Grassroots Grants Awarded to Support Community-Led Landscape Conservation

The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board announced that more than $732,000 will be reinvested in the region across a range of projects including revegetation, educational programs and conservation works across the 2024-25 financial year.

This year saw a bumper number of applications including 33 first-time applicants. There was also excellent interest from the regional education sector with 11 schools and kindergartens being awarded grants. School-led projects include the establishment of bush tucker gardens, sustainable agriculture demonstration sites and funding to support students to attend ecologically themed excursions.

Among the schools funded, Loxton Lutheran Primary School was awarded funding for a student-led project to conserve the vulnerable native regent parrot. Teacher Karl Klose said that the initiative will improve vegetation in areas used by regent parrot.

“This project is a golden opportunity to capitalise on our students’ interest in the plight of the regent parrot by planting 100 plants that are known food sources for the species”.

Mr Klose said that year 5 and 6 students had developed an interest in the native bird after studying it in class, prompting the pupils to consider on-ground action to help their conservation.

“As Loxton Lutheran Primary School is close to the River Murray, we hope to create a safe feeding corridor for these birds, eliminating some of the risks associated with their flight into the Mallee,” he added.

Grassroots Grants continue to support the region’s farmers, irrigators and growers with a number of projects funded to address local agricultural issues. Angove Family Winemakers at Renmark has been successful in securing a grant to improve on-farm irrigation efficiencies and biodiversity.

“Our Grassroots Grant funded project will help us to redirect backflush water to a vacant area of our Nanya Vineyard to grow lucerne to be dried and used as under vine mulch, and to establish a biodiversity plot of native vegetation” said Sophie Angove, Quality, Environment and Sustainability Manager.

“As well as increasing the productive use of backflush water to grow crops and native plants, this project will establish a plot of native plants that are able to be used as a seed reserve for us and the wider community”.

“Not only that, this biodiversity plot will also attractive beneficial animals including insects to the vineyard, playing an integral part in management of vineyard pests”.

Ms Angove said that access to Grassroots Grant funding was essential to bring this project to reality.

“This project has only been made possible through access to Grassroots Grant funding. On-farm projects that require a large output for delayed returns can be difficult to get started, particularly in today’s climate”.

“Grassroots Grant funding encourages projects that incorporate both agricultural and environmental goals, and these types of projects are essential to safeguarding the wine industry into the future,” she added.

Di Davidson AM, Presiding Member of the landscape board, said that Grassroots Grants were a cornerstone of the organisation’s focus on community involvement.

“Empowering the community to take a lead on ecological management is a pillar of our approach, and Grassroots Grants are one way that we support locals to identify and tackle the projects that matter to them”.

“Funding more school-based projects will mean that we’re also supporting the next generation to care for our landscapes, whether they be native ecosystems or productive agricultural lands,” she added.

Now in its fifth year, Grassroots Grants have reinvested more than $2.6 million into the region, funding 160 community-led projects.

Grassroots Grants are supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board through funding from the landscape levies