Land Restoration Fund announcement a welcome step for helping threatened species and managing emissions

• Queensland Government announces $93 million to be spent from Land Restoration Fund on 21 projects.
• Carbon farming can help slow species loss, benefit our climate and grow employment.
• The Government’s original $500 million LRF commitment now needs funding secured for round 2 projects. 

The Wilderness Society welcomes today’s announcement from the Queensland Government to invest $93 million from the Land Restoration Fund across 21 projects. This funding goes towards traditional owners, farmers, land managers and landowners looking to transform their land management practices, offset emissions, conserve habitat and reap benefits for threatened species in decades to come.

“The Wilderness Society has been a strong advocate for the implementation of a carbon farming initiative right from the start. It’s a key component in addressing Queensland’s deforestation crisis”, said Gemma Plesman, Queensland Campaign Manager at the Wilderness Society.

“Australia is a global deforestation hotspot¹ and number one in the world for mammal extinctions². While it is essential to pull back Australia’s rate of deforestation, land restoration plays an important role in bringing some balance back to our landscapes and regenerating vitally important threatened species habitat.”

“Additionally, investing in carbon farming can help draw carbon pollution out of the atmosphere and store it in forests and bushland. Investment like this is essential if Australia is to meet its targets under the Paris Climate Agreement.”

“We welcome today’s announcement, and strongly encourage the Queensland Government to continue to honour its $500 million LRF commitment by securing funding as a matter of priority for the next round of project applications”, said Mrs Plesman.

For further comment contact Gemma Plesman on 0423 044 431.

References: 

1. WWF-International (2015). Living Forests Report (Chapter 5: Saving Forests at Risk). http://bit.ly/2y0YbsM
2. Woinarski J, et al (2015). Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(5): 4531-4540.