News

Bush tucker gardens, nature trails, nest boxes, and an arboretum are just some of the exciting Junior Landcare projects currently underway in New South Wales and Western Australia.

Launched last year, the South32 Junior Landcare Enhancing Habitat grants program provided grants of up to $5,000 to assist 12 schools enhance and restore habitats within school grounds or local communities.

Hundreds of students are currently getting stuck into the projects in the Collie region of Western Australia and Illawarra region of New South Wales. With lots of opportunities to get involved right from the start, students have been planning and researching plant species and garden layouts, digging holes, helping to construct nest boxes, and hosting working bees.

The projects already have some great outcomes and provided fantastic hands-on learning experiences for the students. Projects include:

• In St Brigid’s School in WA, 150 students have learned how to successfully germinate and raise seedlings
• The Red-Tailed Phascogale will benefit from brand new nest boxes in Darkan South Road School in WA, and fauna monitoring cameras will help the students learn more about the behaviour of the species
• Students from Unanderra Public School in NSW have worked with the Wollongong Botanic Gardens to learn about native plant species, and how to properly plant and care for them. Two fantastic garden beds have been installed in the school as a result.

Well done to all students, teachers, and Landcarers involved in these projects. We can’t wait to hear more as work continues!