The Bugle - 02 September 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
- Landcare discovered in Toowoomba
- Visionary CQ land owner has a winning idea for Landcare
- Soil management helps farmers get their hands dirty
Government updates
- Spring into biodiversity month to learn about birds and bees
- Toowoomba gets go ahead to tap into the Great Artesian Basin
- EPA finds 19 new wetlands
- Management of the reef under threat
Natural resources news
Landcare discovered in Toowoomba
An amazing conference to emphasise and celebrate the positive environmental initiatives undertaken by young people will take place in Toowoomba from 3-4 October.
Called the Discovering Landcare Conference, it provides students with a range of hands-on, interactive learning experiences based around environmental themes.
Organised by the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee's Landcare Discovery Centre, conference highlights include key note speakers photographer extraordinaire Steve Parish and the sleek geek Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.
There will also be student-led environmental education sessions, a conference dinner, the Re-creation Art and Fashion Show, and field trips to do practical, hands-on environmental activities and inspections.
All teachers and upper primary and secondary students are invited to attend the conference, but tickets to see Dr Karl and the Re-creations Fashion and Art Show are also available to non-conference delegates for the Monday evening session only.
For more information email the Landcare Discovery Centre or phone 4637 6270.
Visionary CQ land owner has a winning idea for Landcare
Visionary Geoff Fearnside and his amazing property "Wallaroo" have won several awards, the latest being second place and a highly commended at this year's Queensland Landcare Awards.
When you look at what Geoff has achieved on "Wallaroo", a 30 000 hectare property located north of Injune, it is no wonder that he wins so many awards, including a highly commended in the 2005 Rural Press Primary Producer category and second in the 2005 Bushcare Nature Conservation Award.
Geoff and his family have developed a sustainable system of grazing and forestry over the last 30 years and have built an education centre on the farm.
"You could treat the effects of land degradation and global warming forever. I'm looking at the causes and trying to make the urban population living on the eastern seaboard aware that if we don't do something about the way we use our land, it will end up in a sorry state," Mr Fearnside said.
In 1972, well before most in Australia became aware of Aboriginal sacred sites, Geoff set aside areas on his property significant to local Aboriginal culture. These sites have since been carbon dated and are just one aspect of the property's important role in protecting historical and ecological resources.
Comet Catchment Field Officer Lindsay Krieg, said Wallaroo was an outstanding example of a land owner who had set up a farming system that worked well with nature and had turned potential problems into profit.
Soil management helps farmers get their hands dirty
A Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) pilot project to increase ground cover and improve soil fertility and structure will begin 5 September.
The QMDC's Soil Management Tender is a new style of incentive that will allow farmers in the Maranoa-Balonne and Border Rivers catchments to suggest ways they would like to improve soil conditions on their property.
QMDC will be looking for farmers in priority areas with highly fertile soils who wish to make changes on their property to reduce soil degradation and increase the sustainability of their land.
Expression of interest forms will be sent to farmers in the region by 23 September. For more information about the tender, key dates, and to find out if you are eligible, email QMDC or call them on 4637 6201.
Spring into biodiversity month to learn about birds and bees
Spring is in the air and new flora and fauna are coming to life all over Queensland. September is recognised nationally as biodiversity month. The Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH) provide support for local groups promoting biodiversity.
This includes a biodiversity toolbox, a web-based collection of resources to assist biodiversity conservation planning, Firewood, a web-based collection of resources to assist the community to adopt more ecologically aware firewood collection practices and better storage and burning techniques.
They also organise the National Threatened Species Day, involving events Australia-wide on 7 September. National Threatened Species Day encourages the community to help conserve Australia's unique native fauna and flora, and to take action to prevent further extinctions by restoring healthy numbers of endangered species and ecological communities in the wild.
Finally, there is the Hands on for Habitat Awards which aim to encourage 6-12 year olds to learn more about Australia's threatened species and to participate in activities to protect these native plants and animals. The awards are a major annual community education and awareness activity and lead up to National Threatened Species Day.
For further information, contact the DEH's Community Information Unit on free call 1800 803 772 or visit the DEH web site.
Toowoomba gets go ahead to tap into the Great Artesian Basin
The State Government has promised the Toowoomba City Council can use bore water to shore up its water supply in the current drought.
Natural Resources and Mines Minister Henry Palaszczuk told State Parliament that although there is a moratorium in the Great Artesian Basin the Government still has to take into account the desperate needs of local communities like Toowoomba.
Mr Palaszczuk said the Great Artesian Basin was a possible source of emergency supplies that could provide short term relief for the city as Toowoomba's water supply became critical.
"Everyone needs to realise that the Great Artesian Basin is not an unlimited resource and that this initial response is part of a long term strategy for Toowoomba.
"Toowoomba needs to have a diverse range of water sources so that risks to supply are minimised. This will also form the basis for developing long-term certainty of water supply for Toowoomba from a range of sources, including recycling," Mr Palaszczuk said.
EPA finds 19 new wetlands
The Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (DIWA) is a document and database identifying important wetlands. The Environmental Protection Agency recently updated the Queensland section of the DIWA.
Produced by the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage in cooperation with all state governments, DIWA describes wetlands using a site description, physical, hydrological and ecological features, notable flora and fauna and by its management regime.
The DIWA is an inventory only and does not have any specific statutory requirements in relation to vegetation management or planning and development approvals. However, inclusion of a wetland in the DIWA indicates the significance of the wetland and its contribution to Queensland's natural assets.
The recent update has increased the number of sites from 181 to 210. The new sites are in the South Eastern Queensland and Brigalow Belt North bioregions.
Information and maps for previous sites have been updated, including the realignment of some sites, a review of the criteria for listing, tenure and management information, updating species present and scientific names.
The latest site boundaries are available from the NRM RIS portal or the Spatial Link Clearing House web site. Reports on each site are available through the DEH web site.
Please contact the EPA for further information; call Gay Deacon 3227 6880 or Greg Miller 3227 6690.
Management of the reef under threat
The Federal Government will review the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).
The Australian Government made an election commitment to review the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 to improve the performance of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, its office holders and its accountability frameworks.
However, Queensland's Environment Minister Leslie Boyle has not responded well to the proposed a review, stating she fears this inquiry has been called simply to allow the Nationals to 'get square' with the Authority, as the fishing lobby is still complaining over the Authority's reasoning for closing off more of the reef to fishing.
For 25 years the Queensland and Federal Governments have cooperated over protecting the reef and these arrangement have worked well.
Ms Boyle fears that the review will result in a federal government department having sole control of reef management, stating that National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce went on the record saying reef management should be returned to the Federal Government.
Federal Liberal Peter Lindsay from Townsville has said he is very concerned about this review and feared it could be taking policy development for the reef out of Queensland and into the hands of Canberra bureaucrats.
Ms Boyle concluded by stating we all have an obligation to preserve the reef for future generations and that job is best served by local management. But protecting the reef is also important because it injects millions of dollars into the economy and supports thousands of jobs.
International wetlands success story an inspiration for improving local skills
Some projects are truly inspirational, like the Kuala Gula Wetlands project which helped local people manage their fisheries and develop nature based tourism.
Kuala Gula Wetlands, listed as an important bird area by BirdLife International, is located on the west coast of Malaysia and consists of rivers, mangrove islands, mudflats, estuaries and fringes of mangrove forests along the coast.
It is a site of international importance for migratory waterbirds as well as an important area for fisheries most of the local community is involved in the cottage industries or harvesting of fish, shrimp and shellfish.
The project ran for 27 months, ending in June 2005. It was financed by DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) and in - kind support was provided by Perak State government.
The project aimed to equip the local communities with the ability to be involved in eco tourism, appreciation the values and importance of wetlands and strengthen co-operation between government agencies, local communities and NGOs.
The project was a success and has generated a lot of local pride and conservation interest amongst the local communities and agencies.
A beautifully illustrated book of the Kuala Gula Wetlands is available and for more information visit the wetlands web site.
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The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Strategic Policy and Regional Arrangements, Natural Resources and Mines, highlighting regional natural resource management activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 April 2006