Harnessing the Benefits of Volunteerism in Natural Areas
WALGA partnered with Perth NRM, SERCUL, the WA Landcare Network and other key environmental organisations to host a workshop on Harnessing the Benefits of Volunteering in Natural Areas on 20 May 2022. The workshop provided information on the responsibility of volunteer managers under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020, case studies of Local Governments with successful support arrangements for volunteer groups, and insights from volunteers themselves. Attendees participated in an interactive mentimeter session to identify key capacity gaps and resources needed to help Local Governments build upon current approaches to managing volunteers. The workshop celebrated National Volunteering Week 16-22 May and the International Day for Biodiversity on Sunday 22 May.
The presentations from the workshop can be found below:
- Program
- Key issues for volunteer managers (Louise Giles, Volunteering WA)
- What value do natural area volunteers provide to land managers? (Amy Krupa, SERCUL and Dan Friesen, Perth NRM)
- Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and volunteers – what’s changed? (Katherine Kempin and Andrew Greig, LGIS)\
- Friends group manuals - a way to engage and manage volunteers (Sue Waite, Town of Cambridge)
- Conservation volunteer group funding (Chanel Cronje, City of Stirling)
- Providing tailored support for volunteer groups (Brad Thompson, City of Swan)
- Garnering volunteer passion and navigating difficult circumstances (Cr Adin Lang, City of Fremantle)
- Building collaborative communities in regional areas (Lisa Bickley, Gero Clean Up Crew)
- The value of intermediate groups - enduring partnerships between Local Government and community through the Armadale Gosnells Landcare Group (Narelle Mewburn, AGLG)
- Facilitated mentimeter session (Melanie Davies, WALGA and Dr Ingrid Sieler, Perth NRM)