Cash splash for Queensland mangroves
The tide is turning on Queensland’s mangroves, with $2 million worth of protection grants now up for grabs.
The tide is turning on Queenslands mangroves, with the state government announcing a $2 million protection package.
Announced this week, the Grassroots Environmental Grants program will offer up to $100,000 for projects that protect coastlines from erosion across the south east of the state.
The funding will specifically benefit projects with a focus on revegetation, weed and pest control or coastal sand dune and riverbank stabilisation along the coastline from the Gold Coast all the way the Bundaberg, the government said.
“We recognise the critical role local community groups play in protecting our natural environment, especially when it comes to our vital marine ecosystems,” Environment Minister Andrew Powell said in a statement.
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Australia is home to the world’s highest mangroves species diversity, creating habitats for flora and fauna that are found nowhere else.
In Queensland, the health of marine plants is under threat due to a combination of climate change, poor water quality and catchment runoff, coastal development and physical disturbances like dredging, and invasive species.
Powell said marine plants, from mangroves to seagrass beds, were the foundation of healthy coastlines and fisheries.
“This funding will ensure grassroots organisations have the resources to deliver practical, on-the-ground action to conserve these precious habitats,” Powell said.
The program would support ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marsh plants, seagrass and marine algae, he said.
