The 2023 South Australian Environment Awards were announced in June at a ceremony in Adelaide, celebrating South Australians who help preserve and sustain our precious natural environment. The Landcare Association of SA (LASA) were delighted to see Landcare members being celebrated across several of the award categories, recognising their ongoing hard work.

Congratulations to Dr Mary Retallack, who won the Innovation Award for her work in employing ecological restoration in and around production systems. Retallack Viticulture has pioneered the use of a broad suite of native insectary plants and established the award winning National EcoVineyards Program, originating in South Australia and now collaborating with more than 90 program partners. Dr Retallack and the EcoVineyards Program were also a finalist at the 2022 Landcare SA Awards and for the 2022 National Bob Hawke Landcare Award.

Congratulations also to the Kangaroo Island Feral Pig Eradication Scheme for winning the Working Together Award. The Kangaroo Island Feral Pig Eradication team has worked tirelessly to clear feral pigs from private and public land, parks, reserves, forestry and agricultural farmland using a coordinated landscape approach. The program is on track to have eradicated feral pigs on KI by the end of 2023. This program was partly funded by the Landcare-led Bushfire Recovery Program and supported by LASA during 2021 and 2022.

Above left: Innovation Award winner Dr Mary Retallack with Deputy Premier Susan Close. Above right: Working Together Award winner Kangaroo Island Feral Pig Eradication Scheme (accepted by Matt Korcz) with Adelaide Cemeteries CEO Michael Robertson. Credit: SA Environment Awards.

Well done to the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare Group (Elouise Fehring, below left), finalist in the Working Together Award for their coordination of an extraordinary community effort to support the threatened eastern osprey.

LASA Life Member, Gerry Butler was also recognised for his incredible contribution to conservation with a Certificate of Commendation for Green Adelaide’s Pelzer Prize. Gerry is currently the LASA Management Committee Treasurer, while also being on the committee (oftentimes as Chairperson) for several other community groups and leading the organisation of the the Nantawarrina Indigenous Protected Area 25th Anniversary event. Very well deserved recognition for Gerry’s tireless work!

Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists for this year’s awards. South Australia is lucky to have you!

Above left: Working Together Award Finalist Elouise Fehring (SYP Landcare Group) with Natalia Diaz (LASA State Landcare Coordinator) and Sarah Barrett (LASA Chairperson). Above centre: Green Adelaide’s Pelzer Prize Commendation recipient Gerry Butler with Deputy Premier Susan Close (Credit: SA Environment Awards). Above right: Gerry Butler with Sarah Barrett and Natalia Diaz.

Credit to the SA Environment Awards for the above noted photos and text.