Natural Heritage - Number 16
The Journal of the Natural Heritage Trust
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
Environment Australia, Winter 2003
ISSN 1440-7256
PDF file
About this document
This edition of Natural Heritage profiles some of the first successful local projects to receive money from the Australian Government Envirofund, the community component of the Howard Government’s $2.7 billion Natural Heritage Trust.
The Envirofund supports local projects that address problems like salinity, water quality, protection of native vegetation and coastal erosion, through on-ground actions such as tree planting, fencing, weed control and seed collecting, with grants from just a few hundred dollars up to $30,000.
The Envirofund was launched in April 2002 and the first round of successful projects was announced the following November. In December 2002 a special drought recovery round was announced aimed at protecting and rehabilitating local environments affected by the drought. In May this year we announced that more money was available for communities from »the Envirofund through the first round of funding for 2003-2004. This round will close on July 4, with further money to be available in another round later this year.
From the outset it was intended that the Envirofund be the mechanism to channel money directly to community groups who have the local knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm to deliver on-ground results. Small, local projects help ensure that our unique biodiversity is protected and our rich resources are sustained for generations to come.
To date, the Commonwealth Government has invested some $30 million in these projects through the Envirofund. A total of 1,869 individuals and community groups have been funded to undertake a huge range of practical activities that will have an important impact locally and contribute to helping us build a sustainable future for Australia and conserve our natural environment for generations to come.
Another important aspect of the Envirofund is to make it easy to apply, particularly for community groups who we recognise are largely run by volunteers and do not have time to deal with reams of paperwork. It is encouraging to see that applications have been received not only from groups seeking to maintain and build upon their existing on-ground work but from a large number of new community groups, working in partnership with the Natural Heritage Trust for the first time. In fact, in the first round of the Envirofund, 42 percent of the projects approved were put forward by groups who had never received Natural Heritage Trust funding before. The Envirofund recognises that every idea and every effort, no matter what size, can make a difference.
It is also pleasing that applications for Envirofund money have been of a very high standard and as a consequence very competitive. This means that the money is going where it is most needed and being invested in the very best projects that will result in the best outcomes for our environment. The number, and quality, of applications means many worthwhile projects do not receive funding. We urge unsuccessful applicants to not lose heart and try again.
Applicants are to be commended for their outstanding efforts and we look forward to seeing the impact of their hard work, some of which is on show in the stories following.
Dr David Kemp
Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage
Warren Truss
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
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