Thank you for volunteering with the Cumberland Land Conservancy. We are a volunteer operated charity established to protect and restore the natural environment of western Sydney. Our core purpose is to acquire and conserve land locally for wildlife conservation. The Cumberland Plain is one of the most heavily cleared landscapes in Australia. The dominant vegetation (‘Cumberland Plain Woodland’) has been reduced to less than 6% of its original extent and is now Critically Endangered. This woodland is habitat for a remarkable diversity of flora and fauna including many species found nowhere else. During your field days with us, you will gain practical experience and our skilled supervisors look forward to share their knowledge with you. The field days and your investigations on the topics are part of the requirements for the World Scout Environment Badge.
By helping us to restore the native vegetation on our properties, you will be involved in creating sufficient natural habitats to support native species by using the most suitable environmental practices. We will teach you in bush regeneration and habitat enhancement and explain to you how we manage our properties.
Some research topics to support your experience are: urbanisation and habitat fragmentation, Cumberland Plain Woodland, bush regeneration
On our property Wallaroo we have a monthly streamwatch group. Volunteers of this group measure water quality of Mulgoa Creek. You will be a part of this and learn about creek ecosystems and factors impacting water quality. During this activity we will discuss sources of clean water and clean air in the local environment. We will also have a look at the landfill from our property and will discuss how this might impact the ecosystem.
Some research topics to support your experience are: runoff from urban areas, how farming influences water quality, environmental impact of waste."