By Derek Schlennstedt
Liberal Member for Kooyong and Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg visited Healesville Sanctuary on Friday 5 May to announce the opening of applications for the threatened species recovery fund.
The $5 million Threatened Species Recovery Fund, through the National Landcare Programme, makes funds available for projects that help meet the targets and objectives in the Threatened Species Strategy.
Local community projects that align with the targets and objectives of the strategy will be open to receive grants worth between 20,000 and 250,000.
During the visit, Minister Frydenberg fed a helmeted honeyeater.
He also got up close with the “beautiful and intricate,” Southern Corroboree frog as well as viewing a mountain pygmy possum – all species included in the Threatened Species Strategy.
Upon announcing the opening of the applications, Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews said the fund would vastly help the efforts of community programs.
“Across Australia, this fund will turbocharge community efforts and programs, from Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater to Indigenous communities who are eradicating feral cats … this latest fund will help empower and turbocharge those programs,” Mr Andrews said.
The Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy sets out clear and measurable targets to secure the future of 20 priority birds and mammals, and 30 priority plants by 2020.
Minister Frydenberg said the fund was part of the $5 million that they had pledge at the last election.
The Mail spoke to Steve Meacher, president of the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc. who welcomed the new fund but noted that there was still no revised recovery plan for the leadbeater’s possum.
“Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc. welcomes the creation of a new Threatened Species Recovery Fund and in particular the statement of, ‘the Turnbull Government’s commitment to protecting our native species,’” Mr Meacher said.
“However, until a revised Recovery Plan for Leadbeater’s Possum is delivered, it is hard to see this announcement as much more than window dressing, designed to obscure a lack of meaningful action.”
The threatened Species Recovery fund comes two years after a recovery action plan by then Environment Minister Greg Hunt which was created to protect the leadbeater’s possum.
The action Plan promised, ‘A revised Recovery Plan will be completed by mid-2016, driving action to turn around the decline of the leadbeater’s possum.’
The Recovery Plan was completed last year, but 10 months later has yet to be adopted by government.
