Conservation Volunteers' #SeaToSource needs you

Launching national nature body Conservation Volunteers Australia's #SeaToSource marine plastic volunteering drive, chief executive Phil Harrison said a special focus this year would be placed on flood recovery in impacted catchments from south-east Queensland down to Sydney to reduce waste flowing out into the Great Southern Reef.

A joint natural disaster volunteer portal will be set up with the federal government to assist communities and environment groups with broader nature and wildlife habitat recovery and resilience across flood-impacted regions in coming months.

Mr Harrison said marine plastic was a major problem for wildlife, human and tourism health - flooding or not.

"Over 12,000 Australians signed up to help nature recover post the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires and we would love to see a similar flood of support," he said.

"Once people are back on their feet, we're hoping that we can continue the 'mud army' spirit to also help the swift recovery of our wildlife's homes and habitats over the coming weeks, months and years as well.

"Whether you can lend a couple of hours or a couple of days, there will be nature volunteering experiences to suit everyday Australians, every day."

The organisation's volunteer portal matches registrations from the public with Conservation Volunteers Australia projects, councils and other local environment and wildlife groups needing assistance with nature recovery and resilience efforts.

Marine waste collected will be collated locally and mapped nationally through the CSIRO.

Nearly 200,000 pieces of plastic have been removed from riverbanks, bays and beaches in the past two years thanks to about 3000 volunteers turning out.

More than 12,000 people signed up to help following the Black Summer bushfires.

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