Funding To Protect Victoria’s Waterways And Wildlife

The Allan Labor Government is improving and protecting habitats for native wildlife across Victoria’s iconic urban rivers and creeks through a new program that is delivering environmental restoration projects across the state.

Minister for Water Harriet Shing today announced the first round of successful grants through the $10 million Green Links Grant Program, which will support local projects along Victoria’s urban waterways to deliver up to 300 hectares of revegetated land for communities to enjoy and wildlife to thrive.

Victoria’s waterways are home to more than 1,800 species of native plants and 600 species of native animals and revegetation projects like this are essential to waterway and their parkland corridors.

Community groups, water or land managers, Traditional Owners and local councils received up to $200,000 for small projects and up to $2 million for large-scale projects.

This included $1.77 million to revegetate the corridor along the Barwon River, more than $700,000 to restore the Yarrowee River and $464,000 to improve habitat conditions and connectivity along a 4km stretch of the much-loved Merri Creek.

The Green Links Program also provided funding to waterways included in the Waterways of the West Action Plan, the Rivers of the Barwon (Barre Warre Yulluk) Action Plan, and Burndap Birrarung burndap umarkoo – the Yarra Strategic Plan.

Victoria’s urban waterways – including the Yarra, Maribyrnong, Werribee, Barwon, and the many tributaries in their catchment areas – hold significant social, cultural, environmental, and economic value to Traditional Owners and community.

This program will bring together community groups, Traditional Owners and councils to ensure the management of waterways and their lands realises the cultural values of Traditional Owners and community aspirations.

The Labor Government is investing $10 million to deliver the grant program which follows the more than $300 million invested over four years to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria and Melbourne – building on a further $224 million towards protecting regional waterways.

For more information on the Green Links Grants Program and future funding opportunities, visit water.vic.gov.au/grants/green-links-grants.

As stated by Minister for Water Harriet Shing

“We are enhancing our urban rivers and creeks to protect native wildlife and make them places of pride for people to enjoy year-round.

“This funding is all about improving amenity and access and encouraging people to be more active and connected to our beautiful environmental landscapes, which is particularly important as our population continues to grow.”

Green Links 2023-24 Grant Recipients:

1. Kororoit Creek Connections – Brimbank City Council

2. Maribyrnong River Valley Habitat Restoration – Brimbank City Council

3. Maribyrnong River & Stony Creek wildlife protection & habitat creation – Maribyrnong City Council

4. Infill revegetation and biolinking along Moonee Ponds Creek – Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek

5. Royal Park Creek Restoration – City of Melbourne

6. Restoring Werribee River park – Werribee River Association

7. Tarneet Islands Revegetation – Wyndham City Council

8. Native Grasses Revival (Little River) – Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-Operative

9. Revegetation for connections in the West (Ballan) – Melbourne Water

10. Steele Creek Habitat Improvement – Friends of Steele Creek

11. Rivers of the Barwon revegetation work (Moorabool River, Barwon River & Waurn Ponds Creek) – CCMA

12. Urban Ripple: Restoring our Yarrowee River and its little Creeks- Bunanyung Landscape Alliance

13. Parwan Gorge Conservation Precinct (Werribee River) – Moorabool Landcare Network

14. Moorabool River Reserve Riparian Restoration – Golden Plains Shire

15. Planting the Seed – Helping Schoolchildren Create a Living Classroom (Yering Billabong) – Eco Warriors Australia

16. Glen Iris Wetlands and Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) Biodiversity Project – Stonnington City Council

17. Gardiners Creek Reserve/KooyongKoot biodiversity Corridor revegetation – KooyongKoot Alliance

18. Blackburn Lake Sanctuary Main Inlet Wetland Regeneration – Whitehorse Community Indigenous Plant Project (Bungalook Nursery)

19. Connecting up Communities – Corridors and Refuges for Urban Fauna – Merri Creek Management Committee

20. Creating habitat at Edwardes Lake, Edgars Creek Wetlands and Edgars Creek – Friends of Edwardes Lake

21. Edgars Creek Corridor Project – Merri-bek City Council

22. Community bringing Curly Sedge back to Curly Sedge Creek – Whittlesea Community Connections

23. Creating habitat at Edwardes Lake, Wetlands and Creek – Friends of Edwardes Lake