Land Restoration Fund to benefit Queensland environment and threatened species

Nearly $93 million of the first round of the $500 million Land Restoration Fund (LRF) has been announced – going to 21 projects across Queensland - and set to reduce carbon emissions, deliver healthier waterways and create more habitat for threatened species.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk advises “The Land Restoration Fund supports Traditional Owners, farmers, land managers and landowners to create jobs for Queenslanders, diversify income streams and restore our rich and varied landscape.

“This means jobs for ecologists, graziers, Indigenous Rangers, fire managers, foresters, tradies for things like fencing, irrigation and earthmoving as well as specialist skills like laser levelling, mapping and helicopter pilots.

“Delivering these projects will be vital to the state’s economic recovery.”

The Premier said more than $55 million would go towards seven projects in the Far North noting “one of the successful projects is the Kinrara Dry Tropics Regeneration Project at Kinrara Cattle Station at Mount Garnet, which will involve regenerating native forest to help to restore threatened ecosystems and protect wetlands.

“Other successful projects in the Far North include the Northern Aurukun Savanna Burning Project that will protect gallery forest and support Traditional Owners connection to country and the Dry Rainforest Restoration and Terrestrial Laser Scanning project which will see revegetation occur on three Far North Queensland properties.”

Queensland Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said that these projects will help to protect Queensland’s unique environment with the Land Restoration Fund supporting Queensland to capitalise on its biodiversity.

The independent LRF Investment Panel selected the successful projects following a rigorous process.  The Investment Panel Chair, Professor Marcia Langton AO of the University of Melbourne, said the selected projects would deliver on social, environmental and economic benefits for Queenslanders.

Professor Langton advised that “the Investment Panel reviewed an impressive range of applications submitted to the Land Restoration Fund’s 2020 Investment Round.

“Our role was to select a portfolio of investments for the Land Restoration Fund Trust that were diverse; not just geographically, but also in delivering a range of co-benefits for Queenslanders across key investment areas. I am pleased to say we have done just that.

“The portfolio of 21 projects we have put forward for investment will potentially see more than $90 million offered to Queensland farmers, land managers and landowners from the Cape to central Queensland down to the south west.

“Most importantly, we will see significant investment in First Nations projects. The successful projects from First Nations applicants reflect an enormous commitment to land restoration, which the Panel found to be inspiring.”

Tim Hughes of South Endeavour Trust, proponent of the Dry Rainforest Restoration and Terrestrial Laser Scanning project said that the project has many outcomes beyond carbon emissions reduction. 

“The Dry Rainforest Restoration and Terrestrial Laser Scanning project will see revegetation occur on three far north Queensland properties, at the intersection of three distinct bioregions including Cape York Peninsula, Wet Tropics and Einasleigh Uplands.

Hughes added “In addition to restoring land for threatened ecosystems and wildlife, this project will also see the adaptation of new planting techniques and will test cutting edge technology.

“This will further help to advance research and development in carbon farming methods and techniques, reduce costs and enable future projects that will help to drive job creation and contribute to economic sustainability for land managers.

Carbon farming helps to capture, hold and store carbon in trees and soils or avoid the release of greenhouse gas emissions, helping Queensland to meet its commitments on climate change, including achieving zero net emissions by 2050.

Further information is available on the Land Restoration Fund website.

Image of Cape York Peninsula courtesy of Tropical North Queensland