Landcare particpation in Australia: the volunteer perspective

Abstract

There are over 4000 community Landcare groups involving over 120 000 volunteer members working to achieve more sustainable use of Australia's farming lands and to conserve biodiversity. After reviewing the achievements of the community Landcare program the authors discuss their research investigating Landcare participation in terms of the theory of volunteerism. This research indicated that Landcare participants: were younger, more educated and more involved in other community groups; and were motivated by task orientation, a desire for learning and for social interaction. These results are consistent with the theory of volunteerism. Voluntary groups are not self-managing or costless. Given the resources invested through Landcare, particularly via the $1.25 billion Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), it is critical that these groups are properly managed and adequately resourced. At present there is no systematic approach to the management of Landcare groups, and critical policy and management issues threaten to undermine their effectiveness. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.