Orange City Council managed a community engagement project to assist in strengthening the general biodiversity within the Orange LGA and provide local community members with basic environmental and natural resource knowledge. The scope of the project involved 3 hectares of woody weed control, 15 community events and extensive revegetation to identified areas with endemic plant species to create 3 layers of vegetation to provide a balanced ecosystem for native wildlife.

Woody weed control was conducted at sites such as Lake Canobolas and Clifton Grove, using the "cut and paint" method. This involves cutting the shrubs off at ground level and painting the stump with a glyphosate based product. These areas were then revegetated with endemic plant species enriching local biodiversity and creating habitat, a food source and wildlife corridors for native fauna.

At other sites, community members, residents, school students, private business and volunteer organisations were educated on basic natural resource management issues and plant identification.

Starting with 2018’s National Tree Day, the project saw 15 community days attracting 417 community members planting 3,375 native tubestock. Four of the events were educational focusing on the functions of wetlands and native plant identification. Another event was a hands-on event targeting the control of the Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) woody weed. Hawthorn invades bushland and stream sides, taking over and displacing indigenous shrubs and small trees. A noxious weed, Hawthorn can grow up to 10 metres tall and is difficult to remove.

The events were promoted through social media, signage and letterbox drops to encourage local community involvement. Community members were encouraged to "take ownership" of their area and monitor on a regular basis.

Building community capacity and empowerment was a key focus of the events and was achieved through hands-on demonstrations of woody weed control, planting and mulching activities using best practice management and suitable PPE, and the teaching of basic identification skills and natural resource knowledge.

Roger Smith, Orange City Council’s Natural Resource Coordinator said, “This project reinforced that the local Orange community is environmentally aware and eager to assist with environmental activities. Residents from the Ploughman’s Wetlands area and Ploughman’s Hill Estate are particularly motivated with local schools also keen to become involved as are local service clubs”.

Success of the project has already been seen with community champions undertaking the role of maintaining and monitoring some sites.

The events that formed this environmental-community project included:

• 2018 National Tree Day where 67 community members planted 620 tube stock

• Waratah Wetlands – 20 Flight Centre staff planted 850 tube stock

• LakeCare – 3 events where community members planted 520 tube stock and undertook woody weed control

• Ploughman’s Estate – 8 local residents planted 140 tube stock

• Clifton Grove – 35 local residents attended an educational workshop and planted 80 native grasses

• Gosling Creek Precinct – 75 students from Catherine McCauley Primary School attended an educational day at Hinton Reserve involving fauna and flora surveys, nesting box monitoring, invertebrate surveys and tree planting

• Nelson Park – 15 Rotary Club members planted 125 tube stock as part of Sustainable Living Week

• Black Sallee Reserve – 21 community members attended a wild flowers walk

• Ploughman’s Wetland – 20 community members attended a walk and talk as part of World Wetlands Day

• Gosling Creek Precinct – 55 students from Canobolas High School attended an environmental education day

• Ploughman’s Hill Estate – 15 local residents planted and mulched 120 trees and shrubs

• Spring Creek Dam – 25 Kinross Wolaroi School students planted and mulched 600 tube stock

• Blackman’s Swamp Creek – 25 local residents planted 320 tubestock

The Environment & Waterways Alliance is proud to have provided funding to the value of $9,000 to assist this community-environmental project.

Click here to download the case study for this project.