2 December 2016

The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA) has awarded grants totaling $250,000 for 13 community groups as part of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

The 2016 round of funding has been allocated through the PPWCMA Community Grants to deliver a range of projects that will help the region’s land, water and biodiversity.

PPWCMA’s Chief Executive Officer David Buntine said “Community groups and landholders are usually the foundation for work to help local environments such as in nature reserves, creeks, private properties and farms.

“These grants support volunteer groups to also help the bigger picture by identifying how their ‘patch’ contributes to regional and national environmental priorities.  Their projects take direct action to protect and enhance these areas”, he said.

Community groups have received funding for a variety of activities including weed control, pest animal control and fencing to protect native vegetation, as well as community education and awareness raising events.

The successful projects include:

 

• Warneet Friends Group – project will restore and enhance biodiversity values of the Ramsar-listed Warneet Nature Reserve through invasive weed removal. This vital habitat corridor links endangered vegetation classes of Swamp Scrub and Mangrove Saltmarsh to Heathy Woodland, which is known habitat for the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot.

 

• Dunmoochin Landcare Group – project will protect threatened orchid species from pest animal and weed incursion; start propagating orchid pollinator attraction plant; provide community orchid education; survey for future orchid fencing by Landcare group.

 

The PPWCMA looks forward to the implementation of these projects and the contribution they will make to environmental values that benefit the whole community.

This project is supported by the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

For further information on the National Landcare Programme, visit www.nrm.gov.au.

For information on Landcare groups in your region, visit the Victorian Landcare Gateway website at www.landcarevic.net.au or contact the PPWCMA on 03 8781 7900.

 

Projects funded in 2016/17 through PPWCMA Community Grants

 

Group	Project Title	Funding
Bend of Islands Conservation Association	Protecting high value remnant vegetation from grassy weeds and Burgan.	$4,405
Dunmoochin Landcare Group	Protection of threatened orchids in Dunmoochin	$18,891
Friends of Braeside Park	West Gippsland Plains Redgum Grassy Woodlands Restoration Project – Braeside Park.	$8,700
Friends of Steele Creek	Steele Creek Escarpement Restoration Stage 3	$28,920
Hurstbridge District Landcare	Protecting Threatened Spider-Orchids in Hurstbridge	$7,890
Main Creek Catchment Landcare Group	Restoring significant roadside vegetation near MP National Park	$29,292
Manton & Stony Creeks Landcare Group	Punty Lane Biolink	$22,415
Merricks Coolart Catchment Landcare Group	Protecting Indigenous Fauna in High Quality Merricks North Bushland	$27,800
Rowsley Landcare	Cultural heritage and active rabbit management	$29,120
Southwest Mornington Peninsula Landcare	Protect & Connect Stage 2 : Habitat enhancement along roadsides near Peninsula Gardens Bushland Reserve	$30,000
Warneet Friends Group	Warneet Nature Reserve corridor restoration 2016-17	$6,050
Western Port Catchment Landcare Network	Creating & Protecting Owl Habitat in the Western Port Catchment	$29,999
Western Port Seagrass Partnership	Mangrove regeneration in Western Port	$7,800
	Total	$251,282

*note funding shows $250,000 NLP funding from 2016/17 and $1,282 in other funds.