Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program
The Australian Government has committed $7.5 million to Local Land Services to deliver the NSW Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program. The program is providing funding to landholders, community groups and Aboriginal land managers to fund on-ground projects including the installation of new fencing to control stock access to riverbanks, weed removal and improvements to fish habitat through re-snagging activities.
Other eligible activities under the program include off-stream stock watering points, control of exotic woody weeds, minor erosion control works, revegetation and river re-snagging to protect native fish and contribute to a healthier river system.
Funding has been made available for eligible landholders, community groups and Aboriginal land managers to implement on-ground projects.
The Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program in NSW provides practical support for landholders to protect valuable ecological sites and improve native fish habitat across the northern Basin.
Healthy riparian zones support a high diversity of plant and animal life and are a key component of healthy ecosystems. They help maintain bank stability, increase productivity, and help reduce runoff from sedimentation and agricultural chemical into waterways which promotes cleaner water, helps to reduce water temperature and improves native fish outcomes.
Download and read the Project Guidelines PDF, 902.33 KB and factsheet PDF, 1475.86 KB for more information.
About the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program
The Australian Government has committed up to $7.5 million for the delivery of the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program in NSW until June 2023. The program is being delivered by Local Land Services in collaboration with landholders and land managers along the Murray-Darling Basin to protect the sensitive environmental areas of our rivers, creeks and wetlands through incentives grants to deliver works such as fencing and minor erosion control to reduce the impact of livestock on these areas while also improving stock access to water supplies through installing troughs and tanks.
The northern Murray-Darling Basin is home to a network of rivers and wetlands that support a unique mix of ecosystems and Australian wildlife. These ecosystems have evolved over thousands of years in response to the seasonal rainfall and flow patterns that feed the creeks, rivers and wetlands of the region.
Program Funding Timeline
The program is funded from July 2021 to June 2023 and is being delivered across five Local Land Services regions being Central Tablelands, Central West, Northern Tablelands, North West and Western.
All the activities undertaken in the first year of the program (July 2021 – June 2022) have greatly assisted farmers and community groups as they continue to recover and confront challenging circumstances including floods, seasonal conditions and COVID-19.
The NSW Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks program is delivered under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan by the NSW Government, through funding from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
Grants under the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks program are available to land holders and land managers in northern Murray-Darling Basin including individuals, groups, Aboriginal organisations, non-government organisations, not for-profit organisations, and local government and state government agencies (excluding core functions of government agencies).
What can the incentive grant money be used for?
Funding under the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program in NSW is available for on-ground projects that help to protect the sensitive environmental areas in riparian zones which will help us to improve native fish habitat.
Eligible activities may include fencing of riparian zones (including the development of a grazing management plan), off-stream stock watering points if required to compensate for loss of access to stock water supplies from the river, exotic woody weed control, revegetation works, and minor erosion control.
NSW Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program Target River Reaches.
More information
For further information on this program, contact your local LLS office via 1300 795 299 or complete an online enquiry customer form.