24 May 2022 - Every year we take a snapshot of our membership. Our members form a vast network of people across the state who are making a real positive difference in their local environments. So, who are they and what are they working on?
Our membership has been increasing strongly for several years.
305 Member Groups
As of May 2022 we have 305 Member Groups, with a 92% membership renewal rate! Landcare Tasmania's Member Groups are a diverse lot. We have three broad categories of groups:
Community groups - made of members of a community who come together to support eachother on a chosen issue or at a certain location, and sometimes work in close association with local council or Parks & Wildlife. These include community associations, Bushcare & Coastcare groups, Wildcare groups, conservation groups, and many other groups.
School groups - These are individual schools who have a distinct Landcaring element at their school - be it a kitchen garden, dedicated nature play, or sustainability focus - or all of the above!
Property groups - These are typically landholders managing a wide range of land use types with a small group of volunteers (often family) who are taking the initiative to make a positive difference towards caring for their land.
What do Landcare Member Group volunteers contribute?
Our renewing groups reported on their volunteer activity in 2021, and it is :
- 6,000+ Regular Volunteers - the number of volunteers who attend activities
- 3,700+ Events were held around the state, including working bees, meetings, outings, market stalls, info sessions and workshops
- 100,000+ Hours were contributed by volunteers. That's roughly the equivalent of 50 people working full time all year!
What Issues are Member Groups Addressing, And What Activities Do They Participate In?
Biodiversity & conservation is by far the most common issue that our groups are dealing with. Other top issues include erosion control, a changing climate, sustainable agriculture, and waste management. The activities they work on to address these issues are hugely varied. The top activity for a long time has been weed control, and it has reamined top place this year.
Where are Member Groups active?
We asked our member groups whether their activities take place on public or private land, in natural, rural, urban, or agricultural settings, and in what type of habitats. You can see there are many groups who are active in multiple settings - these are the striped sections on the first two charts, showing where they overlap.
Inspired?
Would you like to form a Landcare group? Are you part of an existing community group who would like to join in with the supportive community Landcare network? Join here, or contact us with your questions. Click here to find out about our programs and we offer to members
115 Individual Members
These Individual Members hail from 21 of Tasmania's municipalities, plus a few interstate. Individual members give financial support and/or are active in Landcaring in many ways. We've seen such a huge growth in Individual members this year, and the graph below shows a little bit about who they are and their primary reasons for joining the community Landcare movement.
Over half of our Individual members are landholders who aren't ready or aren't interested in involving volunteers regularly enough in their projects to form a Landcare group, and prefer to mostly handle projects on their own. Some people volunteer in one or more community groups, some have joined because they work in a related sector and want to be part of our network, and some join just to show their support for what we do!
Join us!
We'd love to welcome you into the community Landcare network too. Become a member here, or click here to find out about our programs and we offer to members.
4 Associate Members
Associate membership is open to organisations such as businesses, councils, government agencies and other community groups and people who do not meet the requirements of being a community care group or an individual member, but who would like to be part of the community Landcare network in Tasmania. If your business or organisation would like to become an Associate Member, please contact our CEO Peter Stronach on 03 6234 7117, or email [email protected]
Which Services Did Members Access In 2021?
We offer many Member Services, but here are some of the most popular:
- 204 Groups accessed the 2021 Landcare Assistance Program Grant ($180)
- 180 Groups joined the 2021 Landcare Tasmania Bulk Insurance
- 100+ Projects were supported through Landcare Tasmania's Project Bank since 2019
- 639 Events were advertised on our Events Calendar in financial year 2021-2022
- 270+ People attended part of the 2021 Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference weekend
- 700+ members and volunteers came to our Outreach Events for networking and skill-building during 2021-2022
Find out more about what we do to support members on our website:
