Sustainability Report 2006/07Community and stakeholder engagement
About 600 community groups are actively involved in water and land management across our region.
This year we developed a Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework to provide clear direction on priorities and actions for stakeholder engagement and communication over the next five years.
A new Community Support Program funded by Melbourne Water and the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority will provide nine coordinators to work directly with community and environment groups across the region over the next five years.
Community groups and councils across the Port Phillip and Westernport region shared more than $3 million in grants to help protect and improve rivers and creeks as part of Melbourne Water’s grants program.
The Community Grants, Corridors of Green and Stream Frontage Management Program fund projects including habitat improvement and weed control, and support and promote work undertaken by private and public land managers.
A total of 870 grants valued at $3.04 million were awarded to private landowners, community groups, councils and other agencies, with 167 kilometres of waterways improved through fencing, weed control and revegetation with more than 333,000 native plants. This compares with $2.06 million funding for 587 grants improving 117 kilometres of waterways with 307,000 plants last year.
Since 1996, we have invested more than $8.3 million in the Stream Frontage Management program, helping private landowners with waterway frontages to erect more than 733 kilometres of fencing and plant more than 1.1 million native trees and shrubs.
A Stream Frontage Management Program partnership with GippsDairy planned for the Upper Lang Lang catchment will engage with dairy farmers and help us to understand their waterway management needs.
The Raingardens in Schools Program, which helps students understand the relationship between stormwater and water quality in rivers, creeks and bays, achieved its target of completing 20 raingardens in primary schools in the past year.
Community participation in our Waterwatch water monitoring program increased significantly this year