09/12/2005
- Communities in drought-affected areas in South Australia
are being helped to rebuild their land and their lives with
$420,500 from the Australian Government’s Envirofund.
Details of successful applications for the 2005 Drought
Recovery Envirofund were announced today by the Australian
Government Ministers for the Environment and Heritage, Senator
Ian Campbell, and Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation,
Senator Ian Macdonald.
"Much of South Australia may now be starting to green
up after the rain, but the corrosive effect of the drought
remains," Senator Campbell said.
"This funding for 19 community-based projects in South
Australia will help people recover from the drought and
manage their land to reduce the impacts of future dry spells.
"We received an unprecedented demand for grants from
across the country and in response, doubled the funding
originally set aside from $10 million to $20 million. This
means that we have been able to approve 1,145 applications
nationally."
Senator Macdonald said that funding would go to a number
of innovative South Australian projects. "At Mt Serle
station near the tiny town of Copley in far north South
Australia, the local Knepbunna Indigenous community will
plant saltbush, blue bush, mitchell grass and other native
vegetation on their land to provide a seedbank for revegetation
of drought depleted areas," he said.
"Other projects will include fencing to limit stock
access to streams and waterways to allow them to recover
from the effects of the drought; removal of invasive vegetation
like prickly pear and African boxthorn, and controlling
feral animals to encourage native plant regeneration and
to protect endangered animals such as the yellow-footed
rock wallaby from predators."
Envirofund is the community-focused component of the Australian
Government’s $3 billion Natural Heritage Trust.
The next standard Envirofund round will open in February
2006. Round 7 Australian Government
Envirofund
South Australia project examples
Craddock Land Management Project $44,173
This project will involve extensive rabbit control by
ripping, fumigation and other methods on Craddock, near
Orroroo and Carrieton east of Port Augusta. The effect
of the removal of rabbits on predator numbers and vegetation
will be monitored, and further measures to control of
rabbits and foxes undertaken as necessary.
Protecting Remnant Vegetation and Erosion Risk Reduction,
Yating $1,064
Under this project 4ha at Yating property near Peterborough
will be fenced to exclude stock, and protect native pine.
The project will also desilt one dry dam and construct
a new dam in an environmentally suited location.
Operation Beltana $41,332
Two dams on Beltana near Copley, a tiny town in north
west South Australia, will be desilted as part of this
project and earthworks undertaken on a 100ha area to control
erosion. A creek system will be protected from stock access
by constructing 5km of fencing and installing an alternative
watering point. Feral animals will be controlled to reduce
predation on an endangered yellow-footed rock wallaby
population at the nearby Aroona dam.
Sustainable Grazing Project, Willangi $8,636
This project will involve erecting 10km of fencing at
Willangi near Orroroo east of Port Augusta, to allow better
management of stock access to pasture, and remove invasive
vegetation such as african boxthorn, prickly pear and
african rue with a bulldozer and by spraying.
Seeds for the Future, Mt Serle $11,636
For this project the local Knepbunna Indigenous community
will plant saltbush, blue bush, mitchell grass, native
pears/bananas (myaka) and quondong (uti) on their land
at Mt Serle station near Copley to provide a seedbank
for revegetation of drought depleted areas. |
