Landcare Illawarra is a volunteer-led, community-based organisation supporting residents in the Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Kiama council areas on the NSW South Coast. We help individuals get involved in a range of environmental restoration activities.
Our community faces numerous challenges from poor water quality, salinity and erosion, loss of biodiversity, poor soil health, impacts from climate change and extreme weather, pests and invasive species, coastal degradation, marine debris and pollution, and a loss of Australian wildlife.
Over 5,000 Landcare groups around the country are working on these issues, from remote rural communities to bustling busy cities through activities such as seed collections, tree plantings, weed removal, clean up events, erosion control, native species recovery projects, and pest species management. Thousands of everyday Australians get their hands dirty and regularly make a difference, will you?
Our Priorities
Preventing fragmentation of remnant ecosystems and connecting islands of native vegetation
Ensuring continuing environmental education and knowledge sharing
Safeguarding threatened species and ecological communities
Cultivating and nurturing collaborative partnerships locally and regionally
Building our social,
financial and environmental sustainability
Mitigating impacts of climate change and natural disasters on local landscapes
What do we do?
Landcare Illawarra is a volunteer-led, community-based organisation supporting residents in the Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Kiama council areas on the NSW South Coast. We help individuals get involved in a range of environmental restoration activities.
In collaboration with government partners at all levels and local businesses, we provide services that empower communities to protect, repair, and regenerate the Illawarra landscape. We focus on knowledge-sharing and best practices to ensure effective environmental stewardship.
Together, we offer:
- Support for establishing new Landcare groups
- Connections to existing Landcare groups and their regular working bees
- Access to community planting events and nature ‘walkshops’
- Educational workshops on bush regeneration, plant identification, weed management, seed collection, propagation, and more
- Expert talks on environmental science, sustainability, and related topics through our Talking Landcare series
- Opportunities to contribute through our volunteer committee
Who runs Landcare Illawarra?
We are a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation led by a dedicated committee. We are guided by the Landcare Illawarra Strategic Plan 2024- 2027.
The 2025 Landcare Illawarra AGM, held on Saturday 29 November, elected the 2025-2026 committee.
Office Bearers
Chair: Emma Rooksby
Vice Chair: Michael Andrews
Secretary: Ruth Jenkins
Treasurer: Mark Greaves
Committee Members: Alison Windsor, Carl Glaister
Through the NSW Landcare Enabling Program, a partnership between Landcare NSW and Local Land Services (LLS) funded by the NSW Government, we employ a part-time Local Landcare Coordinator (three days a week).
All projects, events, and on-ground Landcare work are funded by membership, grants and donations.
When do we meet?
We hold monthly open committee meetings (via Zoom or in person) on the fourth Thursday of each month. All members are welcome to attend.
Please contact our membership officer in advance if you’d like to join a meeting (for catering purposes!) membership@landcareillawarra.org.au
We aim for ten meetings per year, including three Talking Landcare evenings. Our AGM is held in November, where the committee is re-elected.
📅 2026 Committee Meeting Schedule (PDF)
Join Landcare Illawarra
Each established Landcare group has a group membership, renewed annually for $30. If you attend regular working bees, you can join the group at no cost and automatically become a Landcare Illawarra member with insurance coverage.
If you can’t attend regularly but want to contribute, you can join as an individual member for $10 per year. Group members can also join as individual members to further support our work. Thank you!
All members receive our monthly e-newsletter with information on all working bees, educational workshops and other opportunities to get involved in projects.
Individual Membership form (pdf)
Group Membership form (pdf)
2025 Group membership online form
2025 Membership of a group for individuals form (pdf)
2025 Membership of a group for individuals online form
Talking Landcare
Our Talking Landcare events go beyond tree planting and weed removal. These community information evenings explore volunteer action, environmental science, sustainability, and conservation. We invite local experts, researchers, businesses, and government representatives to share their knowledge on topics like:
- Genetic diversity and biodiversity
- Endangered ecological communities
- Conservation and habitat protection
- Fire and ecology
- Cultural knowledge and land management
- Local government sustainability initiatives
💡 Got an idea for a Talking Landcare topic? We welcome suggestions for engaging and diverse speakers—let us know!
