The Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants provide funding over 4 years from 2021–22 to 2024–25 for implementing on-ground projects that restore degraded coastal wetland ecosystems in Australia.
The restoration grant projects represent a variety of ecosystem types including mangroves, seagrass and tidal marshes, and socio-economic settings (for example, providing fishing, tourism, cultural or coastal protection benefits).
5 grants were awarded to:
| Funding recipient | Project | Location | Funding (excl. GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Partners | Blue Heart – Blue Carbon Wetland Restoration Project Restoration of former farming land to coastal wetlands with benefits for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, flood mitigation, recreation and First Nations engagement. |
Sunshine Coast, Queensland | $2,036,000 |
| Greening Australia | Mungalla Blue Carbon Project Tidal restoration of former cattle grazing property with benefits for Indigenous heritage, ecotourism, Great Barrier Reef water quality, and bird and marine biodiversity. |
Ingham, Queensland | $1,779,988 |
| The University of Adelaide | Gulf St Vincent Seagrass Restoration Project Seagrass restoration project with benefits for marine diversity, sediment stabilisation, shoreline protection and nutrient processing. |
Port Gawler, South Australia | $1,972,500 |
| Southern Regional Natural Resource Management | Demonstrating Outcomes of Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration of Temperate Saltmarsh Cool climate tidal marsh restoration with benefits for coastal resilience, biodiversity, recreational fisheries and tourism. |
Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon, Tasmania | $793,947 |
| The Nature Conservancy Australia and Partners | South Australian Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Project Tidal marsh restoration with benefits for biodiversity, social and cultural values. |
Upper Gulf St Vincent, South Australia | $2,896,526 |
The department will commission project-level environmental economic accounting to measure and value benefits to climate, biodiversity and livelihoods resulting from restoration activities.
Together, the restoration activities and environmental economic accounting will improve our understanding of the biodiversity and financial benefits of restoration, including carbon and non-carbon outcomes.
The Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants are a component of the Blue Carbon Conservation, Restoration and Accounting Program which will help pave the way for scaling up investment in coastal blue carbon ecosystems, support management decisions, and contribute to global goals for climate and the environment.
For further information please email BlueCarbon@awe.gov.au.