Joint Media Release
- 2 July 2009 - The Rudd Government today
accelerated work across Australia on environmental
and sustainable farming projects, with $403
million committed under Caring for our Country.
It will be the single
biggest investment over the next four years
under the landmark $2 billion program.
Caring for our Country
reformed the way environmental and sustainable
farming projects were funded, by creating
a transparent system and cutting red tape.
It coordinates projects
across the country around consistent national
targets which are backed by an annual business
plan to focus investment and deliver maximum
results.
Announcing the funding
today, Environment Minister Peter Garrett
and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries
and Forestry, Tony Burke, said it would
support local community projects through
to major national initiatives, including:
$293 million for 56
regional organisations, more than 1,200
community groups and more than 12,000 landholders
to protect and conserve Australia’s natural
resources - our farming land, water, coasts,
plants and animals
$51.8 million to help
deliver on the Government’s election commitment
to protect the Great Barrier Reef;
$57.5 million to support
57 significant projects across Australia,
including targeting weeds such as blackberry
and lantana; pests such as rabbits and protecting
Ramsar wetlands.
These significant projects
also include a landmark four-year, $19 million
initiative to tackle the estimated one million
feral camels that devastate Australia’s
arid and semi-arid environments.
It is the most significant
commitments to tackle feral camels since
they were introduced in 1840 to provide
transport in arid regions of Australia.
Feral camels cover an
estimated 3.3 million square kilometres
and cause an estimated $14 million in damage,
including to fences, water troughs, bores,
buildings and vegetation.
The project will cover
the Northern Territory, Queensland, South
Australia and Western Australia and involve
natural resource management groups, conservation
bodies, the pastoral industry, research
organisations and state and territory governments.
It is estimated the
feral camel population is doubling every
nine years. This project aims to lower the
population density in priority areas to
less than one camel per ten square kilometres.
The $403 million will
also fund:
More than 600 community
volunteer days of cane toad control;
Rodent eradication programs on eight of
Australia’s small islands;
Feral animal suppression programs covering
more than 178 million hectares to allow
regeneration and recovery of critically
endangered and threatened species and communities;
Biological control of weeds of national
significance across Victoria, Tasmania,
South Australia and NSW;
Around 3,000 additional primary producers
using improved soil management methods on
their properties; and
More than 1,000 community organisations
to be involved in coastal conservation projects.
Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett
said the investment represented a major
step forward for Caring for our Country.
“We have set ambitious
targets for investment over the next four
years through this program and given applicants
a clear indication of the priorities which
would guide funding decisions,” Mr Garrett
said.
“This business planning
process has revolutionised the way the Australian
Government invests in natural resource management
and has resulted in a set of very high quality,
well-targeted projects being selected for
funding.
“They will also see
local volunteer groups; natural resource
management bodies; scientists and other
experts; state, territory and the Commonwealth
governments working together on some of
the nations biggest environmental challenges,
from cane toads to feral camels.”
Minister for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the
funding recognised the leading role of Australia’s
farmers in managing the land.
“Farmers are a big part
of the solution to achieve a healthy, sustainable
and productive environment across Australia,”
Mr Burke said.
“Our primary producers
are world leaders in using innovation to
boost productivity and ensure they continue
to feed, clothe and house families around
the world.
“Not only will this
funding help farmers continue their great
work, it will support regional economies
and jobs at the same time, which is so important
during a global recession.”
Further information
about these Caring for our Country investments
and a full listing of all funded projects
is available at www.nrm.gov.au/business-plan/funded
State by State Breakdowns
South Australia
$40 million for projects including:
Rabbit control programs
(using existing methods) to cover more than
420,000 hectares of land particularly in
the Eyre Peninsula, SA Murray Darling Basin
and Alinytjara Wilurara regions ($1.1 million)
Over 167,000 hectares managed to reduce
threats to native plants and animals and
to enhance their habitats ($8.9 million)
2,480 more landholders adopting healthy
soil management practices (most regions)
Coordinated weed control programs across
more than 30;000 hectares targeting bridal
creeper, athel pine, Chilean needle grass,
boneseed and other weeds that are a major
threat to agriculture and the environment
($1.9 million)
Over $35 million for eight regional natural
resource management groups
More than $1.5 million for the Invasive
Animal Cooperative Research Centre to develop
improved rabbit control measures
Victoria
$47.3 million for projects including:
Control programs targeting
weeds of national significance and covering
11,390 hectares
Reducing critical threats to biodiversity
by improving 295,219 hectares of habitats
and landscapes
Feral animal suppression programs on more
than 12,475 hectares
Over $37 million for ten regional natural
resource management
New South Wales
$109 million for projects including:
260 community volunteer
days of cane toad control (Border Rivers/Gwydir
and Northern Rivers CMAs);
Reduce introduced rodent population on Muttonbird
Island over the next three years (Northern
Rivers CMA)
Feral animal suppression programs across
more than 45,656 hectares to allow regeneration
and recovery of critically endangered and
threatened species and communities (Central
West CMA)
Control programs targeting weeds of national
significance covering more than 240,443
hectares and (Central West CMA)
Protection of Ramsar wetlands (Border Rivers
/Gwydir, Central West, Hunter-Central Rivers,
Murrumbidgee and Northern Rivers CMAs)
55 CMA/Indigenous community partnerships
(most CMAs)
Nearly 3,000 more landholders adopting healthy
soil management practices (most CMAs)
1,500 farmers conserving and protecting
biodiversity (most CMAs)
Over 500 community organisations will be
involved in coastal rehabilitation, restoration
and conservation projects
Queensland
$95.6 million for projects including:
Almost $39.5 million
for 14 natural resource management regions
$51.8 million for Reef Rescue to improve
water quality in the Great Barrier Reef
683,190 hectares to be managed to reduce
critical threats to, and improve, biodiversity
(Cape York Peninsula, QLD Murray-Darling,
Reef Catchments and Terrain Wet Tropics
regions)
Reducing soil erosion with 200 land managers
(responsible for two million hectares) in
the Cooper and Diamantina River Catchments
(Desert Channels Region)
Control programs targeting weeds of national
significance covering 133,345 hectares (Burnett
Mary, Northern Gulf, Reef Catchments, Southern
Gulf Catchments regions)
Activities to address threats to Ramsar-listed
wetlands posed by invasive plant and animal
species on 244,207 hectares (Burnett Mary,
QLD Murray-Darling, Reef Catchments, Southern
Gulf Catchments, South-West NRM regions)
113 community organisations engaged in coastal
rehabilitation, restoration and conservation
(North Queensland Dry Tropics, Reef Catchments,
Terrain Wet Tropics regions)
329 community groups involved in programs
to increase community knowledge and skills
of natural resource best practice
71 partnerships between regional bodies
and Indigenous communities engaged in delivering
Caring for our Country programs (North Queensland
Dry Tropics, Fitzroy Basin, QLD Murray-Darling,
Burnett Mary regions)
4,295 more landholders adopting healthy
soil management practices (most regions)
Western Australia
$60 million for projects including:
Conserving Australia’s
only international biodiversity hotspot
($1.5 million)
Helping more than half the farmers and land
managers in the Avon Catchment to increase
their knowledge and skills for improved
land management ($10.8 million)
Helping 500 farmers to protect 15,000 hectares
by reducing the risk of wind erosion in
the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council
($6.5 million)
Improving water quality in the Swan-Canning
coastal catchment to reduce nutrient and
industrial pollutant run-off ($2.1 million)
Combating weeds of national significance
and protecting highly significant wetlands
through the Rangelands Coordinating Group,
which manages natural resources on over
90% of Western Australia’s lands ($7.92
million)
Helping threatened ecological communities
and endangered species such as Gilbert’s
Potoroo and Carnaby’s Cockatoo in the South
Coast region of the state ($7.51 million)
Improving sustainable farming practices
and engaging communities in looking after
their threatened and endangered species
and internationally acclaimed wildlife assets
on five million hectares in the state’s
south west corner ($10.5 million)
ACT
$2.7 million for projects including:
$60,000 to conduct five
training sessions for landholders to help
them identify weeds of national significance
$152,000 to increase landscape scale conservation
by engaging 125 land managers to conduct
cross-farm planning and collaborative pest
animal and plant control
$138,000 to use and share Indigenous ecological
knowledge
$100,1000 to increase participation by volunteers,
particularly schoolchildren, in natural
resource management
Tasmania
$13.6 million for projects including:
$800 000 for a range
of additional projects across Tasmania
Protecting threatened native plant and animal
species, including Tasmania’s Giant Freshwater
Crayfish, by improving natural habitat and
reducing threats posed by invasive weeds
and animal pests ($244,400)
Improving water quality, addressing habitat
loss and increasing biodiversity in the
Derwent Estuary, an important coastal hotspot
($335,320)
Decreasing threats posed by invasive plant
and animal species in eight Ramsar-listed
wetlands ($120 000)
Improving critical breeding habitat for
Little Penguins which is under threat from
introduced pests and weeds ($50 000)
Engaging public and private land managers
in best practice land management to protect
the Pitt-Water Orielton Lagoon Ramsar wetland
and coastal hotspot ($196,350)
Northern Territory
$13.1 million for projects including:
More than $6.2 million
for the regional natural resource management
boards to deliver biodiversity, sustainable
farm practices and water projects to their
communities
Reducing the impact of feral pests and weeds
($1.08 million)
Helping coastal communities to protect wetlands
and improve coastal environments ($780,000)
Improving sustainable farming practices
($672,000)
Improving natural resource management throughout
Northern Territory communities ($4.1 million)
