A local not-for-profit environmental group has received a helping hand for two of its community projects and on-ground environmental actions.
Landcare SJ recently received more than $41,000 from the state government for their cockatoo monitoring and maintenance program and its Serpentine River weed eradication projects.
Landcare SJ executive officer Francis Smit said the cockatoo program commenced in 2005 with the intent to measure and halt the decline in three species of the Western Australian Forest Black Cockatoo.
“Funding to monitor 78 cockatubes in the Serpentine Jarrahdale area will provide a better understanding of local uptake and use, by both target species and other artificial hollow users,” he said.
“This information will help inform the program of optimal areas for nest box placement and maintenance requirements will also be assessed and addressed during monitoring visits.”
Mr Smit said the funding also helped with the group’s water hyacinth project, which was discovered in the Serpentine River in 2013.
Member for the East Metropolitan region Matthew Swinbourn said these projects would make a significant contribution to the protection and preservation of our community’s natural environment.
“Landcare SJ is a critically important community organisation that I am proud to be a member of, its conservation work with cockatoo’s is essential to ensuring this iconic birds remains a part of our sky,” he said.
“Water hyacinth has unfortunately proved to be a difficult weed to control and its impact on our important irrigation channels can be crippling for our farmers.”
