C411 Country – Saving Faunal Emblems is a landscape-scale project designed to reduce extinction risk for Victoria’s critically endangered faunal emblems: the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Leadbeater’s Possum. Fewer than 200 Helmeted Honeyeaters and less than 40 Lowland Leadbeater’s Possums remain, confined to fragmented habitat remnants increasingly vulnerable to climate change, altered fire regimes, invasive ...
Nangana Landcare Network
C411 Country – Saving Faunal Emblems
GOAL
$15,000
Australia > VIC > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Environment conservation and climate change
Target Population
- Flora / fauna
- General population
Nangana Landcare Network
Nangana Landcare Network INC (NLN) is an alliance of Landcare and Friends groups working in the Yarra Valley Dandenong Ranges.
Our vision is a healthy, resilient landscapes where native species, productive land and local communities thrive together—now and for future generations.
Our mission is to engage groups to effectively collaborate on landscape scale projects.
Nangana focuses on protecting and restoring habitat for threatened species, strengthening ecological connectivity, and supporting landholders to care for land in ways that deliver biodiversity, water and climate benefits.
A flagship example is Beyond Yellingbo, a multi-group initiative restoring habitat on private land to secure the future of Victoria’s faunal emblems, including the critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and Leadbeater’s Possum. In recognition of this collaborative, community-led approach, Nangana Landcare Network received the 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Award for ‘Saving Faunal Emblems’.
Nangana is also the steward and catalyst for C411 Country – Natural Capital for Generations, a place-based vision spanning 128,000 hectares of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. C411 Country brings together conservation, regenerative agriculture, community governance and emerging natural-capital approaches to create long-term environmental, social and economic returns. Through C411 Country, Nangana is helping translate decades of volunteer effort into a durable, landscape-scale model for caring for Country. Led by community, supported by experts, for generations to come.
C411 Country – Saving Faunal Emblems is our current priority. Funding will build on the Australian Geographic Nature Award.
Project Summary
C411 Country – Saving Faunal Emblems is a landscape-scale project designed to reduce extinction risk for Victoria’s critically endangered faunal emblems: the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Leadbeater’s Possum.
Fewer than 200 Helmeted Honeyeaters and less than 40 Lowland Leadbeater’s Possums remain, confined to fragmented habitat remnants increasingly vulnerable to climate change, altered fire regimes, invasive species and land-use pressure. Without deliberate action to extend, restore and reconnect habitat beyond existing reserves, their long-term survival remains at high risk.
Funding would build on the Australian Geographic Nature Award commitment which in 2026 will engage 20 landholders, identify and map 20 hectares of habitat, and initiate a 20-year conservation action plan for the landscape.
With funding we can scale to 30 engaged landholders, identifying and mapping 30 hectares of priority habitat, and advancing the next, more substantive phase of the 20-year landscape action plan. We will also provide information on covenanting with Trust for Nature.
The next chapter of conservation must occur at a landscape scale, linking public and private land to repair ecological function. Building on the community-led successes of Beyond Yellingbo and Liwik Barring, C411 Country – Saving Faunal Emblems strengthens coordination, evidence and long-term planning. so that short-term actions contribute to durable outcomes.
National recognition through the Australian Geographic Nature Award for Saving Faunal Emblems provides independent validation that this collaborative, science-informed approach delivers real conservation value. This project takes the next logical step- scaling impact, extending planning, and positioning the landscape for sustained recovery.
Project Outcomes
1. Landholder & Community Engagement (target 30)
What we will do:
- Undertake one-on-one engagement with landholders across the priority landscape
- Convene regular community meetings to support shared understanding and coordination
- Host at least one field-based event with ecologists and stakeholders
- Implement a Wurundjeri engagement approach aligned with place-based planning
How we will know we have achieved it
- 30 landholders actively engaged in the project
- Documented one-on-one engagement records for participating landholders
- At least 3 community engagement events delivered
- Wurundjeri inclusion documented
2. Habitat Identification & Mapping (target 30 hectares)
What we will do:
- Undertake biodiversity and site assessments across priority properties
- Capture spatial data to identify habitat extent, condition and connectivity opportunities
- Develop GIS layers to support landscape-scale planning and prioritisation
- Capture photos and short-form visual content to support reporting and communication
How we will know we have achieved it
- 30 hectares of priority habitat identified, assessed and mapped
- GIS layers produced showing habitat condition and connectivity opportunities
- Mapped priority areas incorporated into shared planning materials
- Visual documentation available for reporting and stakeholder engagement
3. Advancing the 20-Year Landscape Action Plan (next step)
What we will do:
- Convene facilitated community planning workshops
- Prepare a clear pathway to complete and implement the 20-year plan
How we will know we have achieved it
- A documented next-stage framework for the 20-year landscape action plan
- Planning outputs suitable for future funding, partnerships and implementation
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $45,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Australian Geographic Nature Award | $30,000 |
| Funding Gap | $15,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Engagement Facilitator | $17,500 |
| Habitat Identification and Mapping | $13,000 |
| Next Step Conservation Action Planning | $14,500 |
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