In short:
Wyndham City’s Environment Team has won the Digital Technology Award at the 2026 LGPro Awards for Excellence for its AI and drone-powered weed management program. The council also received a High Commendation for its Land Protection Grant Scheme, recognising ongoing work to protect biodiversity and improve local landscapes.
Wyndham Advertiser
Two Projects Win Wyndham The Honour
Wyndham City’s Environment Team has been recognised at the 2026 LGPro Awards for Excellence, taking home the Digital Technology Award and receiving a High Commendation for Environmental Sustainability.
The awards recognise two projects aimed at improving environmental management across the municipality.
The Digital Technology Award was presented for the council’s Landscape-Scale Weed Management with AI and Drone Technology program, which uses artificial intelligence and drone imagery to identify and map invasive Artichoke Thistle.
At the centre of the project is ECO:SENSE, a custom AI-powered mapping tool that analyses high-resolution drone images to detect weed infestations. The system can provide plant counts, GPS locations and canopy measurements within hours, allowing land managers to respond more quickly and target weed control more efficiently.
The technology is designed to reduce the time and cost involved in managing invasive weeds while providing more accurate data to support environmental decision-making.
Wyndham’s Land Protection Grant Scheme also received a High Commendation in the Environmental Sustainability category.
Delivered in partnership with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the program has delivered a range of environmental outcomes since 2020, including more than 9,000 hectares of weed control, vegetation surveys across more than 5,400 hectares and the establishment of more than 33,000 native plants.
The program has also supported ecological burns to improve the health of native grasslands, soil structure and organic carbon.
The recognition highlights Wyndham City’s continued investment in combining new technology with on-ground conservation programs to help protect local biodiversity and improve the long-term health of the municipality’s natural environment.
