The Dirty Hands newsletter December 2025

Published December 08, 2025

Summer has just arrived, the year is drawing to a close, and this is our final edition of Dirty Hands for 2025! What a year it’s been — from hands-on restoration across our local landscapes to workshops, community events, and everything in between. Throughout the year, the commitment of our Landcare member groups, schools, and individual members has made a tangible difference in protecting and enhancing Tasmania’s natural environment.

In this edition, we recap highlights from workshops and events across the state, and share updates on our 2024-25 annual report, Landcare Action grants and exciting new projects on the horizon.

Holiday closure dates

Our office will be closed on Monday, 22 December 2025 and will re-open on Monday, 5 January 2026. During this time our team will be taking a well-deserved break. See you in 2026 for another year of Landcaring!

Our Annual Report is now live!

We’re pleased to announce the release of the Landcare Tasmania 2024–25 Annual Report — a snapshot of another big year of community-led care for Tasmania’s land, waterways, and wildlife.

Here are some highlights from the report:

We now comprise of 257 community care groups, 160 individual members, and 30 associate members, supported by more than 8,000 volunteers.
Our volunteers gave over 154,000 hours of time through 4,647 events in 2024–25.
Through annual member grants, we supported 170 projects.
We received 70 new submissions to our Project Bank — reflecting a strong grassroots appetite for environmental action.
Strategic initiatives such as Catchment Connect – Enhancing Farm Dams for Climate Resilience and the Rivers to Ramsar program show how coordinated, community-led partnerships can deliver real outcomes for water, land, and biodiversity.

Alongside this, we’ve invested in stronger organisational systems and governance to support a thriving, resilient Landcare movement into the future.

Read the annual report

Highlights from our recent events

Feral cats on the South Arm Peninsula

Our action planning session brought together residents, partner organisations, and experienced practitioners for a hands-on session focused on practical feral cat management across the South Arm Peninsula.

Participants heard from our longtime on-ground expert John Bowden, Ten Lives CEO Noel Hunt and conservation specialist Simon Pahor. They shared guidance on camera monitoring, trapping techniques, and the legal requirements around feral cat control.

The workshop resulted in clear action plans for local groups, the formation of a new Clifton Beach Cat Management Group, and strengthened collaboration.

Restoring Cloudy Bay for swift parrots

Community members and restoration experts came together for a collaborative workshop at Cloudy Bay focused on planning the restoration of the former pine plantation landscape. This project is designed to improve the foraging habitat of the swift parrot (Lathamus discolor).

The day included presentations from Landcare Tasmania project manager Anna Minchin on available support and the Nature Repair Market, insights from the North East Bioregional Network’s Todd Dudley on successful pine plantation restoration, and a historical overview of the Cloudy Bay site from Riq.

Participants also toured the project site, reviewed soil testing, and discussed mapping and priorities for regeneration.

Discovering Tasmania's native bees

As part of our ongoing Citizen Science Education Program with schools across Tasmania, last month, Grade 2 students at Scotch Oakburn College were introduced to the secret world of Tasmania’s native bees — creatures many had never even noticed before.

With the help of entomologists Yolanda Hanusch and Tristan Skerratt, the kids learned to identify different bee species, explore what they eat and where they live, and then got hands-on by spotting them in the school garden.

But the fun didn’t stop there — the students also built their very own native bee hotels, specially designed for the nesting preferences of these solitary bees. They then picked prime spots in the garden to hang them, helping support local biodiversity.

Landcare Action Grants - continuing the positive impact

Since it kicked off in 2018, the Landcare Action Grants program, supported by the Tasmanian Government, has had a massive positive impact on local landscapes, empowering volunteers, farmers, and community groups to protect and restore their environments.

We're delighted to share Landcare Tasmania has received $900,000 in funding to build on this momentum and continue to support our programs over the next three years.

Beginning in 2025, this investment will enable us to continue to deliver workshops, engagement opportunities, and practical resources designed to empower Tasmanian farmers, land managers and community groups across the state.

The program includes outreach events and a round of grant funding for protection, restoration or enhancement activities in important areas of natural capital. This may include activities such as weed control, fencing, invasive species management, and more.

It also will include research into the Nature Repair Market, and information and opportunities for members.

In 2026, we will be delivering the The Power of Protection and Threat Reduction as a Conservation Measure project, focusing on providing support for groups and land managers in protecting, enhancing, and maintaining Tasmania's natural values.

Keep an eye on our Events Calendar to see what is planned!

Events Calendar

Applications now open

We're excited to launch the Landcare Action Grants 2026: Protecting, Enhancing, and Maintaining Tasmania's Natural Values devolved grant program, which will deliver $240,000 in grants to support our members on-ground works from April 2026 - April 2027.

Grants available

The preferred project funding amount is $5,000 to $20,000 per project, with up to $40,000 available for exceptional projects.

Supported activities include weed control, fencing, invasive species management and other activities deemed essential for the protection, enhancement, and maintenance of high conservation value areas.

To apply, please use the online application form. This grant round is open to Landcare Tasmania members only. Applications close 31 January 2026.

Apply here

National African Boxthorn Biocontrol Project

The invasive African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum), a drought-tolerant Weed of National Significance. Photo courtesy of CSIRO.

Landcare Tasmania is inviting farmers, First Nations communities, Landcare groups and community members to participate in training and on-ground action to reduce the spread of African Boxthorn in Tasmania.

The African Boxthorn Biocontrol and Drought Resilience Project is a national initiative led by CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species (CISS) with funds from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

The project aims to suppress the invasive African boxthorn (Lycium
ferocissimum), a drought-tolerant Weed of National Significance that undermines agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and drought resilience across Australia, through the release of a newly approved biocontrol agent, the rust fungus Puccinia rapipes.

Landcare Tasmania will support the national delivery by connecting people to CSIRO for establishment and monitoring of release sites, deliver biocontrol training workshops, an online webinar (in 2026) and distribute educational resources.

How do I get involved?

If you have an infestation of boxthorn and would like to be part of this project, please look out for further information and an Expression of Interest form on Landcare Tasmania's Projects page later this month. An update will also be provided in the January 2026 edition of the Dirty Hands newsletter.

Participants will receive Puccinia rapipes biocontrol kits with clear instructions for release and monitoring, supported by training materials, workshops, and field demonstrations provided by CSIRO.

By joining this coordinated national effort, participants will help suppress a Weed of National Significance, enhance drought resilience, and contribute to collaborative, community-led landscape restoration.

Community invited to tackle priority weeds

Landcare Tasmania members including farmers, land managers, community groups, and volunteers across North West and Western Tasmania are being invited to take part in a major new effort to reduce the impact of 11 priority weeds across the region.

Axel Meiss, a statewide weed contractor, shares his knowledge on weeds found in the Strahan region at a workshop held in February 2025. Photo credit: Landcare Tasmania.

The Priority Weeds of the North West and Western Tasmania Project, is delivered by Cradle Coast Authority NRM in partnership with Landcare Tasmania.

Funded through the Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Weed Action Fund, the project targets 11 invasive species:

Asparagus fern
South African weed orchid
English broom
Montpellier broom
Elisha's tears
Red ink weed
Invasive willow species
Spanish heath
Ragwort
Sea spurge, and
the invasive rice grass.

Over the next year, the project will develop tailored Weed Management Plans for priority Landcare sites, support the roll-out of sea spurge biocontrol, and invite community input into an updated Regional Weed Management Strategy. A community workshop in early 2026 will bring together farmers, volunteers and land managers to build skills, share local knowledge, and help shape regional weed priorities.

Landcare Tasmania will help connect members to on-ground support, regional working groups, and funding opportunities through the Cradle Coast NRM Weed Action Fund. Members who are managing any of the priority weeds above are encouraged to submit a project via the Project Bank by 31 January 2026.

Got questions? Contact [email protected] or call (03) 6234 7117.
Not yet a member? Join us today!

Find out more

Upcoming workshop

Community presentation

When: Tuesday, 16 December
6 -7:30pm

Where: Huon Valley Council Councillor Chambers - 40 Main Street, Huonville OR online

We invite you to come to hear Simon Roberts and John Gooderham present on the findings of their water quality monitoring efforts across the year at 32 sites and what that means for catchment health in the face of warming climates.

RSVP here

Join our team!

Are you an experienced operational leader who thrives in purpose-driven environments? Do you enjoy building the systems, culture, and structure that helps organisations grow?

If you're also skilled at leading teams through change, fostering collaboration, and creating a positive, high-performing workplace, then we might be the right team for you.

Applications close 5pm, 14 December 2025.

Find out more & apply

Other news & events

Property Management Planning workshops

NRM South's Property Management Planning workshops are rolling out in the Coal Valley over summer-autumn 2026.

If you’re managing a small property (5–100 ha) — this is your chance to build a practical property plan, learn about soil, grazing, weeds & native vegetation, and connect with local experts and landholders.
Applications close 8 December.
Find out more.

A changing landscape: webinar

Presented by the Derwent Catchment Project, this webinar on 10 December will help farmers understand and prepare for emissions reporting, carbon farming, and biodiversity market opportunities.
Find out more.

Field day at Forthside

Join the TIA Vegetable Research Facility Field Day at Forthside on Tues, 9 December for an action-packed day designed for growers, industry professionals, and anyone working in Tasmania's horticultural sector.
Find out more.