Community participation in Landcare is diverse, numerically significant and a strategy for engaging community members in learning about and implementing strategies to enhance sustainable biodiversity within surrounding landscapes. This poster is a case study of a Landcare project, Living Landscapes, developed in partnership with government, the catchment management authority and three local landcare groups to facilitate sustained change in three localities.

Three key learnings: (1) The diverse and changing nature of group membership; the participatory learning experiences; the group’s development of a biodiversity management plan; the social capital generated by working together; plus the knowledge creation about supporting ecosystems are documented and analysed as an example of participatory sustainable development. (2) The developmental roles of action catalysts, coordination, leadership and resources are recognised as crucial to initial formation and future survival of the group.