Local voices, lasting impact: Insights from landscape board members
Behind every landscape board are local leaders working towards a future where healthy environments, resilient communities and productive landscapes thrive together.
People join landscape boards for a variety of reasons, whether it's giving back to their community, contributing local knowledge or helping shape the future of their region.
For many members it's a combination of all three. But sometimes, a significant life event can inspire action, like it did for current Kangaroo Island board member Barbara Cooper.
“The bushfires were a turning point for me. They showed how important it is for us to come together as a community, support one another and look after the island we share,” she said.
“I have always been deeply interested in agriculture, plants, animals and the sea. I wanted to contribute to protecting Kangaroo Island’s natural environment, supporting primary production and remaining vigilant and proactive about threats such as pest animals and other biosecurity risks.”
Leaving a positive legacy for future generations is a common thread among many of the current cohort of landscape board members.
“I’m passionate about our environment and, as a mum, I want to help protect and shape a future where my children, and generations to come, can experience the same incredible landscapes and natural places that have meant so much to me,” said Northern and Yorke board member Holly Cowan.
“Serving on the board is a small way to give back to the environment that has supported me my whole life. Nature is my happy place. It’s where I go to recharge, reconnect and wash away stress and anxiety.”
It was also behind Jason Size’s impetus to join the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board. Previous involvement in local action planning and small landscape environmental projects spurred him to do more. “I wanted to continue a legacy of supporting and leaving an environment for my children and theirs after I am gone,” he said.
Dr. Chris West of the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board believes everyone can choose to take responsibility and make a positive difference.
“As a lifelong conservationist, vet and retired Zoo Director, I wanted to support the vital role of the new Landscape Act in working to balance the needs of humans and nature across the beautiful and precious Hills and Fleurieu region,” he said.
“We humans are doing a great job of mucking up our ‘nest’, globally and locally and I felt that I had a combination of knowledge, strategic experience and commitment to help.
“Having worked internationally, including with Dr Jane Goodall, I am motivated by her philosophy of care and hope. A belief that if we take responsibility we can all make choices and choose to make a difference.”
With seven years on the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board under her belt, Ellen Litchfield enjoys witnessing the outcomes that hard work invested over a long time can bring.
“I’m now seeing large projects finishing up and the long-term positive impacts of those,” she said.
“For example, the water allocation plan and water accounting trials we have been working on during the past 6 years. We are really starting to see how we have created something that works for our remote region and accounts for the nuances and uniqueness that makes our area special.”
It's a similar story for Sonya Coleman, an Eyre Peninsula board member, who says seeing first-hand the impact of the Grassroots Grants program and on-ground projects the most rewarding part of her involvement.
“Wherever possible I have taken an active part in some of these activities and have seen what an amazing team of people who work within the Landscape Board offices are,” she said. “I have gained a sense that the ladies and men who perform these roles are not just ‘going to work’ - they are invested in their roles. It’s such a fulfilling observation.”
South Australia's landscape boards recruit members every two years, with appointments made by the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. This year, seven regional landscape boards sought nominations for 32 positions in July and August, with new members expected to commence in early 2027.
Board members come from a wide variety of backgrounds, bringing different skills, experiences and perspectives to the table. As Tom Linnell of the Limestone Coast Landscape Board said, it's not just for those with formal environmental or agricultural backgrounds.
“Some of the most valuable contributions come from people who are connected to their local communities, ask thoughtful questions and are willing to learn. I learn dozens of things every time I prepare for and attend our board meetings, but I bring a practical perspective, a commitment to listening and a genuine desire to contribute to positive outcomes for the region."
View the current board member chart for a picture of the people serving on landscape boards across the state.
