- Sixteen councils will share in more than $620,000 in the sixth funding round of the Flying-Fox Roost Management in Queensland Program.
- More than $1.48 million has been allocated to 28 Queensland councils in the program's first five funding rounds.
- The 2023-24 State Budget extended the grants program with an additional $500,000 per year for the next three years.
Sixteen Queensland councils will share in more than $620,000 in grants from the Miles Government for flying-fox management projects in their communities.
Councils will use the grants to enhance flying-fox programs in their communities, with projects to develop and deliver long-term roost management plans, conduct vegetation management activities, create buffers around roosts and deliver public educational programs.
This is the sixth round of grants under the Flying-Fox Roost Management in Queensland Program, which has already seen more than $1.48 million allocated to 28 Queensland councils in the first five funding rounds.
The program supports local government's flying-fox management, especially to mitigate the impacts of flying-fox roosts on communities and support residents and businesses to co-exist with flying-foxes.
While the latest funding completes the allocation of the original $2 million funding commitment to the program, the 2023-24 State Budget extended the program by committing an additional $500,000 per year for the next three years.
The Department of Environment and Science works with the Local Government Association of Queensland to deliver the program and ensure that funds are targeted to the areas of greatest need and provide maximum long-term benefits for roost management in local government areas.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science, Leanne Linard:
"The Miles Government is committed to supporting local councils to manage the effects of flying-foxes on their communities.
"We know that flying-foxes can present challenges when they co-exist with residents, but these protected native animals also have a vital ecological role in dispersing seeds and pollinating flowering plants, as well as keeping our native forests healthy.
"The successful projects in this latest round of grant funding will help to reduce the impacts of urban flying-fox roosts and support local communities to co-exist with flying-foxes."
