Rural Landholders Initiative

The Rural Landholder Initiative sign resting against a tree trunk.

Overview

Step into the future of environmental collaboration with the Rural Landholder Initiative, Council's flagship program. Since 2015, this pioneering effort has driven 218 projects, planted 50,000 trees, and managed 360 hectares of vital land, fostering active community engagement and emerging leaders.

The initiative offers annual grants to rural landholders, providing resources and labour for on-ground projects that protect and enhance critical areas like koala habitats, riverbanks, and remnant vegetation. Successful projects are distinguished by careful planning, community consultation, and strong landholder commitment.

Join us in driving environmental progress, where innovation and community action create a greener, sustainable future.

Am I eligible to apply?

To be eligible, you must meet the criteria outlined in the RLI Policies and Guidelines:

  • Only landholders within the Lismore LGA can apply.
  • All landholders involved in a group application must be current on rate payments to Lismore City Council.
  • Lismore City Council staff are not eligible.
  • Projects focused solely on beautification or amenity improvements without significant environmental outcomes are not eligible.
  • Projects tied to development consent conditions are not eligible.
  • An equal cash or in-kind contribution is required.
  • Successful applicants must agree to maintain the project site beyond the funding period.

We strongly recommend preparing a written project plan. Projects with ongoing, well-documented efforts have a higher chance of receiving funding.

Examples of simple project plans are available in our Additional resources section of this page.

Community Grant applications now open

Lismore City Council will begin accepting Expressions of Interest for the Rural Landholder Initiative (RLI) Community Grants starting 1 October, 2024. This program invites landholders to collaborate on environmental projects that benefit the broader rural community. For those part of community groups, applications can be submitted in October 2024 for projects beginning in July 2025. Individual landholders will be able to apply in Spring 2025 for projects starting in July 2026.

The RLI Community Grants aim to fund projects that achieve large-scale, strategic outcomes by bringing together landholders, neighbours, and industry stakeholders. Up to $50,000 over three years will be available for on-ground activities such as bush regeneration and habitat restoration.

Interested groups are encouraged to review the community grants guidelines and begin preparing their proposals. Proposals should align with the principles of the Lismore City Council Biodiversity Management Strategy and aim to benefit the wider rural communities within the LGA.

The submission portal will be open from October 1, 2024, to February 2, 2025. 

Who can apply?

The Council invites applications from community groups that have a suitable governance structure for managing public funds. This includes incorporated Landcare groups, industry bodies, and other non-profit organizations whose missions align with the Council’s Biodiversity Management Strategy.

Funding priorities

Projects that address the following themes will be prioritised:

  • Native Habitat Health and Connectivity: Improving and connecting natural habitats.
  • Environmental Improvements through Regenerative Farming: Enhancing environmental practices within agriculture.
  • Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience: Initiatives that mitigate floods and droughts, build landscape resilience, and improve overall catchment health.
  • Community Engagement and Capacity Building: Programs that enhance community involvement and agricultural industry skills.

While many projects will focus on traditional environmental improvements, the Community Grants program also encourages innovative and collaborative solutions for managing rural landscapes. If your project idea doesn’t fully align with the outlined themes, you’re encouraged to discuss it with council staff before applying.

How to apply

Expressions of Interest will be accepted through an online portal, open from 1 October, 2024, to 2 February, 2025, giving groups ample time to develop detailed plans.

You can find a PDF version of the form here(PDF, 2MB), but please submit your application using the online form. You can complete the form in multiple sessions, as your changes will be saved automatically.

Apply here

To assist applicants, a community information drop-in session will be held in November. This session, designed to offer advice and guidance, will take place at a central location and be available during both business and after-hours. For more information about the session and updates on the Community Grants program, visit the Rural Landholder Initiative website.
  • Lismore Library Meeting Room
  • At Lismore Central Shopping Centre
  • Thursday 7 November, 2024
  • 3pm to 7pm.

*subject to change - see Council’s Facebook page for updates closer to the event date 

We are excited to be launching our community grants delivery of the Rural Landholder Initiative and looking forward to your receiving you’re your applications for strategic projects aimed at enhancing the biodiversity of and building the capacity of our rural communities.

For further details please contact The Rural Landholder Initiative officer, David Dreher on 02 6625 0500.

Upcoming field days in 2024

It’s been a whirlwind these past couple of months, with two highly successful workshops as part of the Rural Landholder Initiative.

At Goolmangar Hall, Stuart Andrews led an engaging session on Landscape Hydration principles, drawing a large crowd and sparking lively discussions that continued well past the scheduled end time.

Our Koonorigan event focused on managing koala habitat, attracting enthusiastic landowners eager to learn. The day was further enriched by a walk-through a nearby Rural Landholder Initiative property, showcasing practical steps for habitat improvement.

As the days warm up, we’re gearing up for our Spring and Autumn workshops.

In October, we’ll launch the Rural Landholder Initiative’s community grants program and host a drop-in session in November at the Lismore Library Meeting Rooms. This session will offer guidance from council staff, Landcare coordinators and industry experts to help refine applications. Stay tuned for more details.

Our Spring workshops will build on Stuart Andrews’ Principles of Landscape Hydration, focusing on practical applications in the North Coast. We’ll also address the spread of Bell Miners with a workshop on their behaviour, distribution and environmental impact, offering practical management advice.

Keep an eye on our website for updates on upcoming events!

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Enhancing the initiative for better outcomes

After eight years, a review of the initiative has led to improvements for better outcomes and streamlined delivery. Starting November 2023, individual private rural property projects can apply for increased grants of up to $15,000 over three years, recognising the benefits of larger projects and extended management periods.

The grant program will now be biannual, with industry, community and groups applying in alternate years for collective environmental projects. Beginning November 2024, $50,000 grants over three years will support strategic outcomes across the region, such as multi-property habitat projects. These enhancements reflect Council's commitment to environmental progress.

Round 11 applications closed on December 15, 2023.

Stay tuned to this website for more information.

For more, contact initiative officer David Dreher at environmentalstrategies@lismore.nsw.gov.au or 0447 554 072 for details.

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Free field days for local landholders

Lismore City Council offers free field days for rural landholders that focus on practical land management techniques, such as managing environmental weeds, restoring waterways, and protecting threatened species habitats.

The field days provide an opportunity for landholders to network, share experiences and learn from land management leaders.

Below is a series of short videos from some of our previous field days highlighting a range of interesting topics:

Goolmangar Workshop and Field Day - Landscape Hydration

Georgica Field Day – Rural Lifestyle and Biodiversity

Whian Whian Field Day – Mixed Orchards and Biodiversity

Coraki Field Day – Floodplain Cropping and Biodiversity

Boatharbour Field Day – Grazing and Biodiversity in our Water Catchments

High conservation value areas across the LGA

High Conservation Value (HCV) is an area of land that supports important species, populations, habitats, or communities.

The Biodiversity Management Strategy identifies criteria for determining HCV areas, such as land containing threatened species or populations, key habitats for threatened fauna and flora, endangered ecological communities, priority vertebrate assemblages, koala habitat, rainforest, old growth forest, native riparian vegetation, wetland and estuarine vegetation, and very high priority wildlife corridors.

Council's Environmental Officers can provide more details and the HCV areas can be viewed on Council's online mapping tool

Restoration on the floodplain

The floodplains of the Richmond River are a priority to protect and enhance through weed management, revegetation, erosion control and habitat improvement. Retaining, rehabilitating and conserving existing native floodplain vegetation on riverbanks and wetlands is encouraged. 

Fencing for stock exclusion and off stream watering in sensitive riparian areas and wetlands on the floodplain may be eligible for increased funding of $2500 where it is undertaken with habitat restoration actions and a successful Rural Landholder Initiative project.

Restoration activities on the floodplains are informed by the Coastal Zone Management Plan. This is a catchment-wide initiative.