August 16, 2012
South Burnett Regional Council has secured a $1.64 million Federal Government grant to assist biodiversity throughout the region.
The funding was provided by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and will be used to facilitate a region-wide biodiversity and climate change strategy.
Natural Resource Management spokeswoman Cr Kathy Duff said the Federal Government funding was a great opportunity to put in place an Environmental Plan for the region without any real costs to Council.
“After thorough community engagement we will be looking at using the funds for village planning, funding a free tree program and the rehabilitation of landfill sites,” Cr Duff said.
“The project also aims to revegetate 200ha of urban and village landscapes, develop a fire management regime and reduce the spread of environmental weeds through wildlife corridors.”
South Burnett Regional Council Manager of Natural Resources and Parks Greg Griffiths said Council could not put in place a biodiversity strategy without funding assistance.
“The team put together a detailed application to secure the funding. We were pleased to hear our Project Plan was one of the best applications received by the Federal Government,” he said.
“The approval of this funding now means we can employ a project co-ordinator to facilitate community engagement and partnerships with local organisations.
“We have already had interest from a number of people and school groups wanting to help roll-out the project.”
