New funding to support environment centres, coastal restoration and tackling weeds

The Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board is thrilled to receive funding totalling $1,168,964as part of the Marshall Liberal Government’s Landscape Priorities Fund.

Nine projects across the state have shared in the significant $4.2 million funding to address priority landscape management issues.

For the Hills and Fleurieu region, this includes three projects:

• Towards Eradication – 20 weeds by 2023 ($600,000)
• Natural Resource Centres Building Capacity ($318,964)
• Restoring coastal and marine habitats for wildlife conservation ($250,000)

“We welcome the funding and look forward to working with councils, conservation groups, businesses, volunteers, landowners and neigbouring regions to achieve significant on-ground outcomes with this funding,” said Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board Chair, David Greenhough.

In the Towards Eradication – 20 weeds by 2023 project, board staff will develop 20 local eradication plans for priority weeds and work closely with the six Councils in the Hills and Fleurieu region to implement the control the priority weeds on roadsides and council reserves.

“We need to get serious about eradicating weeds that are a threat to agriculture and ecosystems in our region. The funding for the Towards Eradication – 20 weeds by 2023 project will enable us to put a real focus on this,” said David.

The Natural Resource Centres Building Capacity project will provide critical funding for the Natural Resources Centres across the Hills and Fleurieu, Northern and Yorke and Green Adelaide regions to support community participation in landscape management activities.

The Restoring coastal and marine habitats for wildlife conservation project will support Hooded Plover populations by working with community groups and local councils to remove introduced grasses and revegetating local native spinifex in the dune systems from Myponga Beach to Goolwa. The project will also work with OzFish on ‘Seeds for Snapper’ seagrass restoration at Lady Bay and possibly Encounter Bay. This involves working with volunteers to collect and sort seagrass seeds from the beach and ocean, and distributing them to recreational fishers, who deploy them out into the bay.

The Landscape Priorities Fund is funded from landscape levies collected in the Adelaide metropolitan area and redistributed to South Australia’s regional landscape boards to enable them to work in partnership with other groups and individuals and invest in environmental projects.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the historic program was a key part of the Marshall Liberal Government Landscape SA reform to deliver a more effective, decentralised, back to basics approach to natural resources management.

“Landscape SA is about building partnerships, rolling up your sleeves and working together to support our landscapes to thrive – leading to healthy and resilient communities, sustainable production, prosperous businesses and flourishing ecosystems,” Minister Speirs said.

Projects will commence in June 2021.