*Important news re the future of Gawler Environment Centre*
As you may be aware, with the recent change from the State Government Natural Resource Management system to the Landscape Board system, funding for the seven regional environment/natural resource centres (of which GEC is one) has become very precarious indeed. The incumbent State Government, currently in caretaker mode, has provided no guarantees that we will be provided with any funding in 2022/2023 or beyond.
In response our centres, plus the two metropolitan centres, have joined forces under the banner Greater Adelaide Environment Network (GAEN) and developed a comprehensive prospectus to present to potential funding partners. You can view the prospectus below and find out more about GAEN.
We still believe our best bet is for our State Government to step up and commit to adequately resourcing community environmental action. SA Labor have committed to fully fund the GAEN centres if they are elected and we are seeking similar commitments from other parties and candidates.
As such we are asking you, our supporters, to speak to your local candidates and ask them to advocate for adequate, secure funding for the GAEN environment centres, including Gawler Environment Centre. Our communities are at the centre of everything we do and your support will help us to ensure that we can continue to provide our valuable services including workshops, the Understorey annual native plant sale, Gawler Repair Cafe, and support for local on-ground revegetation and restoration projects.
If you would like any further information please contact the GEC Coordinator on 0413 694 477 or coordinator@gawlerenvironmentcentre.org.au
Introducing GAEN
The Greater Adelaide Environment Network (GAEN) is a newly formed alliance of nine community-based Environment (or Natural Resource) Centres operating across the Greater Adelaide area.
The Network is led by a Steering Group of volunteers, comprising of four Chairs (one from the Gawler Environment Centre, Willunga Environment Centre, Strathalbyn Natural Resource Centre and Fleurieu Environment Centre) and one Coordinator, who is the Representative of all 9 Centre’s Coordinators.
Our collective impact, which extends back over the past 25 years, has been significant, with over 20,000 participant attendances and over 400 events held annually. With a commitment to develop community skills and resilience, our centres conduct workshops and information sessions on everything from local biodiversity and sustainable land management practices, to recycling and waste diversion. We run annual native plant sales, coordinate revegetation projects, support community gardens, run sustainable living festivals and a wide variety of other innovative environmental and community development initiatives.
The GAEN represents the collective action by all participating centres to secure adequate ongoing funding into the future in order to provide events, services and information to our communities. We have been meeting (in person and online) developing materials such as our prospectus brochure and examining potential funding partnerships in our local and broader areas.
For more information about the GAEN and what we as a collective provide, please download our prospectus. And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our office here.
