A boost to the Fleurieu population of the Western Pygmy Possum and rehabilitation of two waterways has been facilitated by grants from the federal government's Environment Restoration Fund.

Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie and her Centre Alliance colleagues Senators Stirling Griff and Rex Patrick have secured $20,000 to protect and boost the population of the endangered possum.

The funding will enable Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Natural Resource Management Board to roll out a community Citizen Science Project.

The project will engage volunteers to learn about Western Pygmy Possum conservation and participate in practical monitoring and conservation via refuges and nesting boxes.

“Pygmy possums are a threatened species within our region and play an important role within the ecosystem, serving as pollinators,” Rebekha says.

“We don’t know enough about this special species on the Fleurieu to help them to thrive, with only 97 observations recorded on Australia’s Living Atlas between 1920 and 2017.”

Darren Kennedy, CVA Manager for South Australia and the Northern Territory, says the funding boost was great news for volunteers and the Pygmy Possum.

“Western Pygmy Possums capture public attention, making them an excellent flagship species to promote biodiversity values, threats and conservation on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

“Private landholders are already contacting Conservation Volunteers to be involved in this exciting project to protect threatened species.”

The Environment Restoration Fund has also granted $85,000 to Trees For Life to rehabilitate important waterways in Fleurieu two Bush for Life sites.

“Currency Creek Lions Park is a popular nature reserve trail but the link between the Currency Creek Cemetery and the creek is severely eroded and was closed due to safety concerns in 2014," Rebekha says.

“This money will be used to rehabilitate this closed section of the trail, install signage to redirect walkers to the main trail and undertake some woody weed control and revegetation in the degraded part of the site.

“Likewise, local volunteers are looking to rehabilitate a very important remnant patch of woodland within Dingabledinga in Meadows Creek Reserve, east of Willunga.

“The current weed threats are stretching the capacity of the Alexandrina Council and volunteers, so this funding would enable a professional bush regeneration team to support volunteer efforts with weed control as well as providing native seedlings for volunteer planting.”

Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie, left, with NRM Coastal Conservation Officer Corey Jackson, left, Wendy White from the Normanville Natural Resource Centre, Yankalilla Council Community Outreach Program Officer Julianne Rilstone, Yankalilla Team Leader Community Development Claire Taylor, Normanville Natural Resource Centre Chairman Matt Robertson and Conservation Volunteers Australia SA/NT Manager Darren Kennedy.