The Landcare network of volunteers, which felt undermined by the unemployment program Green Army, is now fuming that funding for the unemployment program has been cut too, by $317 million.

The reaction to the budget cut comes on the day the Minister for Environment announced round four of the Green Army program, with 397 new projects.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 52 seconds 3 m 52 s Landcare Network battles for funds to be reinstated after Government announces cuts to unemployment program Green Army ( Sarina Locke ) Download 1.8 MB

The Landcare volunteer chair is seeking an urgent meeting with Environment Minister Greg Hunt to see if its own funding might be reinstated.

The Green Army initially was to have $525 million over four years to train unemployed people in tree planting, river restoration and coastal dune repair around Australia.

This week, the federal treasurer's Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) cut the program along with social security, welfare, education and health budgets, to spend on $3.4 billion in new commitments.

Landcare chair Terry Hubbard said the Abbott Government had set up the Green Army by stripping almost half a billion dollars from Landcare in 2014.

"It had the effect of disenfranchising the volunteer landcarers and it was considered, like its predecessors like Green Corp, that these are not the best ways to delivering environmental outcomes," Mr Hubbard said.

More than half of workers in Green Army projects managed by Landcare Australia found further work or would pursue more studies. ( ABC Rural: Rose Grant )

"Some have felt obsolete, and the works they were doing for 30 years were taken away and put in another area.

"That's anti-Landcare in a sense, against all the volunteer ethics and beliefs of the Landcare movement, which managed to stretch the average dollar invested to six or seven times because of the volunteer commitment."

The Landcare network of volunteers said the halving of the Green Army budget pointed to problems with the program.

"The fact is, the loss of those funds from the Landcare movement to the Green Army and subsequently to elsewhere in the budget is again another smack to the environment," Mr Hubbard said.

"I would love to see that money returned to Landcare or the Natural Resource Managers bodies across the nation to work collaboratively to do the work that is so essential."

Green Army projects produced positive outcomes

The Landcare Australia group, the corporate arm running 100 of the environmental projects nationally with labour manager Manpower, is disappointed too.

It said more than half the workers in the program had found further work or would pursue more studies.

"It's very disappointing to lose services out of the program," said Dr Shane Norris, head of Landcare services at Landcare Australia.

"A lot of the young people moving through the program with us are seeing some pretty good employment outcomes."

Dr Norris said Landcare Australia's Green Armies had also achieved some good outcomes for the environment.

Landcare Australia's Green Army projects so far: 2200 hectares managed for invasive weeds

2200 hectares managed for invasive weeds 1000 hectares managed to control pest animals

1000 hectares managed to control pest animals 200 hectares erosion control

200 hectares erosion control 13 kilometres of erosion stabilisation in riparian (river) zones

13 kilometres of erosion stabilisation in riparian (river) zones 23 surveys of flora and fauna

23 surveys of flora and fauna 100 weed assessments

Mr Hunt told commercial radio 3AW the cuts were forced by the slowdown in commodity prices, and a $34 billion write down in revenue.

Mr Hunt said the projects would still train thousands of young unemployed people in environment work, in 500 projects a year for four years.

"Look, it will cap it at 5000 people per year. So that's 20,000 young Australians who will be involved in the Green Army over four years. There's no question that is a change," Mr Hunt said.

A feral cat, which has killed a small mammal, is caught at night on a camera trap in the Kimberley, 2014 ( Australian Wildlife Conservancy )

Feral cats a target for new Green Army projects

The Minister has also announced the next round of Green Army projects, during an event at the Mornington Peninsula.

He met the chair of the Landcare Network and local Landcare volunteers to discuss the 397 new Green Army projects nationally, making a total of 1,147 so far.

The projects range from wetland restoration at Braidwood NSW on the Mulloon Creek, to riparian and koala habitat work on the Wilson's River.

Mr Hunt said 311 of the new projects would support threatened species recovery including 93 that will attempt to eradicate feral cats.

A total of 106 new projects will be on World Heritage sites, with a third of those to benefit the Great Barrier Reef, while 145 projects will be in remote areas, many hosted by Indigenous groups.