Restoring and protecting Queensland’s natural landscapes will be a focus for several projects this year.
The Queensland Government announced its support for 10 new projects just before Christmas, with the projects receiving funding under the $117.8 million Natural Resource Management Expansion Program.
More than $51 million has been allocated between the 10 new projects are designed to help protect Queensland’s land, water and biodiversity assets for future generations, with projects ranging from reducing feral pig numbers in north-west Queensland to habitat protection for threatened species in south-east Queensland.
Dale Last, Queensland’s Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, said the investment in regional environmental programs allowed local knowledge to be put to work to deliver real results on the ground.
“This investment is about backing local NRM organisations who know their regions best and giving them the tools to get results on the ground,” Mr Last said.
Mr Last noted it had been a while since Queensland’s Natural Resource Management Groups had sufficient funding.
“Through our $117.8 million Natural Resource Management Expansion Program, the Crisafulli Government is focused on practical action to strengthen Queensland’s natural environment and support regional communities,” he said.
“This program has been a game-changer, providing unprecedented support to protect our natural assets, tackle environmental challenges, and empower local organisations to make a lasting impact.”
NRM Regions Queensland CEO Chris Norman shared this overall Natural Resource Management Expansion Program was designed to strengthen the regional capacity, and deliver crucial long-term environmental outcomes across the state.
“We’re thrilled to be delivering the Natural Resource Management Expansion Program in collaboration with the Queensland Government and we’re ready to work alongside regional communities to deliver outcomes for the environment and for the economy,” he said.
“Natural resource management, at its core, is about bringing people together to care for our natural assets – our land and soil, our water, and our precious biodiversity.”
Burnett Mary Cool Burn Squad
The Burnett Mary Regional Group has been allocated $10.1 million for their ‘Burnett Mary Cool Burn Squad: Protecting Agricultural Lands Through Proactive Fire Management project.
The group has a presence in the Wide Bay-Burnett-Mary area, and regularly collaborates with the North Burnett, Bundaberg, Cherbourg and South Burnett regional councils.
The Burnett Mary Cool Burn Squad project is designed to protect 50,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands from destructive wildfires, and enhance landscape resilience.
The project also aims to help improve soil health and preserve biodiversity by undertaking cool burns to reduce fuel loads and wildfire intensity and extent.
Healthy Land and Water projects
South-east Queensland group Healthy Land and Water has received funding for three separate projects.
Their Theatened Species Resilience project will receive $250,648, to help improve habitat resilience and reduce key threats to vulnerable wildlife species, by undertaking threat reduction activities and improve fire management strategies.
Meanwhile, the Urban Rewilding project will be granted $8 million to strengthen the biodiversity and disaster resilience of urban and peri-urban areas across southeast Queensland by improving native vegetation and protecting threatened species by managing weeds, increasing native vegetation and protecting theatened species.
Finally, a further $4 million will go towards the Living Landscapes and Resilience program designed to target streambank restoration to increase flood resilience, safeguard agriculutral land and support the regeneration of native vegetation along Laidley Creek.
Desert Channels Queensland
A total of $8.3 million will go towards rangeland recovery in the Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country bioregion’s project.
This will see Desert Channels Queensland partner with land managers and local councils across the Thomson, Cooper Creek, Georgina and Diamantina River catchments.
The project will be designed to increase the extent of native grassland vegetation by 3,200 hectares by implementing improved land management practices.
It will also improve 23,100 hectares of wetland condition, protect threatened species by reducing the impact of feral pests and weeds, and finally, improve 350,000 hectares of land condition by improving grazing land management practices.
Southern Gulf NRM
Southern Gulf NRM have scored Natural Resource Management Expansion Program funding for three projects.
The organisation was allocated $6.8 million for their Invasive Biosecurity Outcomes for the Southern Gulf Region project, which will help improve land condition by controlling weeds and feral pigs in the Flinders catchment.
A total of $2.6 million was assigned to the Protection of the Gulf Snapping Turtle in the Southern Gulf project. This will see Gulf Snapping Turtle nesting sites and habitats in the Burke Shire area protected by controlling feral pigs.
Finally, $2.3 million will fund the Feral Pig Reduction for Improved Wetland Health in the Southern Gulf Region project. This will see work done on 10 properties to control feral pigs and their impacts on waterways.
Cape York NRM
The Cape York NRM group scored funding for two projects from the program.
A grant of $5.4 million will support the Cape York Wetlands and Native Vegetation Resilience project, which will see a partnership with Cape York land managers to undertake landscape scale control of weeds and feral animals resulting in the improved condition of 10,000 hectares of wetlands, and 10,000 hectares of native vegetation.
Finally, the Cape York Wildfire Resilience project received $3.5 million from the program to increase wildfire resilience across 40,000 hectares.
