Grants to protect and restore the Otways and the coast

COMMUNITY groups will be invited to apply for funding to help protect and restore native plants, wildlife, and coastal environments in the Otways.
The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is overseeing the $1 million program, part of the Wild Otways project funded by the federal government.
The grants are one of two investment streams in the $6 million Wild Otways project, and will be open to local governments, Traditional Owners and volunteer groups to deliver on-ground environment projects.
The types of projects that will be supported through the Community Grants program include revegetation, weed and pest control, fencing, and access track improvements
The first round of grants will be promoted in November.
The other investment stream is five commission-based sub-projects – pig and deer eradication, fox and cat management, preventing the introduction of the water mould Phytophtora cinnamomi into critical habitat areas and reducing the impact of root rot or dieback, small mammal conservation, and “rewilding” the Otways for small mammal species.
The area covered by the project stretches from Jan Juc/Bells Beach to Peterborough, and the Great Otway National Park and hinterlands in South West Victoria.
The overarching aim is to improve the trajectory of threatened species targeted under the federal government’s Threatened Species Strategy and other EPBC Act priority species.
The $6 million for Wild Otways, and another $1.5 million for the Dunecare project to restore and protect sand dunes from the Bellarine Peninsula along the Great Ocean Road to Marengo, comes from the federal government’s Environment Restoration Fund.
“I am delighted that local community and environment groups will have the opportunity to apply for funding,” Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson said.
“We live in the most amazing part of the world. Our environment is incredibly precious.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to fund environmental projects which will provide important conservation benefits such as native vegetation planting, fencing, boardwalks and other infrastructure which protects native flora and fauna.”
For more information on Wild Otways and Dunecare, head to ccma.vic.gov.au.