South Australia has announced the allocation of A$11.4 million ($8 mln) in grants to help landowners enhance and protect nature within their properties.
Landowners can apply for a share of the allocation to implement activities benefitting threatened species, boosting biodiversity, and restoring ecosystems, the local government said Thursday.
The grants, managed by the Native Vegetation Council, will be delivered through two separate programmes – the Restoration Grants and Incentive Grants – that will support various projects across different areas of the state.
The first one is a two-year programme (2024-26) designed to support long-term initiatives lasting up to 10 years in the regions of Northern and Yorke, South Australia Arid Lands, and Eyre Peninsula.
“These three regions have been subject to higher levels of native vegetation clearance in recent years to enable important energy and resources projects as well as road infrastructure to be built,” the government stated.
Eligible projects will focus on enhancing local native species, managing pest plants and animals that are over-abundant, and implementing fencing to exclude stock.
Landowners can apply for this grant until Nov. 15, with a second round of funding expected to be announced early next year.
The second programme is designed for short-term projects (1-5 years) to be carried out across all of South Australia, with the aim of establishing new conservation areas on private lands, dubbed Heritage Agreements, to protect native vegetation and biodiversity.
According to Gayle Grieger, manager at the Department for Environment and Water, only 33% of native vegetation remains in South Australia’s agricultural zone.
“The Native Vegetation Council plays an important role in funding projects that will improve habitat for wildlife, such as malleefowl, plains-wanderer, and southern whiteface,” Grieger said.
“These grants support healthy ecosystems by increasing the amount of woodlands across our state.”
South Australia is in the process of approving a broader Biodiversity Act to preserve nature in the state, with the bill also incorporating the knowledge of Aboriginal South Australians in land management, the local government said.
Last month, Australia announced the establishment of 12 new Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), spanning 7.5 million hectares of land and 450,000 ha of sea.
To be managed by First Nations groups, the protected areas are the result of the government investing A$14.6 mln ($9.85 mln), Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said.
By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com
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