Growing healthier farms, protecting wildlife and creating greener landscapes across the Latrobe Catchment.

Growing a Greener Future Together

For more than a decade, EnergyAustralia and the Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network (LCLN) have worked together to deliver meaningful environmental improvements across our region.

From community tree planting events and school education programs to protecting platypus habitat and establishing native shelterbelts on farms, this partnership has helped transform local landscapes.

Thanks to EnergyAustralia's generous investment, we've been able to work alongside local farmers, volunteers and community groups to turn ambitious environmental goals into practical, on-ground achievements.

And the best part? The benefits of this work will continue to grow for generations.

Our Impact – 2014 to 2026

34,000+ native trees planted across supported projects
Over 10km’s of fencing protecting native vegetation and establishing new habitats
100’s of Farmers, students and volunteers working together to create lasting environmental improvements
More than a decade of collaboration supporting local communities and landscapes

Why Shade and Shelter Matter

For farmers, establishing native vegetation is about much more than planting trees.

Well-planned shelterbelts and protected remnant vegetation can deliver enormous benefits to both agricultural productivity and the natural environment.

Native trees and shrubs help:

Provide shade and shelter for livestock during extreme weather.
Reduce wind exposure and protect valuable topsoil.
Improve water quality by reducing erosion and nutrient runoff.
Create habitat for birds, mammals and other native wildlife.
Connect fragmented vegetation and strengthen biodiversity across the landscape.
Build more productive and resilient farms for the future.

Through the Shade and Shelter on Farms project, LCLN has worked directly with local landholders to identify suitable planting areas, establish fencing and revegetate sections of their properties.

What We Achieved in 2026

Our final year of funded on-ground delivery saw another fantastic round of environmental improvements.

Shade and Shelter on Farms

Working with landholders in Glengarry, Tyers and Flynn, we achieved:

1,470 native trees planted
1,400 metres of fencing installed
Three farming properties enhanced

Protecting Platypus Habitat

At Willow Grove, we also worked with a local landholder to protect and restore important waterway habitat.

500 native trees planted
370 metres of fencing installed
11 EnergyAustralia team members participating in an on-farm planting day

These improvements will help protect waterways, provide additional wildlife habitat and contribute to healthier, more resilient farming landscapes.

What It Means to Local Farmers

The true value of these projects is often best described by the people who live and work on the land.

For many farmers, the costs of fencing and revegetation can be difficult to justify alongside the everyday expenses of running a farming operation.

EnergyAustralia's support has made projects possible that may otherwise have remained simply good intentions.

As one participating Glengarry landholder, Glenn, explained: (pictured right)

"Every day I go past the trees and shelter belts I am so very grateful. It's a legacy, in that it is one of the few things that we do that when we're gone it will show we've left things better than when we started."

These are the sorts of outcomes that remind us why partnerships like this matter.

More Than Funding – People Making a Difference

One of the most rewarding aspects of the partnership has been the opportunity to bring EnergyAustralia employees into the field.

Through volunteer planting days, staff have worked alongside landholders, Landcare volunteers and local communities, gaining firsthand experience of the challenges and rewards of environmental restoration.

From planting trees and installing guards to sharing conversations over morning tea, these events have created meaningful connections between people who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to work together.

They've also demonstrated that making a difference doesn't always require specialist knowledge – sometimes it's simply about turning up, lending a hand and getting your boots muddy!

A Legacy That Continues to Grow

Although EnergyAustralia's funding program has concluded, the environmental improvements made possible through this partnership will continue to deliver benefits for years to come.

The trees planted today will become the shelterbelts, habitat corridors and healthy waterways of tomorrow.

We're enormously grateful to EnergyAustralia for its investment in our local landscapes and communities, and to the many landholders, volunteers and staff members who have helped make these projects a success.

Together, we've planted much more than trees. We've helped create a lasting legacy for the Latrobe Catchment.

This project was proudly supported by EnergyAustralia.

Interested in improving biodiversity on your property?

While the EnergyAustralia-funded program has concluded, LCLN continues to work with landholders and community groups across the catchment on environmental restoration opportunities.

To learn more or discuss future opportunities, get in touch.

Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network
Email: caroline@lcln.org.au
Phone: 0472 503 088
Website: www.lcln.com.au