Meet the Australian Cotton Farmer Building a Biodiversity Legacy

For more than four decades, Robyn Watson has been planting native trees and grasses to increase biodiversity and stabilise the banks of the Namoi River, which runs past her family’s five cotton, cereal and cattle farms in New South Wales. Involved with Landcare since its beginnings in the 1970s and affectionately known to Boggabri locals as ‘the tree lady’, Robyn has received multiple Landcare awards for her volunteer activities. In 2021, Robyn and the Watson family joined The Biodiversity Project with Country Road and Landcare Australia to rehabilitate their property, Merriendi.

In honour of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Changing Climates: Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’, Robyn shares her challenges and successes and what she hopes to achieve with Country Road and Landcare Australia through The Biodiversity Project.

Restoring Health to a River

“When my husband, John, and I moved to our first farm, Kilmarnock, in the 1970s, there were severe floods along the Namoi River and large chunks of the bank were lost. After we planted native trees and grasses, removed the invasive willows and stopped grazing stock along the edge, the riverbanks became stabilised and the other members of our Landcare group decided to work on their riverbanks too. We were able to rehabilitate over 20 kilometres of the river corridor.”

Since the biodiversity on the Watsons’ properties and the surrounding areas has improved, various native wildlife species have started to return, bringing with them myriad benefits.

“In the early projects over the years we have noted the return of nesting waterbirds, lizards, snakes, micro bats and even koalas. I have seen brolgas, musk ducks and magpie geese during different wet seasons. Murray cod have been recorded breeding in the part of the rehabilitated river near Kilmarnock. The diversity of native animals and insects, including those that prey on pests, has enabled the farms to minimise use of chemicals on the cotton and other crops. We expect the Merriendi projects will also see these benefits as they mature.”

The Reality Of Life On The Land

Throughout 2021, Robyn worked with her family—including daughter-in-law Heike and grandchildren Xanthia and Dougie—and volunteers to plant approximately 1,000 native saplings as part of a 30-acre restoration project with Country Road and Landcare Australia. Unfortunately, very few young trees survived the severe flooding that occurred at the end of 2021. Along with many fences, cattle pastures and 15 per cent of the Watson family’s dry land cotton, around 90 per cent of the saplings were washed away by the waters. Despite this setback, Robyn remains optimistic about her ability to make a positive impact—and to help others do the same.

“The Merriendi river projects are in the early stages and the effect of the 2021 floods has been devastating but we hope to replant soon. Some of the earlier hillside plantings were not affected by the floods and are providing corridors for native animals to connect between the river and native forests on the hillsides.

“Having grown up on the land, I guess resilience might be learnt when you’re younger so you face challenges as they arrive. Devastating fires, floods and droughts have caused a lot of heartbreak but one learns to start again—and when the good years come, you can be happy with the resultant growth.”

Building Biodiversity At Home

While the rural properties that Robyn works on total thousands of hectares, she believes everyone can play their part to improve biodiversity, even in urban backyards. “In smaller areas I advise the planting of native trees, shrubs and grasses to encourage native animals, bees and insects. Provide water and dense bushy plants to give shelter and protection to small birds in the garden. Be careful of choosing plants that may become invasive in native bush areas, such as mother-of-millions (Bryophyllum delagoense), Lippia (Phyla canescens) and some varieties of cactus.”

As much as she derives great pleasure from restoring health and vitality to farmlands and other areas, Robyn also enjoys the educational aspects of her activities and how they can instil people with a stronger sense of connection to the land—and inspire them to take greater responsibility for it.

“It's very satisfying to show people the successful outcomes of projects at field days and so on, and encourage them to try restoration work on their own properties.”

“It is a great joy for me to see Heike, Xanthia and Dougie become involved in the tree planting projects. They will see these trees come to maturity and reap the benefits. We hope the Country Road project on Merriendi will be a success and will encourage others to restore their native vegetation areas, recognising the beneficial impact to biodiversity and crops.”

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