110 natural resource projects aimed at the protection and restoration of the environment and wildlife in Western Australia have been backed by $18.6 million funding from the Government’s Natural Resource Management (NRM) Program.
According to the latest media release from the Government of Western Australia published last Monday, over eighty community groups have been working on the projects in close collaboration with local governments, schools and State agencies.
The 2012-13 State NRM Progress Report, now available online, reveals the extent of the work in detail.
Ken Baston, Minister for Agriculture and Food, has confirmed that the projects were delivering more than 2.3mha of feral animal control; 86 800ha of weed and 150,000 ha of dieback and marri canker control; 800ha of revegetation; 170km of fencing; 90 management plans; 380 training events as well as protection of over 170 threatened plant and animal species.
“Coastal, marine, agricultural, pastoral, and urban, river, estuarine, bush land and wildlife sanctuaries have been conserved and restored by thousands of staff and volunteers in the past financial year,” Mr. Baston said.
Mr. Baston applauded the West Australian communities for their dedication and care for the native landscapes and animals.
He further added that their actions are regarded as contributions for the development of the country as a whole, since the unique beauty of WA attracts thousands of tourists each year.
Some of the NRM projects underlined in the issued Progress Report include:
-Restoration of the natural habitat in Noblewood Reserve by Mundaring Primary School, where students built habitat boxes for the small carnivorous marsupial mardo and nesting boxes for black cockatoos.
-A 60km fence to block cattle from Eighty Mile Beach – an important Ramsar-listed site – by Greening Australia WA.
-An audit of more than 1,000 light industrial premises in the metropolitan area identifying sources of pollutants entering the Swan Canning Riverpark by the Swan River Trust.
-An expansion of nursery operations by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group to meet growing demand for locally-grown native plants for water-efficient home gardens.
