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Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

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  1. Home
  2. Environment
  3. Biodiversity
  4. Biodiversity conservation
  5. Urban Rivers and Catchments Program

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Urban Rivers and Catchments Program

About the program

The Urban Rivers and Catchments Program delivers on the Australian Government’s $200 million election commitment to restore the health of our urban waterways for native plants and animals, and local communities.

Nearly half of all nationally listed threatened animals and a quarter of threatened plants occur in urban areas, which they share with 96% of Australia’s population.

Projects funded will help conserve native plants and animals such as birds, platypus and native fish. They will also reconnect people with nature, improving access to the valuable spaces waterways provide for our health and social wellbeing.

As part of the government’s Nature Positive agenda, the program aims to leave Australia’s environment in a better state and build resilience in a warming climate.

The program will support projects that improve waterways in urban, outer-urban and regional centres areas by:

  • Establishing and/or improving riparian and aquatic habitat to benefit native species including threatened species.
  • Improving water quality, hydrology, or in-stream connectivity to benefit native aquatic species including threatened aquatic species.
  • Improving urban green space, to provide community access to nature and help reduce heat-related impacts due to climate change.

The program will fund projects including, but not limited to:

  • Habitat and habitat ‘corridor’ establishment for native wildlife through actions including riverbank revegetation, stream re-naturalisation, and chain of ponds/wetland creation initiatives.
  • Water quality improvement to benefit aquatic species through wetland creation aimed at slowing and filtering stormwater, and the removal of stormwater from aquatic systems.
  • Re-establishment of in-stream connectivity and ‘pathways’ to support movements and migrations of aquatic native species through the installation of fish ‘ladders’.
  • Prevention of stormwater-sourced plastic entering aquatic and marine environments through the installation of litter and gross pollutant traps.

The investment will help to ensure that Australia continues to meet its international obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant environmental treaties.

Program delivery

The Urban Rivers and Catchments Program comprises 2 rounds.

Round one projects will be delivered through specific purpose payments to the states and territories.

Round two projects will be competitive grants, contracted by the Australian Government with successful grant recipients.

Round One

The 2022-23 October Budget provided $91.1 million over 6 years (from 2022–23) for the first round of the program. This round is implementing projects that were announced in the lead up to the May 2022 election.

Round Two

The 2023–24 May Budget provided $118.5 million over 6 years (from 2023–24) for the second round of the program. Round 2 will fund competitive grants for around 100 projects that bring life back to our rivers, creeks, wetlands and waterways.

The competitive grants round will open later in 2023, with projects expected to commence in 2024–25 (over 4 years). Further information will be announced closer to the opening date.

Funding will include:

  • $51 million to fund small to medium-sized project grants of between $150,000 and $2 million for community-led projects
  • $58 million to fund large projects of between $2 million and $10 million with priority given to projects that include co-investment.

Eligible groups will include community groups, NGOs, regional organisations, councils, state and territory governments and First Nations land and water management groups.

To be added to the program mailing list please contact UrbanRivers@dcceew.gov.au

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Last updated: 12 May 2023

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.