Every weekend, Canberra’s Landcare volunteers plant native plants and restore grassy ecosystems in suburbs, but sometimes their hard work is undone by routine mowing.

Due to a lack of communication between volunteer land carers and the ACT Government’s mowing contractors, their planted areas are mown over, says Greens MLA Jo Clay.

Mowing can kill plants and sometimes wildlife; spread weeds, which out-compete native plants that animals depend on; and even throw leaves and grass clippings into waterways, feeding algae.

Mowing also creates a very sterile habitat, says Dr John Giacon, convenor of the Emu Creek Landcare group in Belconnen. (Of course, it was necessary in some places, he noted.)

“If we want to have wildlife, if we want to have bees and insects and birds and lizards, we’ve got to create the habitat where they can find food and where they can shelter.”

That is why Ms Clay, Greens spokesperson for Parks and Conservation, has a motion next week to protect urban Landcare plantings from mowing. It will call on the government to work more closely with its mowing contractors and to connect with volunteer land carers to protect conservation areas.

“One of the great things about living in Canberra is we have these beautiful wildlife areas … right here in our city, amongst our homes,” she said. “It’s really important that we take care of those areas, put up signs [about types of plants and animals that live there], and make sure we don’t mow over the top of them.”

Ms Clay had an encouraging meeting with Chris Steel, ACT Minister for City Services, about her motion. The government would soon make announcements about better urban land care, she expected.

“ACT Labor will not support a general ‘no-mow’ approach,” Mr Steel said. “We know that Canberrans want their suburbs kept tidy and safe. That’s why the ACT Government increased funding for our mowing program in this year’s Budget.

“Designated conservation areas are already clearly marked with bollard signs and are not mown, unless that forms part of the conservation plan for that site.

“We will consult with the community on their expectations for the maintenance of different public spaces later this year including where volunteer activities are underway.”

Karissa Preuss, CEO of Landcare ACT, welcomed the motion. “It will really support the work that on ground Landcare is doing in looking after and restoring these special places.”

Emu Creek is a case in point. Volunteers create habitat for native flora and fauna behind Renny Place, but some of their plantings have been mown over.

Now, Dr Giacon said, his Landcare group has good co-operation with government agencies; half a hectare is not mown, and local wildlife is returning to the revegetated area.

“I’m not going to see those trees have hollows in them with sugar gliders and parrots nesting in them – but we don’t work with what we’re going to see; we work with what this is going to be like in 100 years’ time.”

The Landcare group’s work keeps carbon in the earth, retains water, cleans the ecosystem, and cools the neighbourhood by transpiration and providing shade, he explained.

But other areas around Canberra that could benefit from care are routinely mown, he said, damaging the environment.

“Emu Creek is a model of what we can achieve in other mown areas around Canberra to restore our bush and create healthy ecosystems.”

And that, Ms Clay believes, is crucial as climate change puts pressure on the environment. “We need to make more areas for wildlife in our urban areas, and we need to look after those areas.”

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