Community Solutions

Grassy White Box Woodlands

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Brief Outline

Grassy White Box Woodlands are found in small scattered patches along the lower western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, from southern to northern NSW, and in a small number of locations in north-eastern Victoria and southern Queensland.

The woodland system, with its White Box trees, native grasses and native wildflowers, is one of the most threatened plant communities in south-eastern Australia.

The Community Solutions components of the Grassy Box Woodland Project are designed to build on previous research, working with landholders and public land managers, to identify remnant patches, to assess their conservation value, and through the provision of financial incentives, to assist in managing them to conserve that conservation value.

At the core of this Grassy White Box Woodlands Project is the establishment of an integrated information, management and support structure for public and private landholders.

There are three main components to the Project -

1. Providing support for land managers through GBW Rural Liaison Officers
   The GWB Rural Liaison Officers are active property managers who are leaders in their communities, who take on this work in a part time capacity. The positions link in with the scientific and technical expertise at Charles Sturt University and other academic institutions and with the expertise available in government agencies, and provide “best practice” information by phone and in person. The Officers are proactive in approaching landholders known to have important GWB remnants on their property. They also provide information to the scientific community about initiatives in GWB management emerging from on-the-ground managers.
2. Providing support through financial incentives
   The Project will have a small fund for distribution to land owners and managers for GWB protection within agreed management strategies. This funding will provide a financial incentive for involvement in protection activities - a crucial factor according to the participants in an earlier Grassy White Box project.
3. Providing support through identification and assessment of GWB
   The Project will develop and distribute an information kit. The kit will assist landholders
   • to correctly identify GWB remnants
   • to assess GWB ecological status and identify factors that contribute to its decline
   • by disseminating information on practical management options (fencing, weed control, use of fire) and their role in conserving GWB.