Landcare advocates have had to get "sneaky" to secure funding as environmental care and restoration morphs into something more akin to a financial market.
Alison Southwell noticed the trend emerging about 2022.
"There was not the public funding of basic restoration on private land.
"It was just not possible to get funding," the executive officer of the Holbrook Landcare Network in southern NSW told the Landcare Australia conference.
But as the funding landscape changes amid the rise of natural capital markets and environmental, social, and governance-led investment, landcarers need to change too.
"We need to make sure that the good information that we hold in our heads is going to be getting to those doing the work on the ground," Dr Southwell said.
Capturing that knowledge also sparked a realisation that demonstration sites could be used to get areas revegetated.
"That was the sneaky way that we thought we could actually get some funding for landholders.
"For 30 years we've been doing this work, our aim was to boost that private on-farm investment in natural capital, (and) enhance resilience through climate-ready revegetation."
The project led to updated and region-specific revegetation guidebooks being developed, replacing old resources that had become outdated and gone out of print, and being brought online.
The dozens of demonstration sites also provided practical examples of the results that can be achieved.
The project was one of dozens the Holbrook network is involved in its attempts to bolster environmental stewardship.
Its efforts have been recognised with the awarding of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award.
The awards were presented during a closing-night gala for the 2025 Landcare Australia conference on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
Landcare Australia chief executive Shane Norrish said the finalists made impactful contributions to landcare, but the winners demonstrated extraordinary efforts that stood out on a national level.
The Holbrook group was recognised for its work achieving positive and enduring changes in agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and social capacity in its local region.
"The work's not over, we've got a lot of things that we'd like to do next," Dr Southwell said.
The Landcare Australia conference will be followed on Wednesday by the National Farmers Federation's AgXchange conference.
FULL LIST OF 2025 NATIONAL LANDCARE AWARD WINNERS:
* Bob Hawke Landcare Award: Holbrook Landcare Network, NSW
* General Jeffery Soil Health Award: Dr Susan Orgill, ACT
* Australian Government Climate Innovation Award: Grant and Carly Burnham, Qld
* Australian Government Sustainable Agriculture Landcare Award: Leather Cattle Co, Qld
* Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award: Vivienne Briggs, Tas
* Australian Government Community Partnerships Landcare Award: Merri Creek Management Committee, Vic
* Greyhound Coastcare Award: Kingston Beach Coastcare, Tas
* First Nations Landcare Collaboration Award: Dampier Peninsula Fire Working Group, WA
* Women in Landcare Award: Nell Chaffey, NSW
* NextGen Landcare Award: Bryce Watts-Parker, Vic
* Junior Landcare Award: Tavish Bloom, Vic
This AAP article was made possible by support from Landcare Australia and the National Farmers' Federation.
