Today the ACT Government has announced three new projects to protect and preserve threatened species and their habitat in parks and reserves across the Canberra region.
Minister for the Environment, Parks and Land Management said the three project sites have been chosen due to their high environmental value, with a focus on protecting and preserving nationally endangered plants and animals at risk of extinction.
“When just one of our beautiful native species are endangered, we put our entire environment at risk. The extinction of just one species sends small ripples through our ecosystems, which can eventually have a big impact in the years to come,” Minister Vassarotti said.
“These three projects were funded in the 2023 ACT Budget under the ‘Conserving Canberra: Habitat Restoration’ program, and I’m thrilled that they are now coming to fruition.
“The three ecologically significant sites chosen for special restoration include Urambi Hills and Bullen Range, Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie, and Namadgi ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park.
“Over the coming months, our environment team will be hard at work alongside the Ngunnawal community to boost and improve our land management practices by planting more trees, removing more weeds and undertaking prescribed burning to revitalise plants in the area.
“This program will seed native plants to make endangered woodlands healthier, and it will return important natural elements like logs and rocks to the ecosystems, creating homes for threatened species like the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard and woodland birds.
“These projects are really important in a climate crisis. Already, we’ve seen the number of listed threatened species grow from 34 to 53 in the last five years.
“Less than 10% of critically endangered Yellow Box and Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Natural Temperate Grassland remains in the ACT, which these projects target.
“The Government already undertakes species management in these areas to make sure we can protect the biodiversity of our temperate grasslands.
“A particularly exciting aspect of the Conserving Canberra: Habitat Restoration project is the opportunity to strengthen government partnership with the Ngunnawal community, recognising and embedding Ngunnawal knowledge, values and cultural practices into restoration, and supporting the community to reconnect with Country.
“The government is pleased to be delivering on this important conservation initiative and is currently analysing and prioritising other important conservation areas across Canberra for targeted restoration,” Minister Vassarotti said.
