Fitzgerald Biosphere Group shares majority of $500,000 in State Government funding for Upper Great Southern

More than $500,000 of State Government funding has been allocated to parts of the Upper Great Southern for projects aiming to conserve the region’s environment. Fitzgerald Biosphere Group received a $435,948 boost to its Beyond the Salt Struggle project, which looks to build on the foundation of work already done by the group to tackle salinity concerns, promoting peer-to-peer learning and engaging farmers within the Shire of Jerramungup. FBG executive officer Maddy Wylie said the funding would provide three years of developmental work for the area to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment. “This project looks to build on the work that’s already been done in redressing salinity in the area,” Ms Wylie said. “We will continue some of that monitoring work that had been started and the funding will supply resources until the end of 2026. “The money will primarily be used for fencing and revegetation projects within the region.” While the funding will be mainly focused on revegetating salinity-rich areas, some finances will allocated to other projects. “The funding will also encourage farmers to work across fences on issues that are local to them, which may still be salinity,” she said. “It could be other issues as well, like soil constraints that they face or whatever that local priority is. “We’re conscious of making it as broad as we can by looking at a range of issues to encourage a ‘small action group approach’. “Research has shown that this is a way of working together to get a really good outcome.” FBG was also given $46,284 for the Sharing the Wellstead Estuary project that supports the health of bird life in Bremer Bay in the lead-up to summer. “This project will work around our shorebirds in Bremer Bay, especially in the sand dunes heading into summer,” Ms Wylie said. “Bremer Bay gets inundated with people during this period so it is important to have this grant to protect the birds.” Cranbrook’s Gillami Centre has been awarded $34,046 to boost resources and critical information on its Saltland Genie WebApp and $33,100 will go towards North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources developing its Bilya Classroom project.