Caring for our Country - Landcare Funding

Caring for our Country is the Australian Government’s primary natural resource management program. It aims to achieve an environment that is healthier, better protected, well managed, resilient, and provides essential ecosystem services in a changing climate.

In its initial five years (2008–2013), Caring for our Country provided around $2 billion in funding for natural resource management. Of this, over $180 million has been committed to Landcare activities. Investments under Caring for our Country – Landcare include:

• $61.28 million in Landcare funding for Open Call Business Plan projects.
• $33.6 million over four years for 80 Regional Landcare Facilitators to promote the uptake of sustainable farm and land management practices. The equivalent of one Regional Landcare Facilitator is located in each of the 56 natural resource management regions across Australia.
• $500,000 annually for the National Landcare Facilitator initiative to encourage information sharing, partnerships and networks across Landcare and natural resource management stakeholders.
• $1.4 million per year for Landcare Australia Limited to support community Landcare including the Landcare Australia website, the Landcare directory of groups, National Landcare Awards, community service announcements, publications such as Landcare in Focus, Landcare week activities and to raise corporate and community awareness.
• $500 000 for the Australian Landcare Council – the Australian Government’s key advisory body on Landcare and natural resource management.

The review of the first phase of Caring for our Country found that the initiative has been effective in setting and delivering Australian Government investment priorities and is on track to deliver on its five–year outcomes and contribute to improving the condition of our natural resources at the landscape scale. The first phase of Caring for our Country will finish on 30 June 2013.

In May 2012, the Australian Government announced $2.2 billion funding for the second phase of Caring for our Country (2013–2018), which will be delivered through two separate, but complementary streams – sustainable agriculture and sustainable environment. This will allow for greater efficiency and focused delivery of our priorities in line with the government’s broader sustainability agenda.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) will deliver the Sustainable Agriculture stream and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) will deliver the Sustainable Environment stream.