CCMA LAUNCHES $1.5M DUNECARE INITIATIVE TO TURN THE TIDE ON OUR SHIFTING SANDS

The Australian Government’s Bellarine and Great Ocean Road Dunecare Project is a $1.5M commitment to conserving coastal sand dune native flora and fauna habitat at risk of erosion on coastal Crown Land between St Leonards and Marengo.

The Coastal Management Grants Program will provide funding to coastal public land managers to deliver on ground works to protect and remediate fragile coastal dune systems that support native flora and fauna habitat.

$850,000 worth of on ground works will be delivered by Coastal Crown Land Managers including: Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management, Borough of Queenscliffe Council, Barwon Coast Committee of Management, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Parks Victoria, Barwon Water, and the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority.

The second part of the program is a Dunecare secondary schools program, that will target Year 9 and 10 students in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast and is designed to educate students on the importance of dune conservation and protection and build student and local community stewardship for local dune conservation and protection.

The Dunecare secondary schools program will be delivered by the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre, Bellarine Catchment Network, and Ecologic, with support from the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.   

Corangamite Catchment Management Authority CEO John Riddiford said the Dunecare Program will invest strongly into on ground outcomes so that coastal sand dune native flora and fauna habitat at risk of erosion is improved, protected, and conserved at high priority sites on the Bellarine and Great Ocean Road.

“Collaboration with Coastal Crown Land Managers and the community is critical to ensuring the environmental outcomes of the Initiative are achieved and self-sustaining post investment,” continued Mr Riddiford.

This project is supported by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s Environment Restoration Fund.