Landcare officially became a national programme in 1989 although efforts to restore and revegetate damaged land have been happening since the 1950s. Today there are over 5,000 Landcare groups in Australia and the idea has spread beyond our shores to a further 20 countries.
In recent years, Landcare groups have recognised the importance of including fungi in their thinking about land rehabilitation. Many are wanting to understand their ecological significance and how to incorporate them in their efforts to revegetate ecosystems.
Various Landcare groups hosted fungus workshops this autumn including Torquay Landcare, Southern Otways Landcare Network and Otway Barham Catchment Landcare Group on the south coast; Strathbogie Tablelands Landcare, Moorabool Catchment Landcare, Upper Spring Creek and West Marong Landcare Groups in central Victoria; Hindmarsh Landcare Network in the Wimmera; and Central West Landcare and Central Tablelands Landcare in NSW.
The Strathbogie Ranges Conservation Management Network in collaboration with the Strathbogie Tablelands Landcare Group have taken things one step further and have just held their second successful Festival of Fungi.
by Alison Pouliot