Bush Regeneration Volunteer Hours
What are we monitoring?
The number of hours spent by volunteers doing bush regeneration as part of Blue Mountains City Council assisted programs.
Council assisted programs include Bushcare and Landcare, both of which support a number of community volunteer groups. Both Bushcare and Landcare seek to regenerate specific sites. Bushcare supports groups working on public land. Landcare supports groups working on private land. TAFE (Techncial and Further Education) runs courses in bush regeneation and, as part of these courses, Council assists students to work on public land to attain their skills.
The trend information in the graph and table below shows the number of hours of voluntary bush regeneration carried out under Council-assisted programs since July 1999. These programs include Bushcare, Landcare and TAFE Bush Regeneration Courses.
| Year | Volunteer hours |
|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | 5040 |
| 2000-2001 | 6000 |
| 2001-2002 | 7000 |
| 2002-2003 | 7100 |
| 2003-2004 | 7200 |
| 2004-2005 | 6520 |
| 2005-2006 | 7440 |
| 2006-2007 | 8290 |
What is the trend?
The number of hours spent by volunteers regenerating bushland under Council-assisted programs has been increasing since 1999-2000. There was a slight decrease in the 2004-2005 financial year compared to the previous year. This was due mainly to the loss of TAFE bush regeration as a result of occupational health and safety issues. Another increase in the number of volunteer hours was observed for 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 period.
Why is monitoring this trend important?
Voluntary bush regeneration produces multiple benefits. It rebuilds the state or condition of the natural assets on which all life depends. It fosters within us a stronger and more realistic appreciation of our bond with the rest of the natural world. It provides an opportunity for us to act as a community in building and maintaining our social assets and in achieving common goals.
This trend information provides one measure of the community's capacity to respond and work as volunteers. It also provides a measure of the community's response to weed invasion and other pressures on our bushland.
Source
The data above is derived from State of Environment Reports showing the volunteer hours worked for bush regeneration in Council-assisted programs. These reports derive their information from Council records.