Funding boost for Landcare projects

THE State Government has doubled its financial support for efforts to regenerate native vegetation and waterways.

The funding boost means Landcare Tasmania will receive $960,000 over the next four years — enabling volunteer groups to take on bigger projects than they have in recent times.

Landcare Tasmania chief executive Rod Knight welcomed the extra cash, saying “the last few years have been difficult for a lot of people in the Landcare community”.

Quamby Bend farmer Ian Mitchelson has worked to replace introduced willows with native vegetation at the Colynn property, north of Westbury, that his family has owned for more than a century.

Mr Mitchelson said funding levels had restricted Landcare groups to grants of up to $6000 in recent years, limiting their ability to carry out regeneration projects along the 112km Meander River.

“By the time we got an excavator in on a float, it was only a couple days’ worth, so to make it worthwhile we would put the same amount in again out of our own pockets,” Mr Mitchelson said.

“But with this grant now, it will allow us to broaden that out to a bigger area and concentrate on more length of the river, more cleaning and perhaps plant a few more trees.”

Mr Mitchelson said willow removal was a priority along the Meander, where dropped leaves create water quality issues.