Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s commitment to the natural environment was a driving force behind their decision to gift their Shoalhaven property to the Australian people in 1993.
Their determination to protect the landscape saw their acquisition of a number of adjoining properties to increase the area of pristine bush surrounding their Bundanon properties.
In designating the property as a Wildlife Refuge, and in seeking to maintain continuity with its agricultural and settler history, Boyd’s commitment to Bundanon went beyond protecting its possibilities for artistic inspiration.
Boyd’s views are manifest in Bundanon’s constitution:
- To conserve and preserve the Natural Heritage at Bundanon.
- To maintain the non-arable parts of Bundanon as a native Wildlife Refuge.
- To maintain and develop the arable parts of Bundanon as a farm.
Whilst the Boyd’s vision was expressed more than twenty years ago, the growing need to actively address environmental degradation has greatly increased over time. Broader environmental threats such as climate change, combined with localised destruction of biodiversity and wildlife habitat – be it via direct development or the lack of resources for maintenance – further impel landowners to consider the needs of natural assets.
An important tenet that drives the organisation is the genius loci, the pervading sense of place.. It is this sense of place that provides support and inspiration to the artists, guests and visitors that choose to “go deep” in their experience at our sites and allow the landscape to provide both physical and metaphysical context to their creative aspirations and aims.
This property management plan is designed to capture three distinct areas of strategic action.
Part One – Bundanon’s Natural Assets
The identification and categorisation of the broad range of natural assets.
Part Two – Management Actions
The actions and methods that are applied in order to achieve our aims.
Part Three – Investment Opportunities
The identification of both established and potential opportunities.
Priorities and Relationships
The following priorities and inter-relationships were outlined within the Land Management Plan (McGahey 2011) and are the essential elements that we must protect and nurture.
- The biological /ecological values of the property,
- The natural pre-European landscape,
- The Aboriginal cultural heritage,
- The built/modified European landscape,
- The artistic legacy of Arthur Boyd (including the Artist Residence program),
- The educational opportunities (Environmental, Resource use, Scientific),
- The rural life experience, (interaction with farm, bushland, river),
- The spirit of inclusiveness (international/local, community involvement, cultural events).
