The Merri Creek Environment Fund is always open for donations

Over the last few years our open spaces have become more precious to us than ever and the Merri Creek Parklands are no exception. 

You can see the results of previous fundraising campaigns below the GiveNow logo on the left of this page. Of course donations are most welcome anytime.

PLEASE DONATE: Donations of $2 or more to the Merri Creek Environment Fund are tax deductible.  To donate click here.

Bringing Merri Creek back to life

The Merri Creek Environment Fund is a tax-deductible fund which aims to ensure the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of Merri Creek and its tributaries, their corridors and associated ecological communities.

Donations to the Fund provide a long-term and independent source of funding to continue bringing Merri Creek back to life after 170 years of degradation. For examples of projects that donations to the Fund have supported, read the MCEF News section towards the top left of this page.

The fund is overseen by four directors committed to Merri Creek and the wider community. They are David Redfearn OAM (Chair), Glenyys Romanes AM, Jo Connellan and Ann Sanson.

The Merri Creek Environment Fund is a fund of the Merri Creek Management Committee, a non-profit organisation committed to ethical investment.

If you would like to make a donation, follow the instructions above.

You may also like to look at our two page brochure about the Merri Creek Environment Fund.

Bequests

If you would like to discuss leaving a bequest to the Merri Creek, please contact Bernadette Thomas on  (03) 9380 8199 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  You'll find key information about bequests in our bequests facts document.

The Challenge of Restoring Merri Creek Habitat for Birds and Animals

Merri Creek stretches from the Great Dividing Range to the Yarra River. It flows from foothill forests, through farmland, rocky gorges, rare native grasslands, between quarries and factories and houses in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

After 170 years of degradation, the restoration work of the last 30 plus years has made a huge difference, but there's a lot of work still to do.

Birds and animals are returning to Merri Creek thanks to the revegetation and remnant vegetation protection works which have been carried out. For them to thrive, protection and ongoing management of habitat is critical.

Improving the water quality of the Creek remains a challenge requiring revegetation of the Creek banks in rural areas, restoration of wetlands or creation of new ones, and better management of the urban catchments.

Completing the habitat corridor linking the foothill forests to the grasslands in the middle catchments and through the suburbs to the Yarra is a huge task.

Rare species in the catchments: There are seven nationally rare or endangered species, and hundreds of species which are rare in the state or in the Merri Creek catchment. These species need particular attention to ensure that their populations in the Merri Creek catchment flourish. This can involve careful weed control to remove their competition, burning, or collection of seed and re-planting.