Community stewardship

Individual stewardship in SEQ

Strong individual participation

25% - that’s one in four residents
said they participate in
stewardship actions

Engagement higher for landholders with a river running through their property

Residents whose land adjoined waterways were found to be more likely to undertake these activities compared with those with smaller landholdings

More individual action than groups

Most acted independently rather than with organised groups. Litter collection is the most common activity, with residents actively removing waste from parks, bushland, waterways and public spaces. Other frequent activities include keeping pests contained at night, reducing chemical use and encouraging others to protect natural areas

People on larger blocks or properties

For residents with half-acre properties or larger, stewardship activities expand to include restoring habitat, managing fire risks, removing weeds, reducing soil erosion, protecting riverbanks and installing water-sensitive urban design features

Individuals can play a significant role in the stewardship of waterways in the region. Actions and behaviours of individuals can benefit waterway conditions in many ways. Personal stewardship takes many forms. It can include joining conservation activities, removing litter, or participating in advocacy for conservation and rehabilitation. Stewardship specific to private landholders may include managing invasive weed species, reducing household or garden chemical use or restoring native habitats.

The collective actions of individual residents directly influence the condition of our natural assets. By understanding what motivates stewardship behaviours, we can create more effective community engagement campaigns that inspire action.

The numbers above are part of our long-running social monitoring program, where, as part of the routine monitoring in 2024, we surveyed over 3000 residents throughout South East Queensland, asking them about their level of engagement in general stewardship activities and stewardship on private land. This aimed to measure both past stewardship behaviours and willingness to undertake stewardship actions in the future, including specific activities of private landholders.

*Numbers as provided by contributors to the stewardship pilot (for the period 2019/20 - 2023/24). These numbers will increase as more groups from across the region submit data to the stewardship initiative as the project grows in the coming years.

Click here to
submit your data

Maps, resources &
full report download