Protecting our national and world heritage icons and key threatened species is the major focus of hundreds of new Green Army projects to be rolled out across Australia in coming months, including projects Holbrook Landcare Group in Farrer electorate.
“Across the country there are 397 new Green Army projects under Round Four of the programme,” said Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley.
“Over the coming months, the Holbrook community will see Green Army Participants hard at work in our local area, lending a helping hand to our environment and Round Four of the programme also has a focus on threatened species recovery.”
The project will run in the second half of 2016, bringing together ten partners from the Upper Murray to Riverine Plains to enhance and protect habitat for threatened species, while also training a young work crew in the clearing of weeds, monitoring sites and planting revegetation for habitat rehabilitation and conservation in special sites.
Holbrook Landcare Network CEO, Dale Stringer said that their group wanted to show how Landcare can support young people in the community, which is being done with the backing of Campbell Page, Skillset and major partners Greater Hume Shire Council and Murray Local Land Services.
“The Green Army Project will help our community tackle some problem sites by cleaning them up and planting more appropriate trees and shrubs for our wildlife and environment. We will be able to see progress and effects of rehabilitating sites with some monitoring and media planned to help keep the community in touch with their work,” said Mr Stringer.
Murray Local Land Services is providing essential support which allows communities to deliver projects such as these which enhance our landscapes while empowering people to make positive change in their local communities and – together with Greater Hume Shire Council – is providing further support for the young work crew to learn new skills and discover what natural resource management is all about.
“Overall, 311 of the new projects will support threatened species recovery, including 119 projects that will address priority threatened species under the Threatened Species Strategy,” Minister Hunt said.
“Participants will carry out recovery actions for priority threatened birds and mammals or take action to reduce the impact of feral cats.”
Working on national and world heritage sites will be the focus for 106 new Green Army projects, including 32 that will directly benefit the Great Barrier Reef. The Green Army programme not only benefits the environment, but also provides participants with skills and experience they can use elsewhere the workforce.
“I look forward to meeting the next round of Green Army participants as these new projects are rolled out across the country,” said Ms Ley
A full list of approved Round Four projects is available at: www.australia.gov.au/greenarmy.
