Why get involved?
The Bushcare Program provides benefits to both the general community and the individual volunteer. The benefits to the general community that stem from a volunteer bush regeneration program include the reversal of bushland degradation, the development of community spirit, a sense of pride and achievement, the conservation of biodiversity, raising community awareness, education and the improvement of aesthetic values related to natural bushland.
The individual volunteer also gains an array of benefits for their involvement with the Bushcare Program.
These include:
- great outdoor working environment
- healthy, active and fun activities
- social interaction (meeting other volunteers)
- training opportunities
- learning more about natural ecosystems and environmental processes
How do Bushcarers contribute to Bush Regeneration?
Bush regeneration is the practice of restoring bushland by focusing on reinstating and reinforcing the system's ongoing natural regeneration processes. Each volunteer group aims to rehabilitate the bush from a weed infested or otherwise degraded plant community to a healthy community composed of locally occurring native plants.
Bush regeneration programs are long term commitments that require the development of a variety of skills, concepts and techniques. These cannot be obtained overnight, they are developed through a combination of learning, research and observation.
Bush regeneration is not just weed removal, it is an integrated approach that encourages the bush to 'bounce back' through natural processes. This approach must focus on many aspects of the environment such as habitat, drainage, weed sources and establishing native communities.
