How to become a Landcare Worker

Duties & Tasks of a Landcare Worker

Landcare workers:

• Kill and remove weeds and unwanted vegetation using minimal disturbance techniques or herbicides
• Collect seeds from local and native plants
• Propagate local and native plants
• Replant native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers
• Take part in pest eradication programs
• Collect botanical and environmental data
• Map vegetation
• Construct and maintain tracks and facilities in bushland
• Maintain equipment
• Apply control measures to combat salinity.

Tasks

• Builds trellises for climbing plants and vines.
• Operates machinery to cultivate, fertilise, spray and harvest crops.
• Selects and harvests crops according to size and ripeness, while discarding rotting and over-ripened produce.
• Grades, sorts, bunches and packs produce into containers and loads onto trucks.
• Plants crops using hand tools and farm machines.
• Fells and de-barks non-productive crops and thins young plantations.
• Irrigates land for crop growth.
• Sprays plants, crops and pastures with chemicals to control weed growth, insects, fungus growth and diseases.
• Collects seeds and cultivates seedlings for replanting purposes.
• Maintains farm, forest and garden roads, buildings, facilities, signs and equipment.

Working conditions for a Landcare Worker

Landcare workers frequently use herbicides and equipment to prune trees and remove debris. Much of the work is fairly strenuous and involves a lot of bending and working at ground level. This is an outdoor job and workers are exposed to the elements.

Employment Opportunities for a Landcare Worker

Landcare workers are employed by state, territory and local governments, as well as private organisations and mining companies.Job opportunities are expanding with greater awareness of environmental issues. With experience, and sometimes further training, landcare workers may progress to more senior or specialised roles, such as technical officer, project officer and project manager.

Specializations

Bushland Regenerator

A bushland regenerator aims to restore disrupted native bushland as close as possible to its original, undisturbed state.

Environmental Field Officer

An environmental field officer applies appropriate control measures to assist in protecting and minimising the harmful effects of human activity on the environment.

Environmental Field Officer

An environmental field officer applies appropriate control measures to assist in protecting and minimising the harmful effects of human activity on the environment.

Landcare Worker

Landcare workers perform a range of tasks to maintain and restore native bushland and farmland.

• 

  Average age

  41 years

• 

  Future Growth

  Moderate

• 

  Gender Share

  20% female

• 

  Average full-time

  44 hours

• 

  Weekly Pay

  $1,086

• 

  Skill level rating

  Entry level

• 

  Unemployment

  Average unemployment

• 

  Full-Time Share

  63% Full-Time

• 

  Employment Size

  4,200 workers

• 

  Employment by state

  ACT: 1.2%
  NSW: 43.0%
  NT: 1.6%
  QLD: 17.9%
  SA: 8.0%
  TAS: 1.8%
  VIC: 15.0%
  WA: 11.4%
  
• 

  Age brackets

  15-19: 3.3%
  20-24: 13.8%
  25-34: 20.4%
  35-44: 19.3%
  45-54: 21.3%
  55-59: 10.2%
  60-64: 6.9%
  65 and Over: 4.8%
  
• 

  Education level

  Advanced Diploma/Diploma: 11.6%
  Bachelor degree: 15%
  Certificate III/IV: 30.6%
  Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate: 2.9%
  Year 10 and below: 19.2%
  Year 11: 6%
  Year 12: 14.7%