Natural Heritage - Number 3
The Journal of the Natural Heritage Trust
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
Department of the Environment and Heritage, Summer 1998/99
ISSN 1440-7256
PDF file
About this document
It is very exciting to see the growth of community interest and involvement in action to repair our environment and conserve our natural resources that the Natural Heritage Trust has fostered. The increased number of successful grants and the much stronger focus this year on onground works is particularly pleasing. This is precisely what the Coalition envisaged when it established the Natural Heritage Trust - a working partnership between the community and government that is achieving real environmental outcomes and improving the way we manage our land and water resources. There was more money available to help people this year and there will be even more next year.
This year, Landcare, Bushcare and other community groups across Australia will receive almost $195 million following the second major round of funding announcements. This funding is for projects approved through the Federal Government's One-Stop-Shop community grant application process and represents an increase of $36 million on last year's funding.
To give an idea of the big picture, more than $82 million will go to Landcare projects, $37 million has been allocated to Bushcare projects and almost $40 million to projects under the Murray-Darling 2001 program.
Community groups are the focus of delivering the environmental goals of the Trust. For example, 274 community landcare projects were funded in NSW, 146 in Victoria, and 193 in Queensland, while under Bushcare 180 groups received funding in Victoria, 136 in SA and 116 in WA and thousands of other groups have received funding from various Trust programs in all States.
Funding of almost $36 million will go to 423 projects in four States to help protect and restore catchments in Australia's largest river system as part of the Murray-Darling 2001 program.
Efforts to encourage farm forestry on private land have also been boosted, with total funding of more than $5.6 million, including 20 projects worth $1.2 million in Victoria.
It is easy to lose sight of what the Trust is really all about when talking in terms of millions of dollars. No project or group is too small to be part of the Trust and this can clearly be seen by looking at the list of funded projects announced to date which is included with this issue of Natural Heritage.
While it is pleasing to see the number and range of projects, there are still many opportunities for new and existing community groups to identify environmental problems in their area and to apply for Natural Heritage Trust funding to help address those problems, especially in urban areas and on the fringes of our major cities. There are also many opportunities for further work on sustainable agriculture activities and to increase the use of innovative practices for our rural lands.
Applications for the next funding round (1999-2000) are open now and will close on February 26. Information on how to apply, including a Guide to Community Applications and application forms is available by telephoning Freecall 1800 065 823 during business hours, or on the Internet at www.nht.gov.au.
We urge everyone to become part of this environmental rescue package and to join with the Coalition Government and the thousands of community groups around the country who are restoring and conserving our environment for the future.
Robert Hill
Minister for the Environment and Heritage
Mark Vaille
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
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