The Andrews Labor Government is providing more than $2.8 million in funding to help support community volunteers and young people protecting Victoria’s biodiversity.

Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, announced that James Cook Primary School would receive $4,500 for their Good to Grow project. The funding will be used to create a learning area to expose children to the environmental, social, educational and health benefits of outdoor learning. The project will include installation of outdoor seating to create a comfortable outdoor learning space, as well as an Indigenous Garden to enhance the school’s biodiversity.

As part of the 2018 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants, funding will be provided to 109 environmental projects at Victorian schools, kindergartens, preschools, childcare centres and other groups.

The new initiative, to be delivered in partnership with Landcare Australia, will encourage the next generation of young people to care for Victoria’s natural environment.

The 2018 Community and Volunteer Action Grants will also enable 73 projects to be delivered by community-based and not-for-profit conservation groups to monitor wildlife and native plants, protect habitat for threatened species, replant indigenous vegetation, and educate the community.

Funding will support a range of activities to help protect, improve and expand habitats for Victoria’s native plants and animals and achieve targets set in the Labor Government’s biodiversity plan, Biodiversity 2037 – Protecting Victoria’s Environment.

For more information on the grant recipients, visit environment.vic.gov.au.