SGLN JUNE UPDATE

I’m pleased to announce that South Gippsland Shire Council (SGSC) has endorsed our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help achieve the environmental goals set out in its Council Plan and Environmental Framework.

Over the past year, Cassie, Nick and Jane have been working closely with SGSC’s Environment Team to identify the areas where we can add the most value to Council’s operations through collaboration. Unsurprisingly, pest and weed control and education is high on the list. Helping to develop management plans in conjunction with Landcare volunteers to protect remnant bush on Council-managed reserves is another.

The MOU will also help us to progress the South Gippsland Biodiversity Protection Plan (BPP) framework and to push ahead with the Biolinks Map. South Gippsland is the only municipality where a Landcare organisation has taken responsibility for the development of a biodiversity protection plan and biolinks map. In other municipalities, they have been initiated, paid for and managed by the council itself.

To date, we have spent close to $100,000 on these two projects. Approximately $50,000 has been sourced through donations and a grant from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. The remainder has been funded by us. We estimate that we will need to spend another $30,000 on the Biolinks Map, and the BPP requires ongoing staff time to deliver meaningful outcomes.

We are excited to celebrate the council supporting this work, which was called for by the community and will benefit the whole of South Gippsland: its environment and community including landholders and farmers. We see this as the beginning of a great collaborative relationship, and the council’s support is extremely reassuring for us.

Kind regards,
Jillian Staton
SGLN Chair

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