THE federal government has guaranteed the region’s Landcare projects another five years of funding.
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Wimmera and Glenelg Hopkins catchment management authorities have both been guaranteed funding by the Morrison government from the Regional Land Partnerships program.
The funding will enable the authorities to deliver the Landcare projects alongside partner organisations, and will help them build on projects achieved from the previous five years of funding, which was the pilot round.
As a successful tenderer, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority will receive up to $14.5 million over five years to help deliver five projects.
Those projects are:
- the Victorian Volcanic Plains Recovery Project;
- protecting the Hooded Plover;
- Coastal Connections;
- Improving the status of the endangered Red-tailed Black Cockatoo of the Glenelg Plain;
- Sustainable Agriculture: Soils4Farms.
Chief executive Adam Bester said the authority knew they would receive some funding in a round one announcement made in August but the November 30 announcement confirmed it would receive the full $14.5 million.
“Now they've let all the National Landcare groups know how much money they're getting over the five years,” Mr Bester said.
Of the five projects, Mr Bester said the majority of the focus will be on improving the status of endangered and threatened species in the region, both flora and fauna.
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority will receive $6.4 million to help deliver three projects.
Those projects are:
- Improving soil biodiversity and vegetation;
- Improving the habitat of the endangered South-eastern Red-tailed Black cockatoo in the Wimmera;
- Protecting the vulnerable Mallee Fowl.
Community delivery manager Joel Boyd said that much of the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority’s funding will go towards supporting local organisation Perennial Pasture Systems.
How the funding will help protect our environment
Threatened bird life:
The Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo is endangered.
Glenelg Hopkins’ Mr Bester said the organisation is working with BirdLife Australia to improve the status of the species.
“The ultimate aim of the project is to try and keep the population of Red-tailed Black Cockatoo at or above 1000 individuals,” he said.
“The last survey that was done had them at around 810 early this year – we want to try and improve the trajectory of that species.
“Within the project there are a number of threats to the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. They are really dependent on Stringy Bark trees in terms of feeding and River Redgums for breeding trees.”
Mr Bester said this species of tree is threatened by “inappropriate fire regimes” which in turn threatens the birds.
“What the fire can do is if it gets too hot, the fires can stop those Stringy Bark trees from flowering and that’s their (the cockatoos) main food source,” he said.
“So we’re looking at getting some better fire regimes happening, looking at increasing their habitat and doing re-vegetation and weed control.
“One of the big threats to their habitat is wild pine trees that take over their habitat, so we’ve been working on controlling that flora for a number of years now.”
Part of this includes working with Gunditj Mirring traditional owners to implement planned cultural burns.
“We’re looking at how we can start doing some cultural burning and training up their rangers and doing those burnings in conjunction with DELWP, (looking at) how we can use cultural burning as a way to have those fires without having an impact,” he said.
Cultural burns utilise traditional knowledge of the land to achieve the same aims of a burn while also having a lower impact on the land.
Glenelg Hopkins is also working to improve the status of the threatened Hooded Plover.
Soil health:
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority community delivery manager Joel Boyd said a chunk of the funding will support Perennial Pasture Systems.
Perennial Pasture Systems works to improve agricultural productivity in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner.
Project manager Rob Shea said the group receives support to perform work that the larger bodies can’t necessarily do themselves.
“The WCMA are contracted by the federal government to do certain works around sustainable agriculture and they utilise existing groups to do that – we’re one of those groups,” he said.
“Both the CMAs continue to support PPS but the Wimmera CMA funding is invaluable as it allows the group to employ a project manager, and that’s been an arrangement now for six or seven years I think.”
Mr Shea said the organisation assists farmers in the region and conducts research.
“The current project is a little bit around soil carbon as well. Well managed perennial systems produce a lot of root matter which breaks down into organic matter and has a positive effect on soil health,” he said.
“Well managed perennial systems improve production, increase ground cover, and reduce the risk of soil erosion.”
Mr Boyd acknowledged the significance of the organisation’s work, and explained why the authority provides financial support, describing it as “part of the broader Landcare family.”
“They play a really important role in our region and beyond the Wimmera area,” he said.
“They benefit the Wimmera river and catchment, and help to reduce the risk of soil erosion in our region – those are some of the key reasons why we’re very keen to support the group.
“We’ve been able to channel a lot of funding into that group to help them build up their capacity so it’s really pleasing that the federal government has given us five more years.”
Endangered grasslands:
Mr Bester said Glenelg Hopkins’ Victorian Volcanic Plains Recovery Project focuses on some vital grasslands that grow in western Victoria.
The grasslands exist along the volcanic plain, which he said begins close to Hamilton, spreads up towards Willaura and Ararat, then across to the western side of Melbourne and back around to Warrnambool.
“It has rich agricultural use but there is only 1 per cent of these grasslands left,” Mr Bester said.
“They are the last remaining grasslands across the the woodland and wetland, and those sort of environments are endangered and so the species that rely on them are too.”
Some of those species include the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, which Mr Bester said currently only exists in captivity, the Golden Sun Moth and the Striped Legless Lizard.
Mr Bester said the authority is working with landholders to provide incentives for them to protect threatened grassland, wetland and woodland communities across the volcanic plain.
“We give them funding to protect those areas on their farms,” he said.
“We also work with a lot of management agencies to protect roadsides, working with the CFA, VicTrack, VicRoads and DELWP to manage those roadsides better.”