Urban Rivers and Catchments Program 2023

The objective of this program is to improve the ecological health of waterways in urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional centres.

This program will fund projects via two funding streams:

Stream 1: Small to Medium-Specific
Grants for projects with a project value from $150,000 up to $2,000,000 across one or more defined project sites. This stream will focus primarily on small to medium sized community-based projects (for example: local waterway habitat, habitat connectivity, and water quality improvement etc.). Up to 100 per cent of eligible expenditure will be funded for successful applicants.

Stream 2: Large-Specific
Grants for projects with a grant value from $2,000,000 up to $10,000,000 and a total project value of at least $4,000,000 across one or more defined project sites. This stream will focus primarily on large scale projects (for example: re-naturalising concrete channels to create living streams, stormwater filtration through artificial wetlands to improve water quality etc.). Up to 50 per cent of eligible expenditure will be funded for successful applicants.

The objectives of both streams are to:

• conserve native plants and animals including EPBC-listed threatened plants and animals in urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional centres
• improve the ecological health of Threatened Ecological Communities and wetlands of international significance i.e. Ramsar sites, in urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional centres.

The intended outcomes of both streams are:

• restored and/or improved riparian areas, stream banks or aquatic habitats, to benefit native species including threatened species, or aquatic areas of significance
• improved water quality, water in the landscape, and waterway connectivity to benefit native aquatic species including threatened aquatic species, or aquatic areas of significance
• improved urban green and blue space, including improved community access to nature, improved water quality to benefit public health, and increased shading to help reduce urban heat-related impacts due to climate change.