The following is a letter from Julie Edwards, Senior Project Officer, Victorian Landcare Program, Environment and Community Programs, Biodiversity Division.

I am writing to advise you that the Victorian Landcare Grants (VLG), which have been available around this time in previous years, have been delayed this year.

The 2020-21 VLG are aligned to funding announcements in the State Budget and as this has been deferred, so has the grants process. 

The 2019-20 bushfires and impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) has also meant that the delivery of many activities funded through the previous round of the VLG have been postponed, along with planning for the 2020-21 grants process. A later start to the 2020-21 VLG will allow the previous year’s VLGs to be completed and the required planning to take place once public health measures permit.

The Victorian Landcare Program 2019-20 Group Health Survey will be undertaken separately to the Victorian Landcare Grants this year. 

The Group Health Survey provides a snapshot of the health and the contribution of Landcare and environmental volunteering groups to a healthy environment. 

Data collected through the Group Health Survey is important to help DELWP understand the types of activities you do and to help with the planning of the Victorian Landcare Program.

Further information about the VLG will be available later in the year on the DELWP website environment.vic.gov.au/landcare and email updates will also be provided.

If you have any questions please call Julie Edwards, Senior Project Officer on 0429 001 565.

The Victorian Landcare Program 2019-20 Group Health Survey is now open and we would love to hear what you have been doing, how you are going and your priorities for the next 12 months. 

The Group Health Survey provides a snapshot of the health of groups and the contribution of Landcare and environmental volunteering to a healthy environment. 

Data collected through the Group Health Surveys is important to help DELWP and the CMAs understand the health of Landcare in Victoria and assists with planning the support provided through the Victorian Landcare Program.  See infographic below on the 2018-19 Group Health Survey results and how we make use of this data.

Complete the survey HERE . Please complete by Sunday 26 July 2020.

The survey should take about 30 minutes to complete.  You may want to complete it at the next meeting of your group or share it between group members to complete different sections.

2018-19 Group Health Survey Results

The information you provide through the Group Health Survey helps us to understand the state of Landcare and environmental volunteering in Victoria. DELWP and the CMAs use the data you provide for a range of things:

• Reporting on the Victorian Landcare Program
• Regional Landcare and community NRM reporting
• Program evaluation and improvement
• To inform the Volunteering Naturally annual snapshot
• Understanding how many Landcare and environmental volunteer groups, members and volunteers there are in Victoria
• The type of activities you do and your priorities for the future to assist with planning Victorian Landcare Program support

This year we are running the Group Health Survey separately to the Victorian Landcare Grants application process. The Victorian Landcare Grants have been delayed in 2020-21 due to the deferred 2020-21 Victorian Budget.

If you have any questions about the group health survey please contact Julie Edwards, Senior Project Officer on 0429 001 565 or at landcare@delwp.vic.gov.au.

The Atlas of Living Australia is Australia’s national biodiversity database and is the largest mapping database of invasive species in Australia. 

BioCollect is a field data collection tool in which users can freely set up and collect data for their own projects, as well as enabling data to be easily copied into the ALA and be made accessible to others who need to use it.

The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and BioCollect training will be delivered via free webinars in August and September 2020 via four on-line webinars.

The training, facilitated by Peter Brenton and Matilda Stevenson from the CSIRO, is being provided in an interactive train-the-trainer format and is not being offered to everyone in the first instance. The expectation is for people trained in these sessions to deliver training and user support within their local communities.

Once the initial train-the-trainer course is complete, participants can apply for a $500 grant to assist in delivering an on-ground training workshop in their community.

Preference will be given to participants based on the following criteria:

a) Occupy a volunteer or professional role which would enable them to deliver training to community members;

b) Have the capacity to deliver training and provide support to community members within areas of Victoria affected by serrated tussock or gorse (infestation maps attached);

d) Have at least a basic to moderate experience in computers and web-based applications.

If you would like to take part please follow the link to complete the application https://forms.gle/oCvHQC5e6SZuxfPCA

This project is coordinated by the Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party (VSTWP) with support from the Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT).

For further information, please contact:

Martin Deering – Leading Biosecurity Officer – Serrated Tussock Agriculture Victoria | Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions  
14 Mineral Water Drive, Daylesford
martin.deering@agriculture.vic.gov.au