The Federal Government has announced 317 projects to be funded under the first round of its Biodiversity Fund, a key component of the Government’s strategy aimed at enhancing a biodiverse carbon storage environment and clean energy methods.

 

Announcing the first round of funding under the program, Federal Minister for Environment, Tony Burke, and Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet, said the projects would help revegetate and rehabilitate and restore 18 million hectares over the next six years.

 

Minister Burke said the Biodiversity Fund would provide much needed long-term commitment to biodiversity conservation and restoration with almost half the projects announced today running over a six year period.

 

“Providing long-term support to land managers leads to enduring results for our environment and for the community,” Mr Burke said.

 

“Across Australia, farmers and other land managers already do a great job through Landcare work and the Biodiversity Fund will build on this work.

 

“A number of projects announced in this first round also align with the intent of the draft National Wildlife Corridors Plan helping to improve connectivity in the landscape through the establishment of landscape scale wildlife corridors.

 

“This program has received overwhelming support from land managers right across the country with the Biodiversity Fund encouraging an additional $207 million in in-kind or financial contributions.”