A Council Bushcare officer trains a group of new volunteers at Medlow Bath.

Bushcare a community activity in Blue Mountains

The Bushcare Program in Blue Mountains (Australia) was established to foster a sense of community responsibility for the natural environment and ecologically sound management of bushland.

A Bushcare Group goes out into their pitch of bush each month, taking note of what is left of the existing vegetation, and tries to strengthen and encourage it to expand.  This is done through a process called Bush Regeneration, which involves the removal of exotic weeds, allowing natural plants to germinate and flourish.  Bushcare Groups then make net wins against the weeds, and with persistence can improve the natural and aesthetic values of their reserves.

Other activities include stormwater control works, erosion control works, track maintenance and improvement, seed collection, plant propogation, public education, and other bushland management issues.

For every hour council puts into the program, the community puts in more than three.  During the 2006/2007 financial year, more than 8,200 volunteer hours were worked on Bushcare projects.

Blue Mountains is one of 105 local governments in Australia that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.  For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the Oceania Region, please visit www.iclei.org/oceania.

 
Source:  “Bushcare – A Community Activity”, at www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/home/environmentalinformation/bushcare.