Let's Grow partnership to grow greener communities

• Two urban greening research projects funded through the Cook Labor Government's Let's Grow program
• Murdoch University to lead Black Cockatoo Conservation and Green Links projects
• Partnership to deliver evidence-based planning tools to support greener, communities and help preserve Black Cockatoo populations

The Cook Labor Government is partnering with leading researchers from Murdoch University by investing more than $670,000 to deliver two major projects that will support urban greening and help to preserve the Black Cockatoo population

Funded through the Let's Grow program, the Black Cockatoo Conservation and Green Links projects will provide new data, mapping and practical planning tools to help communities and State and local governments create greener, cooler and more liveable places.

The three-year Black Cockatoo Conservation project will use movement, health and habitat data to identify priority conservation areas and inform actions to protect and enhance habitat for all three threatened south-west black cockatoo species.

The findings will support more targeted conservation efforts while improving understanding of how urban landscapes can better support native wildlife.

The two-year Green Links project will identify opportunities to strengthen habitat connections across the urban landscape, supporting wildlife movement and biodiversity while helping create cooler, leafier neighbourhoods through a more connected network of vegetation across Perth and Peel.

Working alongside local governments and communities, these projects will translate research into practical action, delivering urban greening benefits at local and regional scale, and contributing to the State Government's target of achieving 30 per cent tree canopy by 2040.

For further information, visit www.wa.gov.au/letsgrow 

Comments attributed to Planning and Lands Minister John Carey:  

"By partnering with Murdoch University, we're bringing specialist expertise together to deliver more co-ordinated urban greening and to help protect the Black Cockatoo population.

This complements a number of measures by this government to boost canopy, including the adoption of Perth and Peel's first greening strategy, changes to the residential codes to incentivise tree retention, the Treebates incentive, and the Tree Recovery program."

Comments attributed to the Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn:

"Connecting and strengthening habitat across our urban landscape will support biodiversity and help protect our threatened black cockatoos and the many other native species that share our city."

"These projects will also help inspire people across the community to take urban greening action, creating a more nature-rich city for generations to come."

"Every tree and patch of vegetation can make a difference, but when we plan and connect those efforts across our urban neighbourhoods, they can achieve much more for people and nature."