Communities will be encouraged to act locally to halt plant and animal extinction, protect coastlines and recycle waste through a $100 million fund announced by the Morrison government on Tuesday.

The Coalition is seeking to boost its environmental record ahead of the May election where climate change is expected to be a headline issue. The budget confirmed a $3.5 billion climate solutions package announced earlier this year which the government says will help Australia meet its Paris target. However, there were no major new measures addressing climate change in the budget.

The $100 million Environment Restoration Fund will grant money to community groups for large projects such as managing erosion around waterways and protecting threatened species habitat. It would also support practical action on waste recovery and recycling.

Australia has one of the world's worst extinction records and critics say a lack of funding for threatened species programs is contributing to the crisis. Erosion is caused by extreme weather and other climate change effects, as well as land clearing.