Native wildlife can rest easy, with Noosa Council entering into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Land for Wildlife Program.
The Land for Wildlife program was started in Victoria over 30 years ago and is a network of thousands of Australian landholdings, each managed with the aim of conserving nature. Noosa now boasts over 300 properties that voluntarily seek better outcomes for native fauna.
Noosa Council’s community partnerships officer Kylie Gordon said the program was an important element in maintaining local biodiversity.
“Noosa boasts over 300 Land for Wildlife members. Each of them supports conservation and good environmental land management on their private properties,” she said.
“Land for Wildlife members are custodians of the land who are interested in creating not just wonderful living environments for themselves, but also essential habitat for our wildlife.”
Mayor Tony Wellington said it was important to appreciate wildlife on private property was just as important as that in a national park.
“Too often we view nature as something separate from our human environment,“ he said. “But the bird in the backyard is no less important than the bird in the forest. Better management of privately owned land is an important element in maintaining or improving overall biodiversity for our region.”
This new MOU with Healthy Waterways and Catchments will allow for collaborative project funding and information sharing. Healthy Waterways and Catchments, formerly SEQ Catchments, have the right to deliver the national Land for Wildlife program in Queensland.
Ms Gordon said the Land for Wildlife participants made a terrific contribution to the overall conservation efforts in the shire.
The Land for Wildlife initiative is a voluntary program and anyone wishing to find out more or participate, can phone council on 5329 6500 or visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/land-for-wildlife.
