MACQUARIE federal MP Louise Markus joined Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Lindsay federal MP Fiona Scott for an announcement on western Sydney’s endangered Cumberland Plain woodland last Saturday.
The Cumberland Plain woodland is unique, with plants and animals not found in any other part of Australia.
The plain itself has been fragmented by decades of urban spread, isolating the woodland in separate ‘‘pockets’’ and threatening its extinction through lack of contiguity.
The government announced a $4.5 million program for the planting of one million trees in the Cumberland Conservation Corridor, which includes $1.26 million for projects in the Hawkesbury.
The projects include the Scheyville to Wianamatta Corridor and the Scheyville and Cattai national parks. Funding will be divided between Greening Australia, Greater Sydney Local Land Services and Muru Mittigar.
They will be responsible for a total of 13 tree-planting projects across the Cumberland Plain region, focusing on community conservation, restoring creek corridors and protecting threatened species.
Work will involve direct seeding and adding soil and mulch to the sites. The aim is to reconnect as much of the plain woodland as possible.
‘‘I have a long-standing commitment to the preservation of the natural environment, particularly with the amount of precious flora and fauna that is found in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains,’’ Mrs Markus said.
She also said the projects would also boost local employment and training.
‘‘I look forward to being on the ground and watching these projects unfold with the wonderful teams that will be involved,” Mrs Markus said.
‘‘This conservation corridor will deliver an environmental legacy for future generations in the electorate of Macquarie and the whole of greater western Sydney.’’
