The Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP and Member for Bennelong Mr Jerome Laxale MP recently attended Friends of Lane Cove National Park’s annual get together to announce their successful Urban Rivers and Catchments Program grant application.
Part of the Federal government’s $200 million Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, the Friends of Lane Cove National Park’s grant of $366,900 is one of over 50 projects awarded funding through an open competitive grant application process. As part of their project Friends of Lane Cove National Park have committed around 2,500 hours of volunteer input per year in the project area, with additional in-kind support from both NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the City of Ryde.
This three-and-a-half-year project will focus on the removal of invasive weeds and the restoration of ten areas within three EPBC listed Threatened Ecological Communities. Eight of the sites are within Lane Cove National Park and two on nearby City of Ryde land. All are located between Fullers Bridge and Sugar Loaf Point at the southern end of the park.
The project will build on and complement the work that the volunteers have been doing in the area for many years.
Key outcomes will include the planting of a minimum of 3,000 local species plants that have been propagated in the Friends nursery, reduction in invasive species and assisted natural regeneration to help create almost 40 hectares of connected habitat corridor along the Lane Cove River.
This project is funded by the Australian government’s Natural Heritage Trust under the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, with the support of Friends of Lane Cove National Park, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and City of Ryde.
Further details
Examples of the sites are Fairyland, Pages Creek near Epping Road and Kittys Creek and the Field of Mars (Ryde Council land).
On average each of the ten sites will receive just over $10,000 per year. That is roughly equivalent to a team of three bush regenerators making ten visits over a year, making steady but real progress and giving ample time and opportunity for natural regeneration. There will be additional targets that include community planting and clean up days and the establishment of a new volunteer group at Pages Creek.
One of the best ways to do that is to follow any progress on Friends’ Facebook page or website.
This is an approved press release.