Over the last 25 years, Shoalhaven Riverwatch volunteers have worked tirelessly to propagate and plant more than 110,000 mangroves along local river banks.
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And work like this may be set for a million-dollar boost, after Labor's Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips announced a pledge alongside Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles and former Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett on Tuesday.
Mrs Phillips promised Shoalhaven council would receive $1.5 million to help volunteers continue water quality management, pollution reduction, and revegetation along the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven rivers, contingent on Labor winning the election.
Shoalhaven Riverwatch volunteer Peter Jirgins said the funds would help continue this work, as well as educate the community about the importance of maintaining riverbanks.
"Rivers, creeks and wetlands are a hotspot for biodiversity and planting out those corridors helps the native animals move from the mountains to the ocean," he said.
"We're really looking forward to this funding, we'll also be able to help educate, particularly our school kids, about the value of the river."
Mrs Phillips added the funding would benefit the wider community in preventing future flooding, but could not provide specifics as to how long the funds would last.
"The Shoalhaven River is one of the most beautiful rivers around. But unfortunately we've seen a lot of erosion over time," she said.
"Having Riverwatch has been absolutely instrumental, and Shoalhaven City Council ... who have put hours into revegetating the river.
"It is about helping local residents as well in terms of erosion control and ... preventing future flooding."
Mr Garrett, known for his environmental activism and role as lead singer of Midnight Oil, said there has not enough attention directed towards protecting regional river systems, and hoped to see an incoming Labor Government to change this.
"I'm a part-time local," Mr Garrett said. "And I know that for too many years, we have under done attention to our local river systems, right up and down the coast.
"And the program that Labor has ... is extremely important to start ensuring that our rivers are healthy places, for recreation, for fishing, and for making sure that habitat for threatened and endangered species is in place."
The funding is part of Labor's $200 million Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, which aims to provide grants to community groups to mend and restore local water ways.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
