We are a network of community members and council/shire officers from across Victoria supporting each other to involve local residents, schools and businesses to join us in caring for and acting to conserve the native plants and animals of our communities.

Biodiversity loss is one of the top five global threats. Gardens of all shapes and sizes can help to address this loss by providing wildlife with valuable habitat and acting as links between remnant vegetation in reserves and elsewhere. Every garden counts!

Our goals are

  • to combat biodiversity loss and to nurture and enhance our flora, fauna and environment
  • to build a network of environmental stewards and champions
  • to build knowledge, skills, confidence and ownership in caring for the land and its wildlife
  • to strengthen connections between residents, nature, community and place
  • to improve wellbeing through experiencing and caring for nature
  • to collect and share stories and data about the impact of our work

we achieve our goals through

  • Promoting community–local government partnerships to develop wildlife gardening programs that improve habitat on private land to supplement habitat on public land
  • Providing tools and workshops to help wildlife gardening programs meet their social and ecological goals
  • Supporting programs to conduct garden visits on private properties and help residents to take conservation action in their gardens
  • Fostering collaboration, connections and wellbeing alongside environmental objectives
  • Sharing ideas and resources, educating, celebrating success, solving problems, and linking individuals who can help each other

YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITIES FROM 2016-2023 HERE

We began in 2016 as a change initiative seeking to ground nature conservation in the everyday lives of Victorians through wildlife gardening, extending conservation efforts from public to private land across municipalities and landscapes. We sought to integrate human wellbeing and community building with our environmental work. Our approach was based on successes documented in research on the Knox Gardens for Wildlife program.

We welcome you to join us.

We are supported by:

Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority
Andrews Foundation

Our participants in councils and shires across Victoria.