- $7 million available through the 2024 State Natural Resource Management Program's Community Stewardship Grants
- Grants of up to $450,000 to boost local efforts to protect, conserve and enhance the State's valuable environmental assets
The Cook Government today announced $7 million through the 2024 Community Stewardship Grants to support Natural Resource Management (NRM) initiatives which protect and restore Western Australia's unique environment.
The long-running grants program backs community-led land and water conservation initiatives spanning coastal, agricultural, pastoral, urban, bushland and marine environments across the State.
The program is open to a wide range of groups, including NRM groups, local government authorities, Aboriginal organisations, Community Resource Centres, Recognised Biosecurity Groups and schools.
Small grants of between $1,000 and $50,000 are available for short term projects, with large grants of between $50,000 and $450,000 available for longer term activities.
Over the past six years, $45.5 million worth of Community Stewardship Grants have supported more than 400 grassroots not-for-profit and volunteer groups that care for the State's diverse and valuable natural assets.
Projects have included landcare capacity building, wetlands and catchment rehabilitation, dieback control, weed management, and protection of threatened species such as black cockatoos, western ringtail possum and Carter's freshwater mussel.
For more information and to apply for a Community Stewardship Grant visit https://bit.ly/StateNRM. Applications close 20 May 2024.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"The State Government recognises the value of local knowledge, volunteer efforts and good partnerships in conserving WA's unique, natural assets.
"The Community Stewardship Grants program builds community capacity in natural resource management, supports on-ground local community action and leverages significant volunteer effort to conserve our environment.
"We all have a role to play in conserving our unique landscape for the next generation and I encourage NRM groups to explore the grants program."
As stated by Environment Minister Reece Whitby:
"I commend the many grassroots groups across Western Australia who are dedicated to delivering important environmental outcomes for their local areas and communities.
"It has been great to see a growing number of First Nations landcare projects supported through this program in recent years, including the Noongar Land Enterprise Group which is repairing ecosystems and biodiversity across degraded land in the South West and Wheatbelt."
As stated by Water Minister Simone McGurk:
"Community groups play an important role in maintaining and improving WA's precious waterways.
"A great recent example is a local project bringing together five community groups to coordinate rehabilitation activities for the Beeliar Wetlands, including weed control, revegetation and mapping."
