Weed control and habitat restoration projects in nine conservation parks and reserves between Goolwa and Willunga on the Fleurieu Peninsula will go ahead over the next two years thanks to $245,000 in Commonwealth funding secured by the Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie.

The funding will be used to support the work of the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association (GWLAP) in the Tokuremoar Reserve near Goolwa; council reserves between Goolwa and Port Elliott; Bullock Hill Conservation Park; Cox Scrub Conservation Park; Finniss Conservation Park; Mount Magnificent Conservation Park and Kyeema Conservation Park.

“The community-based Goolwa to Wellington LAP has been doing amazing work for the past 22 years, focussing on supporting volunteer-based natural resources management across the catchments that flow directly to Lake Alexandrina,” Rebekha says.

“Working with Landcare and Friends groups and private landholders, they have protected and enhanced over 8,000ha of native vegetation, established over two million local native plants and worked with nearly 4,000 landholders on practical projects that are delivered on time and on budget.

“This $245,000 will be used for priority sites on public land to control weeds, propagate plants, prepare sites and undertake planting in order to create a buffer zone around remnant vegetation.

GWLAP General Manager Ross Oke has welcomed the allocation of funding.

“We are most grateful to Rebekha for her support of our work and thank the Federal Government for making this funding available,” he says.

“We will now be able to continue, follow-up and build on the important work that we have been doing over many years to restore these diverse habitats.

“I can’t overstate how important it is to maintain and continue these on-ground actions over time. We are very pleased to have this much needed support.”

The Hindmarsh Island Landcare group has also secured $160,000 to continue revegetating the newly created Lawari Conservation Park.

"The 1,100ha park on the eastern end of the island near the Murray Mouth was gazetted by the state government three years ago but no significant funding was set aside for a management plan and to continue revegetation projects,” Rebekha says.

“I was approached by the Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group whose members have been planting vegetation on the state-owned site for 20 years ever since the Wyndgate Farm was purchased.

“They had a plan to collect locally-sourced seed and then propagate and plant 30,000 more seedlings in the park.

“It was a great project using local volunteers and the resources of the Hindmarsh Island Landcare Nursery and I was pleased to advocate the Federal Government directly to secure the $160,000 they needed.

“Lawari Conservation Park is an important habitat area within an area of wetlands that supports many threatened fish and waterbird species.

“It is part of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Ramsar wetlands site of international importance.

“We know from the exposure of acidic soils during the Millennium Drought how important it is to re-establish the environment of the Lower Lakes.”

The Landcare group will use the funds for growing and planting plants, weed control and to purchase equipment, fuel and materials.

The group is contributing more than $90,000 worth of ‘in-kind’ support.

“This grant will provide a tremendous impetus for continuing the rehabilitation needed on such a key location at the mouth of Australia’s most important river,” says Pauline Jowett, Chairperson of the Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group.

“This conservation park can now continue to become a target for bushwalkers, bird watchers.”