“Ditterly” is the subject of an on-going environmental improvement and remediation program that has been in place since 2002.  The rehabilitation of the property has been undertaken in accordance with best practice principles of environmental management.  The aim is to restore the ecological balance and prove degraded land can be rehabilitated in an economic and profitable manner using sustainable practices.  The value accruing from the increased productive capacity of the land should provide an offset for the remediation costs.

There is a focus on promoting bio-diversity outcomes and restoring the riparian area back to the original condition prior to the introduction of European farming practices.

When the project commenced the property was covered in noxious weeds with a 100% coverage of serrated tussock and blackberry.  There are nine main erosion gullies on the property all of which were open to stock access and each time it rained delivered thousands of tonnes of silt into the Wollondilly River.  The riverbanks were choked with the invasive willow and other noxious weeds. With the lack of alternative water points stock were forced to use the river for water leading to further erosion of the river banks and deposit of large amounts of nutrients directly into the river system each time it rained these gullies delivered.