Beyond Yellingbo is a collaboration between the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Macclesfield, John’s Hill and Monbulk Landcare Groups, with a project steering committee led by the President of Macclesfield Landcare. The project commenced in 2017 with a grant from the Helen McPherson Smith Trust and ACF, enabling a project facilitator to be ...
Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater
Beyond Yellingbo – Saving Helmeted Honeyeaters

GOAL
$12,480
RAISED
$2,000
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Environment conservation and climate change
Target Population
- Flora / fauna
- General population

Under the leadership of an inter-agency Recovery Team, we are bringing the Helmeted Honeyeater back from the brink of extinction. The number in the wild is approximately 230 today, over four times that of 14 years ago.
Our core mission is the restoration and extension of their habitat along waterways and environmental corridors to enable further growth in the number of Helmeted Honeyeaters. We have a social enterprise, an Indigenous Plant Nursery, and an active Ambassador Program in local primary schools. The Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater has received numerous awards for its innovative programs.
Our Aim:
- To protect existing habitat and plant future habitat for the Helmeted Honeyeater
- To raise awareness about the plight of the Helmeted Honeyeater and enlist broad community support for the Recovery project
Project Summary
Beyond Yellingbo is a collaboration between the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Macclesfield, John’s Hill and Monbulk Landcare Groups, with a project steering committee led by the President of Macclesfield Landcare. The project commenced in 2017 with a grant from the Helen McPherson Smith Trust and ACF, enabling a project facilitator to be employed for 12 hours per week for 3 years to work with private landholders whose properties adjoin creeks and tributaries in the Yellingbo area to create environmental corridors for Helmeted Honeyeaters.
Additional funding from Landcare Victoria has now ended. To date, 121 properties with a conservatively estimated total of 372 hectares of quality protected habitat, are involved. This far exceeded our initial expectations.
In order to consolidate this achievement, our sustainability strategy for Beyond Yellingbo is to employ a facilitator for 4 hours per week for 12 months to work closely with a group of volunteers, who are all committed and knowledgeable local Landcare members. We will revisit the 121 participating properties, and engage new landholders coming into the area. The facilitator will assist in obtaining funds for new on-ground works from Melbourne Water and Yarra Ranges Council, and if the landholder wishes, the facilitator will also supervise the on-ground works (revegetation, weed management, feral animal control and fencing of waterways from stock etc.)
To strengthen connections between participating land holders, we will circulate regular newsletters, establish a WhatsApp group and will hold at least one event for landholders will be held in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area.
Project Outcomes
'- Connect with participating local landholders from 121 properties and encourage and support them to continue improving habitat on their properties suitable for Helmeted Honeyeaters and other threatened species.
- Engage new landholders who have moved into the district from 2023 and those who will move into the district in the coming year to improve and extend habitat for threatened species on their properties.
- Increase community awareness of local threatened species through local newspapers, newsletters, radio and social media.
- Leverage funds from bodies such as Melbourne Water and Yarra Ranges Shire to support habitat restoration through on-ground works (eg revegetation, feral animal control, weed management, fencing off waterways from stock etc) on participating properties.
- Explore with landholders their interest in securing covenants on their property with Trust for Nature.
- Facilitate neighbourhood clusters of landholders to build local " social capital" , increase community connections and tackle environmental challenges collaboratively and effectively
- Demonstrate and disseminate our distinctive community-led model of private landholder engagement at a Landcare conference so others can benefit from our learnings.
- Implement a strategy for ensuring the sustainability of this project beyond the next 12 months by building the capacity of a group of local Landcare members.
- Develop a partnership with leaders of the wider movement of private land conservation (eg Biodiversity Legacy Ltd, Ecolands Collective) to facilitate collaboration and knowledge transfer.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $20,480
FUNDING
Funding source | Amount |
---|---|
Private Donor (confirmed) | $2,000 |
Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Inc (confirmed) | $2,000 |
Private donor (FOHH Member) (confirmed) | $2,000 |
Johns Hill Landcare Group (confirmed) | $2,000 |
Funding gap (unconfirmed) | $12,480 |
EXPENSES
Expense item | Amount |
---|---|
4 hours per week @$60 per hour including oncosts for 12 months | $12,480 |
Travel, phone, bookkeeping and admin for 12 months | $7,000 |
Event to bring participating landholders together in the Reserve | $200 |
Newsletter for all Beyond Yellingbo landholders | $300 |
Landcare conference to promote project (registration/travel) | $500 |
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