Natural assets | Resources – ANU Sustainable Farms https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/tags/natural-assets/ Supporting sustainable farming to help conserve Australia’s unique biodiversity. Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:43:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Natural assets | Resources – ANU Sustainable Farms https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/tags/natural-assets/ 32 32 The Future of Farming and Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: the Muttama Creek Catchment Area https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/the-future-of-farming-and-biodiversity-in-agricultural-landscapes-the-muttama-creek-catchment-area/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-future-of-farming-and-biodiversity-in-agricultural-landscapes-the-muttama-creek-catchment-area Tue, 01 Nov 2022 03:49:01 +0000 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/?post_type=resources&p=2931 What are the different perspectives on integrating farming and biodiversity? What can we do to create agricultural landscapes that sustain viable communities, profitable farming and rich biodiversity? These challenging and exciting questions were central to the 3-year research project ‘The Future of Farming and Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: the Muttama Creek Catchment Area’.

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]]> The Muttama Creek Catchment is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River and stretches from North of Cootamundra to North of Gundagai. The catchment area has experienced a lot of change and is facing increasing volatility and pressures, such as climatic and demographic changes and market pressures. The project sought to understand different land-use priorities and explore the future of farming and biodiversity.

The project team, comprised of Leuphana University of Lüneburg in Germany, Australian National University Sustainable Farms  and the Muttama Creek Landcare Group wrote a booklet which summarises the key findings from this project. It includes a guest chapter on natural assets on farms by Suzannah Macbeth from Sustainable Farms and a chapter on Indigenous knowledge and land management written by Peter Beath from the Cootamundra Aboriginal Working Party.

Read our blog post below to find out more. Click the PDF link to download a PDF copy or contact us if you would like a hard-copy.

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]]> Natural Asset Farming https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/natural-asset-farming/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=natural-asset-farming Sun, 20 Mar 2022 00:11:33 +0000 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/?post_type=resources&p=2553 This book provides practical guidance on enhancing seven natural assets on farms, bringing together the stories and experiences of farmers with the results of extensive on-farm research undertaken by Sustainable Farms.

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]]> Published by CSIRO Publishing, Natural Asset Farming: Creating Productive and Biodiverse Farms is authored by four members of the Sustainable Farms team – Lead Scientist David Lindenmayer, Project Director and social scientist Michelle Young, ecologist Dave Smith and communications manager and writer Suzannah Macbeth.

The book emerges from the work of the Sustainable Farms project at The Australian National University, bringing together the experience of farmers, expertise from the Landcare movement, and the results of 20 years of detailed ecological studies undertaken on farms in Australia’s south-eastern wheat-sheep belt.

There are many approaches to sustainable agriculture, but Natural Asset Farming has something to offer for everyone managing farming land in Australia. Whether it’s a relatively small project like fencing a paddock tree, or a larger project such as enhancing a farm dam, protecting natural assets can help improve biodiversity and farm resilience.

Click here to order your copy via CSIRO Publishing today.

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]]> Learning From Experience book https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/learning-from-experience-book/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learning-from-experience-book Tue, 15 Sep 2020 01:49:19 +0000 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/?post_type=resources&p=426 In this book, eight farmers connected with Sustainable Farms share their stories of land management in the woodlands of southeastern Australia. The stories are based on interviews conducted by Natasha Fijn.

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]]> The farms featured are dotted across the South West Slopes region of New South Wales and the Upper Murray of Victoria, areas that have been heavily modified by agricultural practices. The landscape was formerly dominated by temperate eucalypt woodland but 85 per cent is now intensively grazed, cropped and cultivated as agricultural land. The stories are from farmers seeking to find a balance between productivity and biodiversity, and to retain or increase the natural capital on their properties.

Each property is different, and the individuals, families and generations interviewed for this book varied in their approaches to living productively on the land. From the diverse stories in this book, we hope that others might glean ideas and strive for more sustainable farming practices on their land.

Please contact us if you would like to order a printed copy of the book, or click the link below to download a PDF copy.

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]]> Ten ways to improve natural assets on a farm https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/ten-ways/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ten-ways Wed, 02 Sep 2020 22:38:00 +0000 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/?post_type=resources&p=1015 This booklet highlights ten different ways that farmers can improve the health of natural assets on their properties.

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]]> The Ten Ways booklet highlights how improving the management of natural assets on a farm can create new habitat for native wildlife, while supporting sustainable agriculture. The publication is underpinned by 20 years of long-term research into biodiversity on farms.

The booklet covers: paddock trees, waterways & wetlands, farm dams, native pastures, shelterbelts, creating connectivity, rocky outcrops, renmant vegetation, plantings, and farm planning.

 

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]]> ANU long-term ecology video https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/resources/anu-long-term-ecology-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=anu-long-term-ecology-video Wed, 18 Jan 2017 03:19:01 +0000 https://www.sustainablefarms.org.au/?post_type=resources&p=339 ANU Sustainable Farms is based on 20 years of long-term ecological monitoring.

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]]> Hear about how our project started and meet some of our long-term monitoring farmers.

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