In the second of Gunning District Landcare's 'Spring Series' seminars for 2019, we were treated to two passionate presentations about biodiversity on farms. Lori Gould, of Grassroots Consulting, addressed the ‘why’ of looking after biodiversity, reminding us of the importance of ecological connections on our farms and properties. She also demonstrated how easy it can be to plan biodiversity planting with some simple principles in mind, demonstrating on a map she pulled out from SIX maps (which is freely available for anyone).

Debra Butt then had us captivated with the story of how her family manages their farm, including the decision to fence off a large portion of their property as part of the Picaree Hill Conservation Project. The Project was a joint initiative involving local landholders, Murrumbateman Landcare Group, and Greening Australia. It also built on previous projects with the result that there is now 54km of habitat corridors spanning numerous properties! Debra also explained how her family makes everyday farm management decisions with the objective (and result) of maintaining groundcover at all times. This was fascinating to everyone in the room, and is a topic that will be further explored at our next seminar on 14^th October.