Montreat Landcare

Landcare is a conservation movement that brings local communities, private corporations and government agencies together to support hands-on action to promote sustainable land and water management. Originating in Australia in 1989 to restore severely damaged ecosystems “one watershed at a time,” landcare combines the following:

• personal responsibility for the land and the environment -- and grassroots ownership of challenges and solutions -- builds a societal land ethic or stewardship ethic. Landcare groups identify their own problems and craft their own solutions. This in turn provides broad public support for preservation and restoration of natural assets
• “neighbors helping neighbors” via community-based volunteer groups
• whole-systems thinking -- an ecosystem-based or “integrated natural resource management” approach. None of the neighbors acting alone can solve the problems. This leads to a “We’re all in this together” mindset and supports broad ownership of decisions and a high level of trust up and down the line.
• integrated, scientific management of working lands
• good group process and effective facilitation and coordination
• ecosystem maintenance and restoration
• multiple funding streams including corporate funding of conservation projects -- for every dollar of cash invested in projects, landcare leverages $3.50 in volunteer labor
• Apolitical and non-partisan approaches – “middle of the road,” leading to a low level of divisiveness and strong support from “all sides of the aisle”