Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall says farmers and landholders in the Armidale Regional and Uralla local government areas will soon have access to funding which supports koala habitat restoration and enhancement.
Wednesday, 18 May 2022
ELIGIBLE private landholders and farmers in the Armidale Regional and Uralla local government areas will soon have access to funding which supports koala habitat restoration and enhancement, with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall today welcoming the implementation of one of the first actions of the NSW Koala Strategy.
The $193.3 million NSW Koala Strategy, released last month, is the biggest financial commitment by any government to secure the future of koalas in the wild.
Mr Marshall said the Armidale, Guyra and Uralla district was one of 10 climate resilient koala stronghold locations identified in the strategy, which will receive extensive engagement, funding and support over the lifespan of the strategy.
“Through the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT), the State Government is offering funding to farmers and private landholders in our region to protect important areas of koala habitat and support dozens of other plant and animal species,” Mr Marshall said.
“At least 60 per cent of Australia’s land is privately owned or managed and many important ecosystems are found on private land, including precious koala habitat.
“The BCT’s Northern Inland Koala conservation tender will open in the second half of this year, with conservation agreements securing moderate to very high quality koala habitat under in-perpetuity conservation agreements.
“By working in partnership with landholders and offering funding support like this, we can massively increase participation in private land conservation in NSW, without the need for the ‘big stick’ approach by governments.
“This is great news for landholders in our region, and means successful applicants will enter a voluntary conservation agreement with the BCT and will receive annual payments to manage their koala conservation area on their property.”
The NSW Government is delivering $19 million to the BCT to work in close partnership with landholders to protect 7,000 hectares of priority koala habitat across NSW.
The BCT has now completed 14 conservation tenders in NSW, resulting in 129 funded conservation agreements, protecting more than 81,192 hectares of high-conservation value land and ecological assets across the state.
To find out more, visit www.bct.nsw.gov.au