$4.9 million for vital landscape projects that improve environment and biodiversity

Projects funded include eradicating feral animals and reintroducing native fish to the River Murray.

The 2023-24 grants, awarded through the state’s landscape boards, include $500,000 to eliminate feral cats and rats on Flinders Island, off the west coast of Eyre Peninsula.

The project aims to create a safe haven for state and nationally threatened species of mammals, shorebirds and seabirds, while enhancing the island’s unique ecosystems.

A $175,000 grant will support the reintroduction of Murray crayfish – the second largest freshwater crayfish in the world – to the River Murray, building on a successful trial project in 2022-23.

The grants will fund the management of feral deer and goats on Yorke Peninsula and environmental education programs for children on Kangaroo Island.

The Landscape Priorities Fund provides annual grants for the state’s landscape boards, working in partnership with other organisations, groups and individuals to invest in large-scale integrated landscape management projects.

Funded projects seek to address large landscape management issues such as landscape scale restoration, supporting bushfire recovery, climate resilience and adaptation, sustainable agriculture, and threatened species and ecosystem recovery.

The Department for Environment and Water's Landscape Services Director, Merridie Martin, said the grants were a significant investment in helping landscape boards and local communities address the biggest land management challenges in their region.

"These projects will play a crucial role in managing landscapes across our state, which will help to improve biodiversity, reduce the threats from feral animals and support healthy environments," she said.

For more information, including a full list of funded projects, visit Landscape Priorities Fund | Landscape Boards SA