In September 2020, the WCMG was in a privileged position to receive support to help create a nature based employment scheme. The WCMG has been hiring contractors on a part time basis for years but has never been in financial position to employ them on a full time basis.

The Jobs for Nature fund has allowed the WCMG to create 8 permanent hired positions and train then under our historical contractor. This has been a big boast not only for the restoration project but also for our small rural community. Over the years, WCMG has retired over 200 ha of land, planted 250 000 trees, created a public walkway and undertaken ongoing pest control work. Although the scale of the work was always be there, the group has never been able to fund all the work needed to be done. Under this scheme, the WCMG has managed to catch up on all its maintenance programme while building capacity and capability in the community. We hope the scheme will be extended to secure these jobs for the future.