It has been two decades of work to rehabilitate and enhance landscapes in Melbourne’s west.
Grow West is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, with plenty of achievements over the years, including planting more than 1.4 million seedlings, revegetating more than 2,500 hectares of land, staging 18 community planting days, and engaging with more than 3,000 committed volunteers.
Grow West implementation committee chair Justin Horne said a lot of passionate and engaged people have worked with the organisation over the years to achieve a wide range of very positive environmental results.
“I’m particularly proud of the sense of community between landowners and government staff that we’ve been able to cultivate,” he said.
“Grow West would not have been the success that it is without the strength of relationships, with so much of this due to the great work done by Grow West coordinators over the years.”
Grow West’s long term focus is to also reduce the spread of noxious weeds and pest animals by educating landholders on sustainable land management approaches, protect profitable
farming land, reducing erosion and improving local services.
Mr Horne said Grow West is looking ahead to the future, with plans to continue work on ecological restoration outcomes and to increase their engagement, and build relationships, with First Nations groups.
“We’re really committed to the continued development of relationships with both the Wurundjeri and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners,” Mr Horne said.
“I’m really excited at the potential knowledge sharing that can occur between our First Nations people and Grow West. This will not only deepen the outcomes beyond ‘just’ landscape
restoration, but take us on the path of cultural restoration.”
Grow West is a partnership between Greater Western Water, Southern Rural Water, Parks Victoria, Moorabool Shire council, Melton council, Moorabool Landcare Network, the state government, and Melbourne Water – the Catchment Management Authority.
