Better Bush for Birds

Across the Central Tablelands, many of our native woodland birds are in decline. Better Bush for Birds is a new regional Landcare project working to restore and reconnect habitat across farms, reserves and community spaces so these species can thrive again. This project will run from 2026 to 2030.

Through practical on-ground work, community engagement and partnerships with landholders, the project will help rebuild the woodland ecosystems that birds depend on.

What We Are Doing

Better Bush for Birds focuses on restoring woodland habitat across the Central Tablelands region through a range of on-ground and community activities.

Over the life of the project we will:

  • Support landholders to plant and protect native vegetation

  • Restore and reconnect woodland habitat across farms and reserves

  • Plant over 15,000 native trees and shrubs

  • Improve over 130 km of habitat connectivity across the landscape

  • Protect and enhance scattered paddock trees and woodland remnants

  • Run community planting days, field days and workshops

  • Deliver training for Landcare coordinators and volunteers in woodland restoration and bird habitat management

These activities will create stepping-stone habitats and corridors that allow birds and other wildlife to move safely across the landscape.

Sites will be selected through a landholder Expression of Interest process, ensuring plantings and restoration work are tailored to each property and landscape.

Why This Work Matters

Woodland bird populations across south-eastern Australia have been declining for decades due to habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. One of the most important ecosystems in our region is Box Gum Grassy Woodland, a critically endangered ecological community that once covered large areas of farmland but now survives only in scattered remnants.

Many iconic bird species rely on these habitats, including:

  • Speckled Warbler

  • Brown Treecreeper

  • Diamond Firetail

These birds depend on healthy woodland structure – including mature paddock trees, shrubs, grasses and fallen timber – for food, nesting and shelter.

Research shows that restoring vegetation, protecting old trees and reconnecting fragmented habitat can significantly improve bird populations and biodiversity across farming landscapes. Landcare plays a vital role in this work by bringing together local knowledge, science and community action to care for our landscapes.

Who Is Involved

Better Bush for Birds is a regional collaboration led by the Central Tablelands Regional Landcare Network.

The project is being delivered in partnership with our five local Landcare networks:

  • Watershed Landcare

  • Lithgow Oberon Landcare

  • Central Tablelands Landcare

  • Little River Landcare

  • Mid Lachlan Landcare

Project Officer

The project is coordinated by Amy Kerr, who is working closely with local Landcare coordinators and Landcare groups across the region to deliver on-ground works, community events and landholder engagement.

Together, this network of coordinators, volunteers and landholders will help deliver meaningful change across the landscape.

A Landscape-Scale Effort

Better Bush for Birds is about more than planting trees. It is about rebuilding healthy landscapes that support wildlife, strengthen ecosystems and help communities care for Country.

By working together across farms, towns and reserves, we can create a connected landscape where woodland birds and the ecosystems they represent can recover and thrive.