Current Activities
HCCREMS has worked with a number of councils to secure the following funding.
Clean Energy Future
The first round of the Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Funding has announced that they will fund $271 million worth of grants over a period of six years
HCCREMS successfully applied for $539,000 of funding over three years to develop a much needed Biodiversity Investment Prospectus for the region. The Prospectus will build on the extensive regional repository of data, expertise and partnerships between the 14 councils in the region, to stimulate investment in bio-diverse carbon plantings across approximately 4,000,000 hectares of the Hunter and Central Coast region. This will represent a shift away from isolated sponsorships and government grants, into targeted investments and partnerships resulting in meaningful on-ground works that will actively strengthen and enhance the National Corridors Network.This project will run until 2015
Weeping Myall
HCCREMS has been successful in attracting funding of $100,000 over three years from the Environmental Trust Rehabilitation and Restoration program for the Conservation of Weeping Myall Populations on Private and Public Land.
Weeping Myall Woodland is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act and as an Endangered Ecological Community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act. Additionally, Acacia pendula is also listed as an Endangered Population under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.
It will implement restoration and site protection works at six key locations containing Weeping Myall Woodlands within the Upper Hunter Valley. These sites have been selected based on the presence of Weeping Myall populations or their close proximity to remnant populations. They include private, public and commercial land. Targeting these sites has the potential to expand the spatial extent of populations now exclusively found within the road reserve, into adjacent land tenures.
The woks will be undertaken at
Jones Reserve Road, Jerry's Plains; Coolabah and Mangoola Roads, Muswellbrook; sites within the Wybong Catchment region. This project will run until 2015
LGSA grant to protect Yellow box – White Box woodland rehabilitation on roadsides
In conjunction with Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook councils, HCCREMS has received funding under the Local Government and Shires Association’s (LGSA) Roadside Vegetation Improvement Program to help conserve White Box-Yellow-Box-Blakley Grassy Woodlands in the region.
Details of this project can be seen under the Environmental Roadside Project
LGSA grant to protect Persoonia & Grey Crowned Babbler habitat along roadsides
In conjunction with Cessnock Council, HCCREMS has received funding under the Local Government and Shires Association’s (LGSA) Roadside Vegetation Improvement Program for the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat essential for these two species.
Details of this project can be seen under the Environmental Roadside Project
LGSA grant to enhance Weeping Myall rehabilitation along roadsides
In conjunction with Singleton, Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter councils, HCCREMS has received funding under the Local Government and Shires Association’s (LGSA) Roadside Vegetation Improvement Program to maintain and improve ecological connectivity between Weeping Myall remnants located in roadsides. Details of this project can be seen under the Environmental Roadside Project
LGSA grant to implement on ground management at Creek Crossings
In conjunction with Gloucester, Dungog, Greater Taree and Great Lakes councils, HCCREMS has received funding under the Local Government and Shires Association’s (LGSA) Roadside Vegetation Improvement Program to improve biodiversity and water quality at creek crossing through delivering on ground vegetation rehabilitation works at six priority sites.
Details of this project can be seen under the Environmental Roadside Project
Regional Biodiversity Program
Regional Vegetation Community Classification & Mapping - Ongoing Activities
Stage 2 Vegetation Survey and Classification: The focus of Stage 2 was directed towards completion of the Catchment-Wide Vegetation Classification. To date the project has carried out a gap analysis based on over 5000 existing vegetation survey sites and completed 366 additional vegetation surveys to fill those gaps. Based on these surveys a draft vegetation classification scheme has been completed for the entire Hunter, Central & Lower North Coast Region. The draft scheme has been presented to a panel of vegetation experts from both within and outside the region and the feedback from this review is currently being used to assist in finalising the scheme.
Stage 2 Vegetation mapping: Following on from the development of a regional vegetation classification, the current stage of the vegetation classification and mapping program is working towards the development of a seamless vegetation mapping layer for the Hunter, Central and Lower North Coast Region. In undertaking this work, considerable effort is being made to ensure consistency of the new map product with previous, high quality mapping of specific areas within the region. The final output of this stage will be geodatabase which will store the vegetation map in a “live” state that will be able to be periodically updated as improved knowledge regarding the region’s vegetation becomes available. This will ensure that ongoing investment by local and state government and other organisations in vegetation survey and mapping will be integrated into the regional vegetation map.
The production of a regional vegetation map will allow various derivative products and analyses to be produced including:
- Indicative mapping of Endangered Ecological Communities
- Native grasslands layer
- Analyses and mapping of regionally significant communities
- Critical habitat and over cleared landscapes map layers
- Biodiversity connectivity layer
- Disturbance and Condition layers