Josh Campbell
This grants program supports landholders, land managers and community groups to improve wetland habitat for threatened and/or locally significant species.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $15,000
- Application opened: 8 August 2022
- Application closed: 12 September 2022, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The objective of this program is to assist land managers and community groups to improve
wetland habitat for threatened and/or locally significant species.
This will be done by providing incentives to landholders to undertake on ground works for wetland habitat improvement for threatened species, as well as species and sites considered a significant by the community.
Many threatened and endangered species in the Murray region rely on the availability of healthy wetlands for food, habitat and breeding, including small bodied native fish, wetland plants and a range of water birds, for example, the Southern Bell frog, the Australasian Bittern, and the Southern Pigmy Perch.
Improving wetland habitat assists these species to survive and over time will improve their population trajectory.
This program is funded and administered by Local Land Services.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Applicants must:
- have no outstanding debts to Local Land Services, or have already entered into, and are complying with, a payment plan
- be willing to enter into a written agreement with Local Land Services and undertake certain works in accordance with set specifications and agreed timeframes
- be an Australian citizen
- applicant (or auspicing organisation) must be registered for tax purposes in Australia and have an Australian bank account
- be willing to declare any conflicts of interest when submitting an application. Persons who have associations that are considered by Local Land Services to represent a conflict of interest which cannot be managed will not be eligible
- have public liability insurance for a minimum of $10 million to be considered for funding abide by and implement as required all Local, State, and Federal Government laws, regulations, and Acts as they are relevant to an individual project
- be able to complete all on-ground activities by the contract end date.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Eligible activities and the level of funding that applies to them under
this program:
- labour and materials for the construction of fences at a rate of $10,000 per km
- water troughs, water tanks, pipes, pumps, (including solar pumps and associated required infrastructure) and associated hardware such as valves, joiners etc up to a maximum of $5,000 per project
- plants (including trees, shrubs and grasses) and consumables associated with planting (including stakes and guards), and direct seeding (including seed and seeding costs) of species that are indigenous to the locality of the project site. 100% of the cost of materials and seeding costs, including planting costs where done by a contractor.
- re-snagging works up to a maximum of $5,000 per project
- earthworks, materials and contractor costs associated with the construction of minor structures to improve water delivery for the purposes of improving wetland habitat. Up to a maximum of $10,000/project
- pest animal control as part of an ongoing program (the grantee will be required to undertake ongoing monitoring and pest animal control for a minimum of 2 years after the completion of the project and as required thereafter to maintain the site. Murray LLS may provide and cover the cost of fox baits
- chemicals and contractor costs associated with the control of weeds. 100% of the cost of chemicals, including spraying or mechanical removal costs where done by a contractor.
- other activities or items that Murray Local Land Services deem integral to successful implementation of an individual project. Such examples may include sedimentation traps, erosion control structures etc. Up to a maximum of $5,000/project.
What can’t you apply for
You can't apply for:
- activities that may have a significant adverse impact on indigenous cultural heritage and which have not received approval through relevant state or territory legislative requirements
- activities that involve planting of species (including native species) that are known to be, or could become, environmental or agricultural weeds in or near the project location
- enlarging, deepening or construction of new water bodies
- projects, activities, or purchases already undertaken prior to written approval-in-principle of the grant application.
This list is not exhaustive and grant recipients will be notified before entering into an agreement which items are eligible to receive funding.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
You can download the full guidelines:
File
Wetlands for Wildlife - Wetland Habitat Improvement Grants program: Guidelines (PDF 1.01MB)
Address the assessment criteria
In general terms, applications will be assessed against the criteria detailed below.
An Evaluation Panel will be convened and will assess projects deemed to meet the eligibility
criteria.
The Evaluation Panel will assess projects according to the Evaluation Criteria and rank them in order of highest to lowest.
| Evaluation Criteria | Definition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Extent to which project activities contribute to project objectives | Project activities must improve wetland habitat for threatened and/or locally significant species. | 30% |
| Presence of threatened species | NSW-listed threatened species recorded at project site | 20% |
| Long term outcomes | The likelihood the project will have outcomes that extend beyond the life of the project | 20% |
| Value for money | High outputs for the level of investment through 1. Size of project site. Fencing larger sites are likely to be more cost effective than smaller sites. 2. Amount of in-kind contribution. | 20% |
| Level of risk | The level of risk involved with delivering the project, for example in terms of likelihood of completing the project or external risks that may impact successful outcomes | 10% |
Conditions of funding
If your application is successful, the following conditions of funding will apply:
- you must formally commit to undertaking your project by entering into a Funding Agreement with Murray Local Land Services
- you must not commence your project until you have signed a contract with Local Land Services
- a maximum of $15,000 (ex GST) per property will apply
- payment of up to 75% of the requested grant amount upon the execution of a compliant contract with Murray Local Land Services. The remainder of the grant funds will be
provided upon successful completion of works and a final inspection conducted by a Local Land Services staff member of the contracted works - if the works are deemed unsatisfactory, the final payment may be withheld, funds recovery action may be taken and restrictions on future funding may occur. Appropriate
measures to remedy the issue will be discussed - all contracted works must be completed by 31st May 2024 within the Murray Local Land Services region (see map below). Note that an inspection will be carried out by Murray Local Land Services staff to verify the successful completion of the project
- you must agree to allow Murray Local Land Services to publish information about you and your project on our website, Facebook page and other communication channels and
products as required by Murray Local Land Services - if your project is funded you will be required to undertake basic monitoring of your project’s environmental outcomes for 10 years, such as photo point monitoring. This
monitoring information will assist Local Land Services to assess project and applicant successes and is necessary to justify future funding rounds - if your project is funded you will be required to undertake ongoing maintenance of the site (monitoring and removing weeds and maintaining stock proof fences) for a minimum of 10 years.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Murray Local Land Services – Team Leader – Environment
Successful applications will receive a site visit to confirm site and project details and produce an
accurate map of the project site to be used in the Management Agreement.
Any applications that meet the assessment criteria but do not receive funding due to higher
ranked applications exhausting the available funding, will be placed on a second round offer list.
If further funding becomes available offers may then be made using the same principles/process
as outlined in this plan.
Once a fully executed contract is received by Murray Local Land Services, up to 75% of the
maximum grant application will be provided to the applicant to be spent on works and activities
related to the project.
A minimum of 25% of the total funding will be retained until the project is
fully implemented to the satisfaction of Murray Local Land Services.
Support and contact
Phone: 0458 414 924