Building Momentum: Turning Knowledge Into Action

 See conference presenters and program here

From October 13th to 15th, the big event, held at Spring Bay Mill in trayapana/Triabunna, brought together an array of community leaders, environmental enthusiasts, and dedicated individuals to celebrate and discuss community-driven environmental efforts.

Under the theme "Building Momentum: Turning Knowledge into Action," this year's conference marked a significant step towards harnessing the growing enthusiasm for better environmental management within the community. 

See pictures and read more about the conference day in the blogs below:

"I Needed That" - Landcare Conference Re-Invigorates And Inspires

12 Cool Things We Learnt From The Conference

Speakers

The Saturday program showcased a diverse lineup of speakers, each with a unique perspective and some that extend beyond the borders of Tasmania. Our speakers brought global and local perspectives to the forefront (of our conference), addressing environmental challenges, and sharing insights, experiences, and solutions that we hope inspired action and collaboration.

Panels

We were thrilled to present two insightful panels at the conference;

The Tasmanian Seed Resilience Network Panel, hosted by Ruth Mollison engaged attendees in a comprehensive discussion on seed resilience in Tasmania. This panel discussion provided valuable insights into preserving the state’s unique plant biodiversity with the hope that people left with the feeling there was a sense of fostering collaboration among experts and enthusiasts, motivating collective action to protect our natural environment and how Landcarers can play an active role in securing our native seed sources.

The Managing Ferals Panel was hosted by Gillian Basnett, the National Cat and Fox Management Coordinator for the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS). This session offered a platform for a meaningful discussion on feral cat management. This important discussion aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange, encourage audience engagement, and inspire collective efforts to address this pressing ecological issue. As an island, Tasmania has some of the most significant feral cat impacts compared with mainland Australia and even the world. Due to the cool, wet climate in Tasmania, cat-borne diseases like Toxoplasmosis and Sarcocystosis are able to remain viable in the environment for a lot longer, increasing their potential to infect. These diseases, together with wildlife predation, make cats one of the most significant threats to our natural ecosystems and production landscapes.

Workshops 

Workshops were booked out for the conference, with attendees rolling their sleeves up and getting some hands-on experience throug active learning and knowledge sharing.

Workshops included mastering bird monitoring and river ecosystem health assessment, cultural awareness and sustainable tree planting techniques.

The seed collection, processing, and storage techniques for safeguarding native flora, learning tool care for equipment longevity, and discovering strategies for developing your Landcare group were a hit. 

These workshops provided practical experiences and insights, ensuring attendees left the conference equipped to drive meaningful change in conservation efforts.