- Peak environmental group, Healthy Land & Water, will receive an additional $2 million in funding from the Miles Government to continue its work to improve the health of waterways across South East Queensland.
- The funding will allow Healthy Land & Water to continue to implement a range of innovative catchment remediation techniques to reduce sediment, nutrient and pesticide runoff from entering SEQ waterways.
- The Miles Government is also making an additional $1 million available to support community groups to carry out projects that will improve the health of waterways within eligible bioregions across Queensland.
- Grants of between $50,000 and $200,000 are available for projects that will improve watercourse ecosystems, including revegetation, weed and pest control, fire management, riverbank stabilisation, and erosion control.
The health of Queensland's vital waterways and ecosystems will be better protected thanks to $3 million in funding from the Miles Government.
South East Queensland's highly successful Healthy Catchments Program will be expanded after the government committed to a four-year, $2 million expansion of the project.
The Healthy Catchments Program supports crucial projects that prevent harmful run off and erosion in vital ecosystems in SEQ.
The program will be delivered by Healthy Land & Water, a peak environmental group that delivers on-ground works and educational initiatives to improve the health of SEQ's natural spaces, including litter and marine debris clean-up and land restoration, as well as community and corporate education opportunities.
Since the Healthy Catchments Program began 15 years ago, it has advanced streambank and gully repair knowledge, techniques and experience in SEQ which has helped inform environmental recovery works following natural disasters.
The program also delivers a range of targeted on-ground works – from projects that restore streambanks following flooding events, to works that protect threatened species through revegetation projects.
The Healthy Catchments Program has estimated more than 68,000 tonnes of sediment, the equivalent of more than 4500 dump trucks, has been prevented from entering South East Queensland waterways.
The expanded program will build on the skilled, innovative approaches implemented by Healthy Land & Water to maximise catchment repair across SEQ and increase community participation in the protection of local waterways.
Over the next three years, the renewed program will focus on innovative gully remediation and revegetation projects to complement existing streambank repair initiatives, improve water quality in local watercourses, and prevent potentially harmful sediment from flowing out to marine areas and beaches.
The Miles Government is also offering $1 million in grant funding to support community groups, not-for-profit organisations and First Nations groups to undertake projects that will improve the health of watercourse ecosystems.
The latest round of the Miles Government's highly successful Community Sustainability Action Grants program will provide funding of between $50,000 and $200,000 to support eligible groups to carry out on-ground activities that will deliver conservation outcomes for watercourse ecosystems within eligible bioregions across the state.
The eligible bioregions include the Brigalow Belt, Cape York Peninsula, the Channel Country, Mulga Lands, Northwest Highlands, and the Wet Tropics.
Projects can include revegetation, weed and pest control activities, fire management, riverbank stabilisation and erosion control.
As stated by the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leanne Linard:
"The Miles Government is committed to working with, and empowering, community groups and natural resource management organisations to take meaningful action to help conserve our environment.
"Not only does water play a crucial role in our everyday lives, but Queensland's waterways support some of the most diverse aquatic and marine ecosystems in the world.
"When it comes to protecting our aquatic plants and animals, there is a literal flow-on effect from our local creeks, streams and gullies all the way out to sea.
"By continuing support for innovative programs like the Healthy Catchments Program and the Community Sustainability Action Grants, we are safeguarding the future of our local waterways as well as our delicate marine ecosystems by supporting these ecosystems to thrive."
As stated by Healthy Land & Water CEO Julie McLellan:
"This forward-thinking program focuses squarely on building the health and resilience of our region, to help it better withstand the increasing impacts from natural disasters, litter and urban development," she said.
"Funding is vital for us to be able to do so much more protecting ecology, flora, fauna and repairing 150 years of legacy issues.
"We do this at scale with major restoration work in streams, creeks, rivers and gullies protecting receiving waters, place and property from further erosion, damage and pollutants. We protect our native species from invasive plants and animals so they can be restored and thrive.
"We absolutely love leading this crucial work to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy South East Queensland's healthy, beautiful, biodiverse waterways and landscapes."
