THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
$25 MILLION TO BETTER PROTECT NATURE
The Albanese Labor Government is investing $25 million to supercharge efforts to reach its target to protect 30 per cent of Australia’s land and 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030.
The funding will encourage private and philanthropic investment in projects like purchasing land to protect it from development, and removing pests and weeds so vulnerable native animals and plants can recover and thrive.
They will be delivered in partnership with conservation organisations, community groups, Traditional Owners and state and territory governments.
This investment will support initiatives that will add to our national estate by protecting areas on private land.
The first partnership will be $1.5 million for Trust for Nature, to protect critical habitat in Victoria. One of the projects in this partnership will conserve the habitat of one of our most vulnerable birds, the Plains-wanderer in the grasslands of the Victorian Riverina. The Plains-wanderer is a unique, ground-dwelling bird with origins tracing back over 60 million years. Sadly, it is listed as critically endangered and is at risk of extinction, with possibly as few as 250 left in the wild. Found only in the grasslands, its survival relies on restoring habitat.
The project will support the protection of around 600 hectares of land – equivalent to over 1120 football fields. It will be delivered by Trust for Nature Victoria and jointly funded by the Australian Government, Victorian Government, The Nature Conservancy and sponsors from the private sector, including Country Road.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP:
“We want to make sure our kids and grandkids can enjoy our beautiful environment – and that means acting now to protect more of what’s precious and better manage it for the future.
“That’s why we have set an ambitious target to protect 30 per cent of our land and 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030. We’ve wasted no time expanding our protected areas and strengthening protection of our precious places. In fact, we’ve already protected an extra 40 million hectares of Australia’s ocean and bush – an area bigger than Germany.
“But we still need to protect or conserve an additional 60 million hectares of land. That’s a big task, and it will take governments, First Nations groups, communities, business, and industry working together. This investment is another way to help us get there.”
ENDS
