LANDCARE champions were honoured in the Western Australian Landcare Awards at The Marina in Mindarie last Thursday night.
The ceremony saw award winners from diverse categories, including farming, coastcare and indigenous land management, announced by representatives of award sponsors, including publisher of Farm Weekly - Australian Community Media and WA landcare community identities.
WA Landcare Network chairman Keith Bradby paid tribute to the finalists and winners and said the event was a great celebration of landcare in WA and recognised individuals, groups and partnerships across WA.
"On behalf of the WA landcare community I congratulate all the finalists and winners in the award categories," Mr Bradby said.
"We are seeing real environmental outcomes from the dedication and commitment of community landcarers and it is important that we continue to support and recognise their tremendous efforts."
Winners of the National Award categories will go on to represent WA at the Australian Landcare Awards in 2020.
Landcare Australia chief executive Shane Norrish also commended all entrants on their outstanding accomplishments.
"It's an honour to be able to recognise the great work being carried out by our Landcare champions in Western Australia," Dr Norrish said.
"Awards like these offer landcarers the ideal opportunity to get together and celebrate the individual and collective achievements of the community."
Dr Norrish said landcarers across Australia deserved to be acknowledged.
The Australian Community Media Landcare Community Group award went to Friends of Upper Lesmurdie Falls Inc - a volunteer group that cares for the area directly above the Lesmurdie Falls National Park in the Perth hills.
The Wunambaal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation won the Indigenous Land Management award for its work on Wunambaal Gaambera country that covers 2.5 million hectares of key cultural and ecological land in the Kimberley region.
The Roebuck Bay Working Group received the Virgin Coastcare Award for its work in protecting, restoring and maintaining the Roebuck Bay catchment area.
Marron Brook Farm, near Manjimup, is this year's winner of the Australian Government Innovation in Agriculture Land Management Award.
Doug Pow purchased Marron Brook Farm in 2009 and has implemented biochar trials in livestock supplementary feeding and amending tree crop (avocado) rhizosphere.
Mr Pow has been described as a minimalist farmer, utilising his livestock and dung beetles - new species which he actively sourced, to remediate pastures.
Other winners included Care for Hedland Environmental Association (Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award), Basil Schur (Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award), Dan Friesen (Austcover Young Landcare Leadership Award), Year 5 Environmental Officers, Churchlands Primary School (Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award) and The Margaret River Organic Farmer (highly commended in the Australian Government Landcare Farming Award).