Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley has joined Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan in Port Macquarie for the launch of a bushfire recovery program for wildlife and habitat that will deliver almost $440,000 to community projects that will support Cowper.

Federal Government’s $10 million community grants program will support hands on projects from setting up bee hotels and creating native community nurseries, to cultural burning and installing nest boxes.

In the Cowper region, Minister Ley said the funding would back local resource managers, volunteers and Indigenous organisations in on ground projects including feral animal and pest weed control in the  World Heritage listed Gondwana Rain Forest, planting 6,600 trees in the Nambucca region, Platypus habitat restoration in the Dorrigo region, and installing nest boxes and constructing in-situ hollows in existing trees in the Macleay Valley.

“We are investing $200 million in bushfire recovery for wildlife and habitat and this is about backing community led projects,” Minister Ley said.

Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan said the Morrison-McCormack Government is getting behind the people of Cowper as we help our local environment recover.

“This is about working with communities, about people getting out into the bush, getting on their hands and knees to remove weeds, climbing trees to install nesting boxes and erecting barriers to keep out feral predators,” Mr Conaghan sad.

“There are four key projects in our region:

• Nambucca Landcare secured $139,634 to implement priority natural resource management actions to help restore tributaries of the Nambucca River, enhancing biodiversity and reducing ongoing threats from weeds, stock pressure and erosion.
• Macleay Landcare received $149,975 to deliver a habitat recovery program, a nest box and constructed hollow program, and a community education to support the recovery of wildlife.
• Armidale Regional Council will use its $150,000 to deliver a landscape scale feral animal (predator and herbivore), and pest weed, control program on private land in the Jeogla to Carrai Plateau area.
• Jaliigirr Wildlife & Habitat fire recovery in the Dorrigo region will investigate and quantify the impacts of the bushfires on platypus populations in around Dorrigo rand seek to improve the condition and cover of riparian vegetation within the upper reaches of the Bellinger River

“The people that have been through the fires know there is still a lot of healing to take place and seeing native animals and plants recover is an important part of the process for all of us.”

The competitive grants process was run through the Business Grants Hub with applications submitted by incorporated and not for profit organisations, Indigenous organisations, local government authorities, community groups and volunteers.