Gippsland Lakes Habitat Project Wins State Award

A unique bird habitat restoration project on the Gippsland Lakes has been recognised with a Victorian Coastal Award for excellence at the Victorian Coastal Council Awards. A collaboration between Gippsland Ports, Parks Victoria, DELWP, Birdlife East Gippsland, and the Nungurner Landcare Group, the project involved the restoration of Crescent Island (near Ocean Grange) and Pelican Island (opposite Nungurner) to provide critical .habitat for rare and threatened bird species.

The Award was presented to the Chair of Gippsland Ports, Geoff Hocking, by Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio at a ceremony in Melbourne.

Accepting the award on behalf of the project partners Mr Hocking, said: “We have together achieved the ultimate success – environmentally sustainable channel dredging to provide safer navigation for recreational boaters, the restoration and extension of habitat for our swans, pelicans, waders and migratory terns and the forging of new partnerships between the government and community sectors”.

“The project has provided safer boating access and a vital improvement to habitat values through a collaboration between waterway managers, natural resource managers and community volunteers”, Mr Hocking said.