Media Contacts
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Tony Jupp
Associate Director of Communications
The Nature Conservancy Australia
Email: tjupp@tnc.org
Key Points
- A further $1 million for shellfish reef restoration in Port Phillip Bay.
- More reefs means more of nature’s benefits like more fish, cleaner water and a generally healthier Bay.
The Nature Conservancy welcomes an announcement made today by the Victorian Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio providing a $700,000 grant to extend our work to restore the lost shellfish reefs of Port Phillip Bay. With $300,000 of our own funding, this extra $1 million will allow us to create a further 1,000m2 of reefs in addition to the 600m2 previously created at two sites – Margaret’s Reef in Hobsons Bay and Wilson Spit near Geelong.
“The Nature Conservancy is delighted to receive funding from the Victorian Government to extend our important work; restoring the lost shellfish reefs of Port Phillip Bay. By bringing back these important marine habitats, which once covered up to half the seafloor of the Bay, we’re also working towards a future for Melbourne and Geelong where the Bay will be cleaner, healthier and richer in biodiversity, including more fish,” said Rich Gilmore, Country Director for TNC Australia.
The funding is one of several announcements made today by the Minister regarding various programs and grants in place to support and maintain the health of Port Phillip Bay including the launch of a new Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan 2017-2027.
The funding announced today by Minister D’Ambrosio will also extend our Shuck Don’t Chuck Shell Recycling Project – winner of last month’s Premier’s Sustainability Award (Community Category) – helping to find a useful purpose for otherwise discarded seafood shells as the foundations of new native shellfish reefs in the Bay.
“We’re looking forward to working with the Victorian Government to deliver this exciting project for the benefit of people and nature,” said Gilmore.
Our project to restore the lost shellfish reefs of Port Phillip Bay is founded on a partnership between The Nature Conservancy Australia, the Victorian Government and the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organisation dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we focus on getting things done efficiently and with the greatest positive impact for conservation. We’re a trusted organisation working in more than 70 countries and territories around the world on innovative solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy in Australia, follow us on Facebook.