Protecting our Places grants announced for NAIDOC Week
To help celebrate NAIDOC Week 2024, 3 projects have been awarded funding by the NSW Environmental Trust's Protecting Our Places grants. The projects are located in the North West Slopes, another on the North Coast and the third in the Central West of the State.
The Protecting Our Places program is an annual contestable grants program delivered by the NSW Environmental Trust that provides funding to empower and support Aboriginal organisations and communities to undertake projects that contribute to protecting and managing natural environments. The funding program was established in 2002 and has since then funded over 240 First Nations community-led environmental projects in New South Wales.
Protecting Our Places projects funded in 2024–25 are:
Burra Bee Dee Murrubmala Dhawun project $66,630: Coonabarabran
Burra Bee Dee is an old mission site and is very important to the local community as it holds many cultural values. This project will enable a safe environment for the community to conduct cultural and educational tours and will assist with controlling visitor activities and movement. The interpretation will also assist with the educational component and with the transfer of knowledge.
This project will engage Elders and knowledge holders to identify and map areas of environmental concerns, establish feral animal and weed control programs and remove problem trees.
Visitor precinct protection works will be provided including interpretation material and walking tracks to access significant areas and sites.
Caring for Bollanolla $68,050: Nambucca Valley
The Caring for Bollanolla project focusses on land protection and management of the 130 hectare property. A management plan will be developed in consultation with local stakeholders, including Elders, Traditional Owners, National Parks and Wildlife Services and Nambucca Valley Landcare, to guide conservation efforts, including habitat restoration, weed and pest management, and fire management, leveraging traditional ecological knowledge.
Additionally, the project will facilitate the sharing of traditional knowledge through workshops, storytelling sessions, and cultural exchange events.
Educational materials and resources will be developed to document and preserve cultural practices, language, and stories associated with Bollanolla Farm.
Tubba-Gah (Maing) Wiradjuri – Jinchilla Clearing for Rejuvenation Project $79,000: Dubbo
Jinchilla is a 12 hectare property on the Macquarie River (Wambool) 10 kilometres north-west of Dubbo. The Tubba-Gah (Maing) Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation is utilising the site to house important cultural material.
The top and initial priority is the ability for Wiradjuri and the general public to use the land appropriately and safely. The grant will fund planning and removal of non-native vegetation and replace these with local species.
Quotes attributable to Environmental Trust, Manager Contestable Grants, Laura Purcell
'The Protecting Our Places program encourages and empowers Aboriginal communities to protect, conserve and restore landscapes and waterways important to them.'
'This includes projects that contribute to: ongoing sustainable management of significant Aboriginal cultural landscapes in New South Wales; healthier environments and communities; and develop project management capabilities of Aboriginal groups; encourage new collaborations and positive relationships with other organisations, government and stakeholders.'
'Individual grants are available to build the capacity of communities to deliver environmental improvements and knowledge-sharing activities around landscapes of cultural significance to the local Aboriginal community.'
Background
The Program offers individual grants of up to $80,000 for 3 years over 2 stages:
Stage 1 – up to $12,000 for project planning and capacity-building activities during the first year.
Stage 2 – up to $68,000 to implement the project's on-ground activities over 2 years.
Grantees receive project management training at the commencement of their project via capacity-building workshops which are delivered in regional locations and facilitated by the NSW Environmental Trust.
The Protecting Our Places webpage has information for people interested in applying to future rounds of the program.
