Murdoch University’s Environmental Restoration Group (MERG) has received more than $100,000 in grants for environmental projects which will bring benefits to the South Street campus and the wider community.The funding will be used by MERG and the Campus and Facilities Management Office (CFMO) for weed management, dieback and European House Borer control, the installation and maintenance of cockatoo and bat nest boxes, revegetation and fencing at various conservation reserves around the 227 hectare campus, the largest in Australia.
MERG, in conjunction with the CFMO, has also been recognised for its black cockatoo and biodiversity conservation work by the WA Environment Awards 2012, where it was a finalist in the Biodiversity Conservation category.
Earlier this year a threatened species of wild black cockatoo produced a new chick at the South Street campus – only the second time this species is thought to have bred in the Perth metropolitan area.
‘Kaarak’, the female Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo chick, was hatched in an artificial nesting box and is another success in the University’s ongoing plan to provide habitat for endangered wild cockatoos.
Caroline Minton, Murdoch’s Environmental Program Manager, said the grant funding would help to complement and expand the considerable conservation work to date undertaken by the University and MERG aimed at black cockatoo conservation.
“The funding will be used for broad biodiversity conservation works across campus, to manage and restore various vegetation reserves, wetlands and cockatoo habitat,” said Ms Minton.
“These reserves are not only intrinsically valuable, but they also provide essential community services related to research, education, recreation and wellbeing.”
Three grants worth $115,000 have been secured by MERG and the CFMO. These comprise of a $22,000 Community Action Grant from the Commonwealth Government, $45,000-worth of Environmental Community Action Grants from the Department of Environment and Conservation and a $48,000 Natural Resource Management Grant from the State Government.