Tasmania’s leading landcare group, Tamar NRM, has signed the State’s first international sister Landcare partnership, with the US group, Grayson LandCare of Virginia.

The partnership will be built on an exchange of information that will allow two dynamic and community-focused groups to benefit from the experience and expertise of each other.

The concept for this partnership arose from a chance meeting of Jerry Moles of the New River Land Trust, the facilitator of Grayson Landcare and Ian Sauer, President of Tamar NRM and Don Defenderfer (State Landcare Coordinator), while they were all presenting papers at the International Landcare Conference in Melbourne last year.

Sister Landcare Partnerships are nothing new for Tamar NRM, which formed its first National Sister Landcare Partnership with the Woady Yalock Landcare Group in Victoria last year, a partnership that has already produced significant benefits.

‘This is an exciting time that puts a truly international flavour to Landcare that will allow two diverse groups to learn from each other’, Ian Sauer said.

Jerry Moles of Grayson LandCare commented that, ‘With Landcare being new in the United States, it is great that we can learn from and exchange ideas with another dynamic and recognised group in a formal setting such as a Sister Landcare Partnership. This is a forward-looking partnership that reflects the global nature of resource management. Both groups can learn a great deal from each other that will add value to the agriculture sector, in particular.’

Mr Moles also noted that ‘Tamar NRM is at the leading edge of resource management and its achievements are impressive. While our environments are markedly different, the processes of organising and assisting people in adapting climatic conditions and recognising new opportunities offer many avenues for cooperation.’

As an early adopter of the LandCare model, the Grayson LandCare group is serving as a model for Landcare in the United States. In addition, Virginia Technological University, a major agricultural and natural resource management university, and a number of agencies of the government of the Commonwealth of Virginia are actively assisting Grayson LandCare.

Mr Sauer reported that the two groups have already exchanged ideas and information that have revealed similarities in the issues both groups need to address.

‘Exchange of information can save a great deal of time and therefore money. With the vegetation and climate challenges Australia faces, we’d be derelict in our duty not to pursue such partnerships and the benefits they promise that State,’ Mr Sauer said.