This spring, take a closer look at the world around you. A healthy landscape is full of life: birds, insects, fungi, plants and soil all working together in connection and balance.
To help us understand what this looks like in practice, we hear from Rachael Sanderson, a regenerative farmer in Murwillumbah. Through her small-scale operation, A Little Greener Farm, and her work as Secretary and Project Manager of We Forest Earth, Rachael works closely with land restoration and organic food production. Her approach offers a simple but powerful reminder: when we slow down and observe carefully, the land itself begins to show us what it needs.
As Rachael explains, “A healthy landscape is simply one that is alive and functioning.”
Birds move through trees, frogs call from wet places, insects move between flowers, mushrooms appear after rain, and wildlife quietly goes about its role. Beneath it all, a mix of ground covers, shrubs and trees supports a system where each part has a function.
Slow down and look again
The most important tool for reading a landscape is time.
When walking, it is often the person at the back of the group who notices the most, not because they are lost, but because they are paying attention. Birdsong, damp soil, shifting light, movement in the undergrowth, fungi on fallen wood and subtle changes in vegetation all become visible when you slow your pace.
Rachael says, “Slowing down allows you to be present and notice what is actually happening in the landscape.”
From this perspective, a property begins to tell its story. Vegetation reveals what once grew there, what has changed, and what may return if conditions improve.
Working with land differently
Across Australia, a growing number of farmers and land stewards are shifting from controlling land to working with it.
Rachael Sanderson’s work is one example of this shift in practice. At A Little Greener Farm, she focuses on producing organic food while actively improving soil health and biodiversity. Rather than separating food production from ecological care, her approach treats them as part of the same living system.
She explains, “We don’t see food production and regeneration as separate things, they’re happening together all the time.”
Alongside this, her involvement with We Forest Earth reflects a hands-on commitment to bush regeneration using organic, chemical-free methods. The work is grounded in restoring structure, diversity and function to landscapes that have been degraded over time.
Rachael says this reflects a broader shift in thinking: “Land is not something to be controlled, it’s something we work with, and learn from.”
Everything starts with soil
Soil is the foundation of every ecosystem.
Healthy soil supports plants, fungi, insects and microorganisms, which in turn support all other life. When soil is degraded through overgrazing, clearing, chemical use or compaction, the effects move through the entire system.
Even plants often labelled as “weeds” can play a role in this process. Many are early colonisers that protect bare soil, add organic matter, reduce compaction and help rebuild conditions for other species to return.
Rachael notes, “What we call weeds are often just nature’s response to imbalance, they’re part of the repair process.”
Instead of immediately removing them, it can be more useful to ask: what is this plant responding to?
Every species has a role
In a functioning ecosystem, nothing exists in isolation.
Birds spread seeds. Bees and insects pollinate plants. Fungi break down organic matter and return nutrients to the soil. Animals move nutrients and help maintain balance across the landscape.
When one part of the system is removed or reduced, the effects are felt throughout the whole.
Humans are also part of this system. Indigenous knowledge systems demonstrate long-standing relationships with Country based on care, observation and reciprocity. Practices such as cultural burning have shaped and supported healthy ecosystems for thousands of years.
As Rachael reflects: “We’re not outside of nature, we’re part of it. The question is how we choose to participate.”
This offers an important shift in perspective: from extracting from land to participating in its ongoing health.
Spring as a measure of health
Spring makes the condition of a landscape visible.
As temperatures rise, birds nest and call, plants flower, soil warms, fungi appear after rain and insects return in greater numbers. A healthy system responds quickly and visibly to the change in season.
Rachael explains, “Spring is when the land shows you what’s working and what’s not.”
In contrast, degraded landscapes often show fewer signs of life, reduced bird activity, limited plant diversity, compacted soil and slower ecological response.
Spring reveals whether a system is functioning or struggling.
Supporting recovery
Restoration does not always require large-scale intervention.
Small actions can shift conditions over time: reducing chemical use, planting native species, increasing plant diversity, allowing areas of land to regenerate naturally and creating habitat rather than maintaining uniform lawns.
Even changing how we observe a landscape is a starting point.
Rachael says, “One of the most powerful things you can do is simply pay attention, the land will tell you what it needs.”
A degraded area is not only a problem, it is also potential. Bare soil can become habitat. Weeds can stabilise and rebuild soil. A few native plants can support a wide range of insects and birds.
Spending time in healthy ecosystems is one of the best ways to understand what is possible. Visiting bushland, rainforests, waterways or even observing a backyard closely can shift perspective. So can supporting local Landcare and restoration groups.
The more we observe, the clearer it becomes that wellbeing is not separate from place. It is shaped by it.
This spring, slow down. Pay attention to the land. And consider how you might support its recovery.
