- Local governments to receive $1.6 million as part of Urban Greening Grants Program
- Grants to support 16 local governments to plant more than 5,000 trees and 130,000 understorey species throughout the Perth and Peel regions
- Program complements $7.2 million WA Tree Recovery program
The Cook Labor Government is continuing to support urban canopy with more than $1.6 million in grants to help local governments plant thousands of trees throughout the Perth and Peel regions.
As part of the latest round of funding under the Urban Greening Grants Program, which is managed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in conjunction with the Western Australia Local Government Authority (WALGA), 16 local governments will plant 5,487 trees and 138,768 understorey plants by mid-2025.
These projects are crucial in reducing urban heat, creating ecological corridors, and enhancing biodiversity through the establishment of food sources for endangered black cockatoos and other native wildlife.
In the past year, the Urban Greening Grants Program has provided $3.75 million for local governments to plant more than 33,000 trees and 260,000 understorey plant species.
It further complements the State Government's $7.2 million WA Tree Recovery program, which will fund local governments and residential landowners to replant trees that have been removed due to the polyphagous shot-hole borer.
As stated by Environment Minister Reece Whitby:
"Increasing urban canopy is one of the simplest ways we can fight climate change.
"This funding will support local governments throughout Perth and Peel to create greener, leafier - and importantly, more liveable - communities."
As stated by Western Australian Local Government Association president Karen Chappel:
"WALGA is pleased to partner with the WA State Government to distribute the Urban Greening Grants to local governments, particularly in highly utilised community locations where we know there is less than 10 per cent canopy and higher urban heat.
"We have long advocated that local governments are best placed to know where and how to improve tree canopy, which of course improves neighbourhood amenity, air quality, and provides habitat for wildlife.
"These trees will ultimately deliver a long-term improvement in the liveability of these communities, and we will continue to work with the State Government on improving our tree canopy."
