11 January 2015: Protecting our national and world heritage icons and key threatened species is the major focus of hundreds of new Green Army projects to be rolled out across Australia in coming months, including projects in the South West Region.
Mr Wilson welcomed the announcement of several projects approved under Round Four of the Green Army Programme in O’Connor including one project entitled:
- South West Collaboration (SWC) for a biodiversity hotspot
The work of the Green Army will incorporate the Blackwood Basin Group’s Waterbird project, which annually plants thousands of seedlings to restore habitat for waterbirds, as well as various works in the Bridgetown –Greenbushes area.
Mr Wilson said the Green Army is first and foremost an environmental programme aiming to support practical environment and heritage conservation projects.
“However the Green Army programme not only benefits the environment, but also provides participants with skills and experience they can use elsewhere the workforce,” he said.
“Many of these new projects will undertake important revegetation, seed propagation, fencing, weeding, site monitoring and heritage conservation work.
"Over the coming months, our community will see Green Army participants hard at work in our local area, lending a helping hand to our environment.
“I have had a fair bit to do with the Green Army in O’Connor and look forward to meeting the next round of Green Army participants.
“I congratulate this group of organisations on collaborating to secure a Green Army project that will cross many jurisdictions and electorates to achieve conservation outcomes for the benefit of South Western WA.”
Environment Minister Greg Hunt said Round Four of the Green Army also has a focus on threatened species recovery.
“Overall, 311 of the new projects will support threatened species recovery, including 119 projects that will address priority threatened species under the Threatened Species Strategy,” Minister Hunt said.
“Participants will carry out recovery actions for priority threatened birds and mammals or take action to reduce the impact of feral cats.”
A full list of approved Round Four projects is available at:
www.australia.gov.au/greenarmy
Media
contact
Monica O’Shea
(08) 9842 2777
Monica.o’shea@aph.gov.au