Since assuming control of the Bundanon properties in 1993, the Bundanon Trust has implemented several programs to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the environmental features. Central to the work of the Bundanon Trust has been arresting and eradicating the invasion of weeds, especially Lantana, from the site while simultaneously increasing the level of bio-diversity. Bundanon sees responsible stewardship of the environment as core to its mission and is committed to innovative, contemporary research in order to preserve the site. In 2010 a Land Management Plan was commissioned to help guide the environmental management for future years. It was completed in 2011 and has provided directed focus to the rehabilitation of the land.
Several initiatives across the properties have already yielded significant results. To date, over 84 hectares of land have been cleared of Lantana and other exotic weeds. 70 hectares have been planted with native trees to bolster the banks of the Shoalhaven River, among other benefits. Other works have also taken place to safeguard the river banks from erosion, including revegetation of mangrove areas. In all, over 70,000 new plantings have been enacted across the properties, while native vegetation and wildlife have also returned to parts of the properties.
Extensive Lantana clearing has taken place near the Cedar Walk, at Haunted Point, and throughout the riparian zone at Bundanon. Former cattle grazing land at Eearie Park has been transformed through the eradication of kikuyu grass and the planting of over 25,000 trees in the area. A major project at the Riversdale culvert involved adding boulder formations, bush regeneration and even lifting the height of the road in order to stabilise the riverbank. These measures will also ensure the environment can recover more quickly from flood events in the area.
