Natural Heritage - Number 32
The Journal of the Natural Heritage Trust
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, June 2007
ISSN 1440-7256
PDF file
About this document
Ten years ago, the Australian Government embarked on our nation’s largest-ever environmental rescue plan.
The Government established a $1 billion fund to protect and manage Australia’s natural environment—home to more than one million different animals and plants—under the new Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997.
Over the next five years the Natural Heritage Trust activated almost 12,000 projects across the country to protect our waterways, coastal and marine areas, agricultural resources and native animals and plants. This support drew thousands of community groups and organisations towards natural resource management activities.
The Trust continued to strengthen, listening to feedback from the community and making major changes to improve how the Trust helps people to help the environment. By late 2002 there was a fundamental shift towards a more targeted approach to natural resource management.
For the first time funding is taking a coordinated, ‘whole of catchment’ approach through regionally-focused investment. This new direction delivers improved water quality, less erosion, improved estuarine health, improved vegetation management and improved soil condition.
Following the almost $2 billion provided in this year’s Federal Budget, investment through the Trust has now reached $5 billion. This is the biggest financial commitment to environmental action by any Australian Government in our history.
The Trust has also helped to mobilise one of the largest natural resource volunteer sectors in the world—more than 800,000 people since 1997.
Investment in more than 27,000 projects to date has yielded a tangible difference on the ground. This includes 40,000 Waterwatch volunteers, who’ve looked after 8 million hectares of wetlands, improved more than 2,300 kilometres of stream bank and prevented almost 400 megalitres of waste from reaching the environment.
More than 60,000 Coastcare groups have monitored the health of about 1.3 million hectares of coastal land, while more than 4,000 Landcare groups are working on a range of projects across the country. For example in the New England area of New South Wales local landcare groups have planted half a million trees and 66,000 shrubs, and built close to 600 kilometres of fencing to protect rivers and native plants.
Along the coastline of Western Australia’s Margaret River a band of 100 volunteers cleared more than 8,000 individual pieces of debris in a single day between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.
In Victoria’s Wimmera region local farmers worked on more than 200 district properties to direct seed 2,150 kilometres of seedlines, establish 1.5 million new trees and shrubs and protect over 2,000 hectares. The scale of involvement reached more than 2,300 volunteers.
The Trust has brought together the community, farmers, volunteer organisations, environmental groups, industry, businesses, the scientific community and all tiers of government under a vision for a more sustainable future.
Thank you for your support over the past 10 years. The Trust’s success is your success.
Malcolm Turnbull
Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Resources
Peter McGauran
Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window