Landcare and other community groups in the regional New South Wales will be able to access a helping hand with the launch of the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants 2014-15 as part of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme, the Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton said today.

Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, and Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, were pleased to officially launch the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants 2014-15 at the 2014 National Landcare Conference, saying the grant round was a fitting way to help celebrate 25 years of landcare.

“The best way to help celebrate landcare’s 25th anniversary is by supporting landcarers in the Parkes Electorate to do what they do best. Up to $5 million is available through competitive grants of up to $20,000 to support local landcare and other local natural resource management groups to help protect our local environment and look after the land,” said Mr Coulton.

“We are looking to harness the expertise and enthusiasm of not just landcare groups but the natural resource management community, Indigenous communities, farmers, fishers and other land and sea managers in the Parkes Electorate,” Mr Coulton said.

“Applications are now open and close on 20 October, so I encourage our local natural resource management community to come up with great ideas that will help protect our land and natural assets, and to get involved by getting their applications in.”

Mr Coulton reconfirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to ensuring 20 per cent of Australian Government investment made through the regional natural resource management organisations will be directed towards local projects and activities that are delivered by the community, including landcare, under the National Landcare Programme’s regional stream.

“This means that farmers, landcare and other community groups in our region will have access to funding on an annual basis so that they can continue to undertake important on-ground works in our local communities,” said Mr Coulton.

For more information about the National Landcare Programme 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants 2014-15 go to www.nrm.gov.au