Step into the future of environmental collaboration with the Rural Landholder Initiative, Council's flagship program. Since 2015, this pioneering effort has driven 218 projects, planted 50,000 trees, and managed 360 hectares of vital land, fostering active community engagement and emerging leaders.
The initiative offers annual grants to rural landholders, providing resources and labour for on-ground projects that protect and enhance critical areas like koala habitats, riverbanks, and remnant vegetation. Successful projects are distinguished by careful planning, community consultation, and strong landholder commitment.
Join us in driving environmental progress, where innovation and community action create a greener, sustainable future.
To be eligible, you must meet the criteria outlined in the RLI Policies and Guidelines:
- Only landholders within the Lismore LGA can apply.
- All landholders involved in a group application must be current on rate payments to Lismore City Council.
- Projects focused solely on beautification or amenity improvements without significant environmental outcomes are not eligible.
- Projects tied to development consent conditions are not eligible.
- An equal cash or in-kind contribution is required.
- Successful applicants must agree to maintain the project site beyond the funding period.
We strongly recommend preparing a written project plan. Projects with ongoing, well-documented efforts have a higher chance of receiving funding.
Examples of simple project plans are available in our Additional resources section of this page.
Lismore City Council is currently accepting Expressions of Interest for the Rural Landholder Initiative (RLI) Community Grants. This program invites landholders to collaborate on environmental projects that benefit the broader rural community. For those part of community groups, applications can be submitted until 2 February 2025 for projects beginning in July 2025. Individual landholders will be able to apply in Spring 2025 for projects on private property starting in July 2026.
The RLI Community Grants aim to fund projects that achieve large-scale, strategic outcomes by bringing together landholders, neighbours, and industry stakeholders. Up to $50,000 over three years will be available for on-ground activities such as bush regeneration and habitat restoration.
Interested groups are encouraged to review the community grants guidelines and begin preparing their proposals. Proposals should align with the principles of the Lismore City Council Biodiversity Management Strategy and aim to benefit the wider rural communities within the LGA.
The submission portal will be open from October 1, 2024, to February 2, 2025.
Who can apply?
The Council invites applications from community groups that have a suitable governance structure for managing public funds. This includes incorporated Landcare groups, industry bodies, and other non-profit organizations whose missions align with the Council’s Biodiversity Management Strategy.
Funding priorities
Projects that address the following themes will be prioritised:
- Native Habitat Health and Connectivity: Improving and connecting natural habitats.
- Environmental Improvements through Regenerative Farming: Enhancing environmental practices within agriculture.
- Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience: Initiatives that mitigate floods and droughts, build landscape resilience, and improve overall catchment health.
- Community Engagement and Capacity Building: Programs that enhance community involvement and agricultural industry skills.
While many projects will focus on traditional environmental improvements, the Community Grants program also encourages innovative and collaborative solutions for managing rural landscapes. If your project idea doesn’t fully align with the outlined themes, you’re encouraged to discuss it with council staff before applying.
How to apply
Expressions of Interest will be accepted through an online portal, open from 1 October, 2024, to 2 February, 2025, giving groups ample time to develop detailed plans.
You can find a PDF version of the form here(PDF, 2MB), but please submit your application using the online form. You can complete the form in multiple sessions, as your changes will be saved automatically.
Apply here
We are excited to be launching our community grants delivery of the Rural Landholder Initiative and looking forward to receiving your applications for strategic projects aimed at enhancing the biodiversity of and building the capacity of our rural communities.
For further details please contact The Rural Landholder Initiative officer, David Dreher on 02 6625 0500.
It’s been a whirlwind these past couple of months, with two highly successful workshops as part of the Rural Landholder Initiative.
At Goolmangar Hall, Stuart Andrews led an engaging session on Landscape Hydration principles, drawing a large crowd and sparking lively discussions that continued well past the scheduled end time.
Our Koonorigan event focused on managing koala habitat, attracting enthusiastic landowners eager to learn. The day was further enriched by a walk-through a nearby Rural Landholder Initiative property, showcasing practical steps for habitat improvement.
As the days warm up, we’re gearing up for our Spring and Autumn workshops.
In October, we’ll launch the Rural Landholder Initiative’s community grants program and host a drop-in session in November at the Lismore Library Meeting Rooms. This session will offer guidance from council staff, Landcare coordinators and industry experts to help refine applications. Stay tuned for more details.
Our Spring workshops will build on Stuart Andrews’ Principles of Landscape Hydration, focusing on practical applications in the North Coast. We’ll also address the spread of Bell Miners with a workshop on their behaviour, distribution and environmental impact, offering practical management advice.
Keep an eye on our website for updates on upcoming events!
Lismore City Council offers free field days for rural landholders that focus on practical land management techniques, such as managing environmental weeds, restoring waterways, and protecting threatened species habitats.
The field days provide an opportunity for landholders to network, share experiences and learn from land management leaders.
Below is a series of short videos from some of our previous field days highlighting a range of interesting topics:
Goolmangar Workshop and Field Day - Landscape Hydration
Georgica Field Day – Rural Lifestyle and Biodiversity
Whian Whian Field Day – Mixed Orchards and Biodiversity
Coraki Field Day – Floodplain Cropping and Biodiversity
Boatharbour Field Day – Grazing and Biodiversity in our Water Catchments
High Conservation Value (HCV) is an area of land that supports important species, populations, habitats, or communities.
The Biodiversity Management Strategy identifies criteria for determining HCV areas, such as land containing threatened species or populations, key habitats for threatened fauna and flora, endangered ecological communities, priority vertebrate assemblages, koala habitat, rainforest, old growth forest, native riparian vegetation, wetland and estuarine vegetation, and very high priority wildlife corridors.
Council's Environmental Officers can provide more details and the HCV areas can be viewed on Council's online mapping tool.
The floodplains of the Richmond River are a priority to protect and enhance through weed management, revegetation, erosion control and habitat improvement. Retaining, rehabilitating and conserving existing native floodplain vegetation on riverbanks and wetlands is encouraged.
Fencing for stock exclusion and off stream watering in sensitive riparian areas and wetlands on the floodplain may be eligible for increased funding of $2500 where it is undertaken with habitat restoration actions and a successful Rural Landholder Initiative project.
Restoration activities on the floodplains are informed by the Coastal Zone Management Plan. This is a catchment-wide initiative.
- Property Planning - the Big Picture(PDF, 634KB)
- Template - Site Action Plan(PDF, 575KB)
- Template - Site Action Plan (Simple One Pager)(PDF, 336KB)
- Template - Property and Site Action Plan(PDF, 320KB)
- Site Action Plan Guidelines (Bush Futures)(PDF, 547KB)
- Example - Farm Plan (production based)(PDF, 250KB)
- Example - Maintenance Plan(PDF, 4MB)
- Example - Draft Roseberry Creek Quarry Plan(PDF, 2MB)
- Fact sheet - Easy Steps Towards a Property Plan(PDF, 448KB)
- Fact sheet - Governing Policy in Rural Areas (Byron Shire Council)(PDF, 872KB)
- Native Vegetation Plantings (RRCC)(PDF, 282KB)
- Revegetation Guide for Subtropical Forest(PDF, 2MB)
- Revegetating Streams in the Richmond Catchment - a Guide to Species and Planting Methods(PDF, 1MB)
Websites
The Farm Health Assessment Tool
The Farm Health Assessment Tool is a self-assessment tool for land management practices and suggested pathways for improvement. These four booklets address land management issues for major industries.