The Victorian State Government recently released Volunteering Naturally 2019!

This enormous piece of work represents the first annual stocktake of environmental volunteering in Victoria since 2005 when the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment conducted a review of natural resource management volunteer programs, concluding that there were an estimated 100,000 Victorians volunteering their time in and for the environment.

Fast forward 14 years and not only has society changed, so too has the volunteering landscape. Complementing traditional styles of natural resource management volunteering, many Victorians now seek to contribute in different ways, based on their diverse skill sets, passion for specific causes and time available to them. Volunteering Naturally seeks to capture these emerging trends and themes within the sector through the first comprehensive stocktake of active volunteer numbers and types of environmental volunteering occurring across the state.

An action in the Environmental Volunteering Plan, Volunteering Naturally will be conducted annually and provide the evidence base to inform how program managers can better support the needs of environmental volunteers today and into the future. It also provides the opportunity to communicate and celebrate the collective effort of all Victorian environmental volunteers.

In addition to the report and snapshot below, the State Government has released an interactive map of Victorian Environmental Volunteering Groups here: https://tinyurl.com/EVGroups Click on the dots and connect with the 2100+ making a difference!

This article was provided by Environment and Community Programs, Environment and Climate Change| Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning