The Local Land Services Wetlands for Wildlife project is offering grants of up to $15,000 to improve the condition of local wetlands through targeted activities such as re-vegetation, stock and feral animal management, improved water management and reducing pests and weeds.
Many threatened, endangered and locally significant species in the Murray region rely on wetlands for food, habitat, and breeding, including small-bodied native fish, frogs, wetland plants and water birds.
Due to activities such as flow regulation, alien species, habitat removal, reduced water quality and grazing, wetlands are now among the most threatened and degraded ecosystems in the world.
This has a negative impact on wetland fauna and flora, with many species, such as the Southern Bell frog, the Australasian Bittern, and the Southern Pigmy Perch, now either locally extinct or threatened.
Funded through the NSW Government, the Wetlands for Wildlife project is part of a wider Murray Local Land Services program which aims to improve the condition of local wetlands and waterways through a combination of incentives, capacity building and the development of planning and prioritisation tools.
Dr John Conallin from Deniliquin Kolety Lagoons Landcare said there has been tremendous success working with Murray LLS over the last 10 years, which has resulted in improving the habitat of four local wetlands that are now home to three threatened native fish species.
“Two of the three species are now breeding, allowing us to expand the project and stock fish into lakes in neighbouring towns and hopefully into wild sites in the near future,” Dr Conallin said.
Murray LLS land services officer Josh Campbell said these grants are the next step in a wide-reaching habitat improvement program, building on the success of the Bitterns and Bell Frogs Project in 2021-22.
“Murray Local Land Services has a rich history of working with land managers, local government and the wider community to restore wetlands and recover our wetland species for future generations,” Mr Campbell said.
“Local people often best understand how to improve and enhance their local wetland habitats. It is our hope that these new grants will fund projects that are just as successful as our previous programs, breathing new life into our wetlands.”
Wetlands for Wildlife Grants are now open and will close Monday.
Go to www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/murray/programs-and-projects/wetlands-for-wildlife, call Mr Campbell on 0427 104 874 or email wetlandsforwildlife@lls.nsw.gov.au for details.
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