The Robinvale and District Landcare Group grew out of a desire by Annuello, Robinvale and Wemen landholders wanting to pursue projects in their own area and to have greater access to machinery than they were able to get from neighbouring Landcare groups. A number of issues were considered unique to the area or of a greater priority in the Robinvale district than in other neighbouring groups. The formation of a local Landcare group would reinvigorate local landholders on a range of resource management issues.

The Robinvale and District Landcare Group formed in April 1998. The average membership is 25 to 30. Membership of dryland farmers in the area is around 90%. By contrast, the membership of horticulturists and the non-farming community is quite low.

Past and Present Projects:

• A Rabbit Ripping Program funded by the State Government enabled the ripping of all roadsides in tbe district with specialised machinery. This project is still being undertaken, along with sustainable farming tours, fox campaigns, rabbit poisoning campaigns and the protection of remnant vegetation.
• A two-year project called The rehabilitation of Fragile Soils aims to stabilise eroding sand dunes on agricultural land and restore water use in the Robinvale District. It is funded by NHT.
• A fox control program that has been ongoing for 2 years aims to reduce fox numbers to less than 1 fox per 10 km of transect, hopefully thereby minimising the impacts on the environment and livestock. This project is funded by the group on an annual basis to a total of $15, 000.

The Future:

Pest Animals:

Goal: "To reduce rabbit and fox numbers to acceptable levels and to construct a kangaroo/vermin proof fence around major parks and reserves."

Pest Plants:

Goal: "To eradicate all local priority weeds from the Robinvale district."

Native Vegetation Protection and Enhancement:

Goal: "To establish corridors between major reserves and remnants and to encourage voluntary protection of priority remnants on private land."

Salinity:

Goal: "For salinity control work to be undertaken by all landholders in priority areas."

Soil Erosion:

Goal: "To have sustainable tillage practices adopted more widely in the group area and to undertake sand dune reclamation work on all affected areas."

Group Development:

Goal: "To increase membership to 20% of horticulturalists and 25 non-farming members."

Local Area Action Plan

The Robinvale Landcare Group developed its Local Area Action Plan with assistance from its Landcare Group Facilitator, Jamie Pook, and the Mallee Catchment Management Authority. The purpose of the Local Area Action Plan is to:

• Review and celebrate achievements
• Monitor the progress of current projects
• Reflect on the group's performance and address internal group issues
• Set short to medium term goals
• Plan seasonal and annual activities

The plan will also assist in justifying project bids requiring external funding.

 Download Local Area Action Plan (807KB)