Finding funding still a struggle as Landcare Tasmania celebrates 25 years

As the organisation celebrates 25 years, it is holding events across the state to acknowledge the countless hours of work from volunteers to create a healthier environment in Tasmania.

Northern Landcare groups were celebrated in Lilydale on Sunday.

Landcare Tasmania chief executive officer Rod Knight said there were challenges going forward and governments needed to ensure groups received adequate funding for projects.

"There's still an enormous untapped generosity in the community to actually get involved," he said.

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"Getting the resources to actually help those groups address whatever the local issues are remains the biggest challenge.

"You have a lot of people who want to do things, but they do need some resources to be able to do them."

Landcare Tasmania estimates that, of the $1.1 billion program over fives years, just $180 million goes to directly support projects on the ground.

Sixty new Landcare groups have been taken on in the past three years.

Cuts to federal Landcare grants in recent years has also made it more difficult for groups to access funding, forcing the state government to fill the void.

Brian Baxter has always supported sustainable on-farm practices, and helped to form East Tamar Landcare in 1991.

Much of their attention has focused on the Pipers River, successfully removing willow from a 15 kilometre stretch.

But having cattle still able to access the river has hampered their efforts in creating a healthier waterway.

"Getting people to fence off rivers is the harder, because they think they have a right to let their cattle just go in the river," Mr Baxter said.

"For bank erosion, it's just so important to not have cattle going down there.

"Once you fence the stock out, it changes the whole environment and you can see the native plants coming back and it's healthier."

Flooding of the Supply River in the early 1990s created a range of erosion issues, leading to the formation of West Tamar Landcare.

Once the major project to repair the river bank was finished, the group turned to supporting their local community.

Helen Eastburn said there were a lot of landholders eager to learn more about creating a healthy environment - and they were happy to lend them some advice.

"We go to community groups, so different areas in the West Tamar area that are part of our group, and gone to local halls and spoken to the local community and asked them to come and bring any problems that they might have in their local area," she said.

"Then we can send them to the right government organisations, or perhaps we can answer their questions."

Just last week, the group had meetings with NRM North to further assist in programs to support the eastern-barred bandicoot.

They, too, were feeling the effects of funding issues.

Jayne Shapter said it had been a constant struggle since the group was formed.

"When money's available, it's often targeted. So you can use it for A, B or C, but if that's not what we need the money for in our local area, we don't get access to it," she said.