Overview
The $77 million BushBank program will restore natural environments across Victoria through millions of native plants and trees being planted.
The trees and shrubs planted will be carefully selected to benefit a range of species.
$30.9 million will go towards habitat restoration on private land, while $7.1 million has been committed for works on public land.
The BushBank program also provides economic opportunities for Traditional Owners and supports their participation in restoration and carbon markets.
Restoration activities will include seed collection, weeding, fencing and planting.
The BushBank program will contribute to targets within Protecting Victoria's Environment - Biodiversity 2037, Victoria’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment.
The BushBank program will also contribute to the Victorian Government’s goal of net zero emissions by 2045.
Habitat restoration on private land
The Victorian Government is investing $30.9 million to revegetate and restore at least 20,000 hectares of native habitat across private land in Victoria. That's an area 10,000 times the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) that will be transformed into healthy habitat for native wildlife.
Cassinia Environmental is our delivery partner. Cassinia will work with the Victorian Government, Trust for Nature and more than 20 other partners to bring significant co-investment to achieve this ambitious goal and help private landowners tap into financial incentives available through land restoration and carbon markets.
Cassinia Environmental has begun landowner recruitment and will recruit landowners over the next five to seven years.
If you are an interested private landowner, you can find more information and register your interest in the program at https://cassinia.com/BushBank
Habitat restoration on public land
The Victorian Government has allocated $4.5 million for 7 projects to deliver native plantings on public land across the state, including in the Otways, Berrook State Forest, Wodonga Regional Parks and the Clarkesdale Nature Reserve in the Goldfields.
Native plantings delivered through projects will create and expand habitat for species including the platypus, barking owl, squirrel glider, grey-headed flying fox and murray crayfish
This follows $2.7 million allocated in 2021 to revegetate and restore habitat in parks and reserves managed by DEECA and Parks Victoria. Works have taken place across areas in the Grampians National Park, Wilsons Promontory National Park, Berrook State Forest in the Mallee, and the Lerderderg State Park, benefitting species such as malleefowl, pink cockatoo, southern brown bandicoot and southern blue gum trees.
Public land restoration grant successful projects
Recipient | Project |
---|---|
Barwon Region Water Corporation | Barwon Water nature-based carbon sequestration project |
City of Whittlesea | Quarry Hills Releaf Project |
DEECA | Enhancing Malleefowl Habitat in the Berrook State Forest |
DEECA | Mount Macedon Plantation Restoration |
Mallee Catchment Management Authority | Restoring Mallee Connections – sequestering carbon and securing biodiversity |
Parklands Albury Wodonga Ltd | Wodonga Regional Park Reforestation Project |
Trust for Nature | From plantation to planting: restoring habitat at Clarkesdale Nature Reserve |
Recipient | Project |
---|---|
DEECA | Axedale Police Paddock |
DEECA | Bringalbert State Forest |
DEECA | Delatite Arm Reserve Revegetation |
DEECA | Former Nyah Golf Course |
DEECA | Reconnecting habitat for Malleefowl populations at Berrook State Forest |
Parks Victoria | Breamlea FFR Karaaf Revegetation |
Parks Victoria | Healing Gariwerd Country through bushland restoration |
Parks Victoria | Lerderderg State Park Revegetation |
Parks Victoria | Northern Hume floodplain restoration |
Parks Victoria | Mount Buffalo former ski field restoration |
Parks Victoria | Mount Buffalo restoration of Lyrebird Plain peatland |
Parks Victoria | Upper Murray Restoration – River Murray Reserve |
Parks Victoria | Upper Murray Restoration – Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park, Fluospar |
Parks Victoria | Upper Murray Restoration – Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park, Greenhills |
Parks Victoria | Upper Murray Restoration – Mt Mittamatite North |
Parks Victoria | Wilsons Promontory National Park Landscape Trap Restoration Project |
Traditional Owner grants
Traditional Owners are important partners of the BushBank program, which has allocated $14.5 million over 10 years (until 2031) providing opportunities for Traditional Owners to lead and participate in habitat restoration and carbon markets.
To date, $6 million has been committed for Traditional Owners to deliver 18 projects. These projects are designed to address biodiversity loss and climate change, and enable Traditional Owners to participate in healing Country and carbon markets, and to practice self-determination.
More information
For more information please contact the DEECA BushBank team.
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Page last updated: 11/09/24