The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
Caring for our iconic World Heritage places
Media release
16 November 2009
PG/368
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The Rudd Government will invest over $38 million in the conservation and preservation of Australia's unique World Heritage places through the Caring for our Country program.
Announcing the funding today, Environment Minister Peter Garrett said World Heritage funding was a key element of the Government's Caring for our Country initiative.
“Australia's World Heritage includes some of our most cherished and important places, and we are committed to safeguarding them for future generations,” Mr Garrett said.
“While our 17 World Heritage Places generate an estimated $12 billion and 120,000 jobs annually, they face significant threats, including from dangerous climate change. A recent report highlighted reduced rainfall, higher sea and land surface temperatures, more severe storm events, ocean acidification and rising sea levels as some of the potential threats.
“The Caring for our Country World Heritage funding will address a range of environmental challenges, from eradicating pests on Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean to protecting the biodiversity of Shark Bay in Western Australia.
“In the Gondwana Rainforests, which stretch up the north east coast of NSW and into south east Queensland, we will provide almost $3.2 million over four years to help protect the ancient forests that house more than 200 rare and threatened plant and animal species.
“In western NSW, private landholders in the extensive and ancient Willandra Lakes Region, which has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, will receive more than $2.1 million over four years to combat erosion and pest plants and animals, which will help to ensure the Region's priceless World Heritage values remain resilient.
Caring for our Country World Heritage funding will:
- Implement on-ground actions to protect the outstanding universal values of our World Heritage areas in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania
- Help private landholders within and adjacent to World Heritage areas to manage their land sustainably to help address threats
- Support on-going community and scientific consultative bodies for World Heritage areas
“In the New South Wales Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Caring for our Country funding will help to protect the Wollemi pine against ongoing threats, including fire and climate change,” Mr Garrett said.
“On Macquarie Island, home to an Australian research base, $7.4 million will be invested over the next four years to eradicate rabbit and rodent populations that are currently threatening the Island's fragile sub-Antarctic environment.”
The $38.5 million of funding will help meet Australia's international obligations to maintain the outstanding World Heritage values of these sites and to ensure high quality visitor experiences.
A full list of funded projects follows is attached. Further information about Caring for our Country is available at www.nrm.gov.au
Caring for our Country World Heritage funding
Tasmania
Macquarie Island Rabbit and Rodent Eradication Program
Total funding 2009-2013: $7 422 883 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: Tasmanian Government
This project aims to eradicate rabbits and rodents from Macquarie Island in a program jointly funded by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments. It will help restore the fragile natural beauty of Macquarie Island and provide long term protection for its wildlife and vegetation.
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Baseline Funding
Total funding 2009-2013: $13 600 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery Agent: Tasmanian Government
This project contributes funding to the management of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, and is jointly funded by the Tasmanian Government.
The funding will be used to identify, protect, conserve and rehabilitate the values of the World Heritage Area through management planning, evaluation and reporting, applied scientific research and monitoring, and asset and risk management.
Queensland
Queensland Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Baseline Funding
Total funding 2009-2013: $10 800 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery Agent: Queensland Government
This project contributes funding to the management of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. The Queensland Government also provides funding support.
The funding contributes to the implementation of the Wet Tropics Management Plan 1998 and will help identify, protect, conserve and rehabilitate this World Heritage Area.
Australian Fossil Mammal sites (Riversleigh), Fraser Island, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Total funding 2009-2010: $ 356 810 (GST exclusive)
Delivery Agent: Queensland Government
This project will support community and scientific advisory committees for World Heritage areas in Queensland, including their engagement with communities for the long term protection and conservation of these areas.
Funding will also provide for executive officers to support the work of the committees.
Fraser Island World Heritage Area Lake Water Quality Monitoring program
Total funding 2009-2010: $50 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: Queensland Government
Funding will be provided for one year to establish a program to monitor water quality on Fraser Island. The Island’s 40 freshwater lakes are currently experiencing changes in water colour and water monitoring will allow specific causes to be identified.
New South Wales
Greater Blue Mountains, Willandra Lakes Region, Lord Howe Island Group, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Total funding 2009-2010: $575 500 (GST exclusive)
Delivery Agent: New South Wales Government
This project will support community and scientific advisory committees for World Heritage areas in New South Wales, including their engagement with communities for the long term protection and conservation of these areas.
Funding will also provide for executive officers to support the work of the committees.
Greater Blue Mountains
Total funding 2009-2011: $422 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: New South Wales Government
Funding will be provided over two years to support and enhance community programs to reduce the impact and spread of invasive species, identify the impact of climate change and identify fire threats to priority biodiversity and aboriginal cultural sites.
Willandra Lakes Region
Total funding 2009-2013: $2 132 700 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: New South Wales Government
Funding will be provided over four years to improve the resilience of the World Heritage area by working with private landholders to address erosion, pest plants and animals, supporting Indigenous groups to participate in natural resource management and providing easily accessible information to the public through events, web-based and digital media.
New South Wales and Queensland
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Total funding 2009-2013: $2 361 963 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: New South Wales and Queensland Governments
Funding will be provided over four years to target specific threats across the World Heritage area to protect sites from climate-change induced habitat modification, invasion of pest species including weeds and pathogens and inappropriate recreation and tourism activities.
Western Australia
Purnululu National Park, Shark Bay
Total funding 2009-2010: $270 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery Agent: Western Australian Government
This project will support community and scientific advisory committees for World Heritage areas in Western Australia, including their engagement with communities for the long term protection and conservation of these areas.
Funding will also provide for executive officers to support the work of the committees.
Aerial control for feral animals within the Shark Bay World Heritage property
Total funding 2009-2012: $286 000 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: Western Australian Government
Funding will be provided over three years to reduce the numbers of feral goats and sheep on Dirk Hartog Island and Edel Land National Parks. Reduction of feral animal numbers will allow for the reintroduction of threatened native mammals.
Population and habitat monitoring of threatened species on Bernier & Dorre Islands – Shark Bay World Heritage Area
Total funding 2009-2013: $247 407 (GST exclusive)
Delivery agent: Western Australian Government
Funding will be provided over four years to protect five species of threatened native mammals on Bernier and Dorre Islands. Funding will allow for scientific studies into species numbers and the impact of environmental threats including climate change on population size.
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