The Bugle - 23 September 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
- Torres Strait hosts GIS expert
- 'A wheelbarrow full of frogs'; 'what, why and how': two events coming your way
- Frog makes warts-and-all appearance!!
- Organisers dip into their PUR$L, preventing salt being added to registration wounds
Government updates
- Filling in the gaps between plans and actions
- Next week will see some staff changes for NRMA...
- Draft water plan released for Georgina and Diamantina
- $100 000 lures community groups to fishing projects
- Tug boat to tow the line on reef groundings
- State steps in to protect Daintree
- Long distance travellers rest safely on Moreton Bay's shores
- GBRMPA celebrates 30-year milestone
- Protected areas panel provide process for picking parks
- Reef RAP up cost $40 million
Natural resources news
Torres Strait hosts GIS expert
The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) recently hosted a four-day hands-on training workshop on geographic information systems (GIS) and community mapping.
Professor Ellen Hines from the Department of Geography and Human Environmental Studies at San Francisco State University was the presenter.
TSRA Chairperson Toshie Kris said having Professor Hines in the Torres Strait was a valuable opportunity for Torres Strait Islanders.
“Participants have a new set of skills to use to assist them in generating community maps, which could form the basis for community plans for managing land and sea country.
“The Professor has conducted fieldwork studies with Indigenous communities in Asia to learn local knowledge and pinpoint threats to dugongs, and her application of GIS skills in this context offers significant benefits for community-based management programs,” Mr Kris said.
Participants included staff from the TSRA and Cooperative Research Centre for Torres Strait, TRAWQ Community Council, Rangers from Badu and Hammond Islands.
'A wheelbarrow full of frogs'; 'what, why and how': two events coming your way
The NRM symposium "Building capacity for sustainable resource management… moving a wheelbarrow full of frogs!" is a practical symposium being held in Toowoomba on 28 – 29 September.
This event has been inundated with registrations from across Australia and even overseas as there is so much interest in this important topic. Registrations close 21 September, so if you are interested in attending, jump in quick and get registered on line by visiting the APEN web site.
The second event is the series of capacity-building workshops called what, why and how. These workshops will be run in a variety of locations around the country. They will look at what capacity building is, when to do capacity building (and when not to do it) and how to do it.
The workshops will be run in November 2005 at the following locations:
- Toowoomba (10th)
- Mareeba (11th)
- Darwin (14th)
- Perth (16th)
- Adelaide (21st)
- Melbourne (22nd)
- Wagga Wagga (23rd)
For more information and to register please go to the APEN web site.
Frog makes warts-and-all appearance!!
Save Water…You Know Ya Oughtta is Warty the Waterholding Frog’s slogan to encourage people within the Maranoa-Balonne to be more water wise.
Warty is the official mascot adopted by Councils within the Maranoa-Balonne and the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) to focus attention on their Urban Water Use Efficiency project.
Maranoa-Balonne’s Local Government Natural Resource Management Officer, Meryl Eddie, said the project aimed to identify areas of high water use within towns and where water savings could be made and to target educational activities and on-ground works.
Making his first public appearance at the Maranoa-Balonne Catchment Management Association's AGM last week, Warty said his job was to let the public know how much water was being used, where water was being wasted and where it could be saved.
To arrange a visit from Warty to your organisation or business please contact the Maranoa-Balonne Landcare and Catchment Centre on 4622 8446.
Organisers dip into their PUR$L, preventing salt being added to registration wounds
The organising committee for the 2003 PUR$L conference held in Queensland, the CRC Plant Based Management for Dryland Salinity and the Regional Groups Collective are encouraging regional NRM bodies and land managers to attend the 10th PUR$L Workshop in Wellington and Cowra from the 25 - 27 October.
They made $7000 available to provide full or partial financial assistance, dependant on the number and merit of applicants, to assist landholders and regional NRM bodies attend the conference. Expressions of interest were called and applications closed this week on the 23 September to allow arrangements to be made with workshop organisers in NSW. Successful applicants will be notified.
learn more about PUR$L workshops by visiting the National Dryland Salinity Program web site.
Filling in the gaps between plans and actions
The last couple of months have been very busy for the Natural Resource Management Arrangements and regional NRM body planners. Four workshops have identified what regional NRM bodies feel are areas of their regional NRM plans that need to be addressed in addition to what they have had approved in their regional investment strategies.
The gaps identified in the four regional meetings were analysed further at a statewide workshop and finally they were put into 19 themes by the regional NRM body and state agency representatives in attendance.
The 19 themes included: benchmarking and tracking through high resolution imagery for NRM change (terrestrial and marine); systematic approach to sustainable agriculture; and coastal and marine.
These themes were presented to the Joint Australian and Queensland Government Steering Committee who have asked for project plans to be developed for each of these themes to assist them in determining their priority for implementation.
If you need further information or if you are interested in having input into the preparation of these project proposals, please email Kate Eden or call her on 3224 8408.
Next week will see some staff changes for NRMA...
John Keating, the Performance & Program Management team manager, is moving back to a permanent position with Water Management & Use in NR&M. We wish him well in his new role. The Business Improvement Reviews will still be conducted with Ken Caesar taking the lead. Ken can be contacted on 3224 8627.
Annie Goeths will be acting as P&PM manager from Monday 26 September for three months. Any finance/funding issues should be directed to her. Annie will be contactable on 3224 2389 or on her normal email address (anne.goeths@nrm.qld.gov.au).
Draft water plan release for Georgina and Diamantina
A draft management plan for surface water in the Georgina and Diamantina basins was released today for public comment by the Queensland Government. This is a significant step in ensuring the future sustainable allocation and management of water resources in the Georgina and Diamantina catchments.
An estimated 12 000 megalitres a year of unallocated surface water will be made available for future development in the catchments. This water can be used for appropriate irrigation, aquaculture and commercial use. It allows existing businesses to expand their operations and allows new ones to come into the catchments, provided they meet the draft plan's rules.
Significant state projects such as mines and other developments also have the opportunity to obtain unallocated water, with up to 1500 megalitres a year being made available throughout the catchments.
In addition to this new water, the near pristine condition of the riverine habitats have been recognised and management rules are proposed to maintain them.
Comments on the draft plan will be accepted until 16 December.The draft plan can be downloaded from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines web site or by telephoning the department on 4658 4900.
Departmental staff will conduct workshops on the draft plan. For workshop details, contact 4658 4900.
$100 000 lures community groups to fishing projects
Recreational fishers will be swapping their fishing rods for a pen to apply for a Recreational Fishing Community Grant.
The first round of the grants program has opened, with community groups, associations, companies, institutions and individuals urged to apply.
Fishing enthusiasts may finally reel in the big one and share in the $100 000 for local projects that improve the fishing experience.
Projects could involve improvements at boat ramps, funding for volunteer marine rescue associations, re-stocking and re-snagging rivers and waterways, wash-down facilities at boat ramps.
More than 3.6 million people in Australia go fishing at least once a year, fishing is one of the nation's favourite activities and it is also important to our economy and lifestyle. The program will provide an opportunity to increase the economic benefit associated with recreational fishing and tourism, while further protecting inland and coastal waterways through education program.
An independent panel, with a cross section of experience and expertise, will assess the applications and recommend projects that will benefit recreational fishing.
Applications close on 14 October. For copies of the application form and guidelines visit DAFF web site, email fishing grants or call on 02 6272 3848.
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Tug boat to tow the line on reef groundings
The federal government will station a tug boat in north Queensland to respond to boating accidents on the Great Barrier Reef.
The emergency service will be put up for tender as there is no tug boat service on the northern reef.
The only suitable vessels to undertake this kind of work are docked in southern Australia. A huge amount of damage could be done to the reef or other pristine parts of the north Queensland coast, while waiting for a vessel to arrive to remove a stranded vessel.
State steps in to protect Daintree
The Queensland Government has taken steps to protect the Daintree area of Douglas Shire by reintroducing a temporary plan to strictly limit development in the area.
This action was forced after the Douglas Shire Council failed to prepare a new temporary local plan over the area.
The Queensland Government had promised to protect the Daintree from wide-scale development. The Daintree needs to be properly managed and looked after for the future. The international icon is home to a very diverse variety of plants and animals including some ancient and rare species.
The temporary plan would protect the region's environment until a final planning scheme can be put in place.
Long distance travellers rest safely on Moreton Bay's shores
Each year more than 40 000 visitors arrive in Moreton Bay, hungry and exhausted after flights of up to 25 000 km.
These frequent fliers, like all long-distance travelers arriving home, crave a feed and a rest and now the Queensland Government, councils from Caloundra to the Gold Coast, the Port of Brisbane and local conservation groups have combined to make life for shorebirds a lot easier.
The Shorebird Management Strategy for Moreton Bay has identified habitat loss, disturbance, and lack of public awareness as the main threats to the local shorebird population. The bay's proximity to such a large population centre as Brisbane means that these migratory shorebirds are open to disturbance and habitat interference.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have been working with councils, the Queensland Wader Study Group and other stakeholders to better protect shorebirds and inform the local community about their special value to the region.
The strategy is the blueprint for managing shorebirds in coastal areas around the bay and outlines a range of site protection measures such as fencing of sites, seasonal closures, the installation of hides and other infrastructure to help protect shorebird populations and manage threats to their survival. A campaign of signs and public information will educate people about shorebird conservation and show how simple things, like driving boats too close or letting dogs chase flocks of birds, denies the birds the chance to rest and regain strength.
More than 40 shorebird species, including the beach-curlew, Asian dowitcher, painted snipe, South Island pied oystercatcher, Australian pratincole, Pacific golden plover, whimbrel and banded lapwing, can be found in Moreton Bay. Its shores are ideal feeding and roosting habitats for migratory shorebirds, which rest in the bay during our summer months before migrating to the northern hemisphere, and for the resident breeding shorebird population.
The Shorebird Management Strategy for Moreton Bay is available on the EPA web site.
GBRMPA celebrates 30-year milestone
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority was established in 1975 as the management agency responsible for the care and protection of the marine park.
The management efforts of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have been recognised in a special ceremony by the Australian Minister for Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell.
The Reef is heralded as one of the healthiest reef systems in the world and its future prosperity has been ensured with the Marine Park Authority's Representative Areas Program. The program was introduced last year after extensive consultation with the tourism and fishing industries, the state government and the local community.
The federal government has also implemented a structural adjustment package in recognition of the impact of the rezoning on local businesses and industry, with 33 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park now protected under the new plan.
The Whitlam Government established GBRMPA in 1975 and Malcolm Fraser and Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson continued this support by signing the historic ‘Emerald Agreement’. This agreement established co-operative day-to-day management arrangements in the marine park between the Australian and Queensland Government. This agreement continues to be in effect, to this day.
Protected areas panel provide process for picking parks
The newly established Marine Protected Areas Scientific Review Panel will provide its first formal report towards the end of this year.
The Panel has been set up to help guide the establishment of a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Commonwealth waters.
It will provide scientific advice on the extent to which the proposed network of MPAs meets the goals of the National Representative System of MPAs, particularly in relation to comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness. The Panel will undertake this assessment initially for the proposed network of MPAs in the South-east region.
The Panel met in May and again in July to prepare a guidance paper on an approach to assessing a proposed network of Marine Protected Areas. The paper is designed to provide practical guidance on how the Peer Review will interpret the "Guidelines for Establishing the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas" prepared by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC).
The Peer Review Panel will meet to finalise the paper this month and aims to have the paper available for consideration by Government, the Scientific Reference Panel, and stakeholders in October.
Reef RAP up cost $40 million
The Australian Government has paid $40 million to those impacted by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's increase of no-go zones from 4.5 per cent to 33 per cent last year for its Representative Areas Program (RAP).
The figure includes licences bought out through a tender process, full business restructure assistance pay-outs, simplified business restructure assistance payments, approvals for business advice and payments to individual employees.
The Government expects a further 300 applications for business restructuring/exiting.
Those seeking advice or assistance for RAP-related closures have until December 31 to make an application through the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority.
Join the club and get involved in Landcare
The Queensland Landcare Foundation (QLF) has recently launched a new membership program with associate membership open to individuals and groups who are passionate about sustainable land management.
Your membership will allow QLF to continue to support Landcare and community groups' work towards sustainable land management in Queensland.
Membership benefits include early notification of Landcare events, news, resources and grants; a members-only newsletter; special member mailings and events; and a lasting contribution to sustainable land management in Queensland.
Membership is $20 a year or $80 for five years. To join the QLF, call their office on 3211 4413 or email sam@landcare.com.au.
Forum to save Fitzroy's bottom breathing turtles
The Fitzroy River Turtle was made famous as the first turtle in the world found to breath underwater through its bottom.
Carl Glen, editor of the Bugle, spent two years studying these turtles under the supervision of Dr Colin Limpus from the Environmental Protection Agency. During his study, Carl had the privilege of being one of the first people to observe turtles leaving the Fitzroy river and laying their eggs in shallow nests on the sandy banks.
He also had the misfortune of seeing this same nesting area destroyed by foxes and feral pigs digging nests up and the surviving nests destroyed by cattle coming down to the river to drink.
On 21 September, Greening Australia Queensland will host a public forum on the conservation of the significant and vulnerable Fitzroy River Turtle and its habitat. Dr Colin Limpus will be a guest speaker at the forum being held at The Caves.
The forum will discuss methods of conservation including the eradication of significant invasive weeds such as salvinia and feral pests like foxes.
For further information about the forum please contact Lesley Hale on 4921 4820.
We welcome your input and feedback on this newsletter. If you have any contributions, comments or suggestions please contact Carl Glen or Paul Rees.
To view past issues of The Bugle use this link, on the regionalNRM web site.
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