Landcare NSW keen to create environment jobs for economic stimulus
Landcare NSW is part of a coalition of 70 conservation and farming organisations calling for a large-scale investment in conservation and land management by all levels of government.
A report delivered by Ernst & Young and released by Pew Charitable Trusts, found that a $4 billion national conservation and land management employment program would create 53,000 jobs, reduce welfare costs by $620 million and raise economic output by $5.7 billion over the next four years.
“The ‘Delivering economic stimulus through the conservation and land management sector’ report highlights the need and ability for organisations such as Landcare NSW to deliver large scale, high quality conservation and land management programs,” says Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit.
“Landcare is a well-established community movement with projects ready to go; we are ready to scale up our activities to create jobs and help local economies.”
“This is a hugely beneficial investment, both for the government and the wider community. By investing in this positive initiative, we will see enormous social, economic and environmental benefits in the short, medium and long term.”
“The NSW Landcare community stands ready to scale up in response to the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, bushfires and drought. We have the skills and knowledge,” said Dr Zammit.
The investment would fund practical activities such as tree planting, weed control and restoration of rivers, wetlands and coastal habitats especially in areas whose economies hard hit by COVID-19 and natural disasters.
“Landcare in NSW has the infrastructure in place, which means funding would not get wasted setting up new bureaucracies but would go straight to local jobs through an established community-based organisations.”
In partnership with the NSW Government and NSW Local Land Services, Landcare has a central team, 73 Local Landcare Coordinators and 11 Regional Landcare Coordinators who assist in the running of Landcare groups and implementation of projects across the state.
Media contact:
Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit
e: azammit@landcarensw.org.au
p: 0487 767 955
