Member for Tweed Geoff Provest today announced over $47,000 for Tweed Shire Council to target feral animals and protect native animals and plants on a key Crown land reserve in the region.
The NSW Government grant is being provided by the Department of Planning and Environment – Crown Lands from the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.
“It’s fantastic that $47,423 has been allocated to support the Tweed Coast Regional Crown Reserve to target feral animals that threaten our native environment.
“Crown reserves provide land for recreation, homes for community organisations, open space for healthy lifestyles, and protect sensitive habitat for Australian flora and fauna to flourish,” Mr Provest said.
Tweed Coast Regional Crown Reserve has a rich cultural history as part of the traditional lands of the Bundjalung tribe and today provides open space, recreation and tourism opportunities with its coastal lands, waterways and ocean.
The funding for Tweed Shire Council will be used to control wild dogs, foxes, feral cats, rabbits, hares and deer on the reserve, from Fingal Head in the north to the Tweed and Byron boundary in the south.
The work will protect native animals from fox, dog and cat attacks on endangered shorebirds like the Beach Stone-curlew, Pied Oystercatcher and Bush Stone-curlew, as well as the Common Planigale marsupial and Loggerhead and Green turtles.
It also protect native vegetation from damage caused by rabbits and hares including to endangered Littoral Rainforest, and also neighbouring parklands and sports fields as well footings of boardwalks and buildings.
Feral deer are also an emerging pest on the Tweed Coast impacting native vegetation and posing a traffic safety risk to motorists.
Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said Crown land covers about 34 million hectares or 42 per cent of NSW with over 34,000 reserves across the state.
“Crown reserves provide communities with land for everything from green space, parks, ovals and walking trails to showgrounds, racecourses, surf lifesaving clubs, and community halls,” Mr Anderson said.
“The Tweed grant is part of $16.48 million being offered statewide to support 264 projects that will benefit many thousands of people and the cultural, sporting and recreational life of hundreds of local communities.”