The Bugle - 14 October 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
- FUTURESCAPES Round 2 opens
- Landcare groups learn a thing or two about property mapping
- Black Mountain Range on the mend
- Hard work of some to benefit many
Government updates
- Totally wild: New laws to preserve wild rivers
- Time running out for Community Activity Grants
- Extreme makeover: NR&M web site gets a facelift
Natural resources news
- Improved partnerships needed to save CQ environment
- New books propose A Big Fix for Australia's environment
- Have you seen this bird?
- Chance to get down and fungi in November
- Greening Australia celebrates with art and jazz
FUTURESCAPES Round 2 opens
Community groups have until Monday 5 December to apply for funding in Round 2 of South West NRM's FUTURESCAPES on-ground works program.
Round 2 targets projects that improve management of areas of nature conservation value; improve riverine, wetland and floodplain management; control weeds and feral animals; and rehabilitate degraded land for environmental purposes.
For more information or an application pack, call the South West NRM Office on 4654 7382, the Bulloo/Paroo Community Support Coordinator (Quilpie) on 4656 2923 or the Warrego/Nebine Community Support Coordinator (Cunnamulla) on 4655 2999.
Landcare groups learn a thing or two about property mapping
Members of the Balfes Creek and Lower Cape Landcare Groups were recently provided with free GIS training during a workshop held by the Desert Uplands Committee in Charters Towers.
The GIS training was provided by FarmKeeper, a relatively new product on the market making property mapping fast and easy. All participants brought their own computers and GIS units, and learnt how to apply GIS and GPS technology to their grazing enterprises.
Desert Uplands Landcare Coordinator Alanna Wright said FarmKeeper provided an easy way to map things like watering points and fence lines, as well as keeping basic records for cattle and paddock movements.
To find out more about the FarmKeeper program contact the Desert Uplands office on 1800 007 807.
Black Mountain Range on the mend
An exciting proposal was put forward recently by Noosa and District Landcare Group (NDLG) in the first round of Burnett Mary Regional Group for NRM's (BMRG) implementation funding.
The proposal aims to improve biodiversity by protecting and restoring vegetation in the Cooroy, Blackfellow, and Happy Jack Creek sub-catchments, all of which are linked by the Black Mountain Range.
Noosa Landcare's proposal also fits clearly within the aims of BMRG's Country to Coast NRM plan by working to improve water quality, manage land-based weeds and improve both terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity in our region.
For more information about the project, contact the Project Officer, John Bolzenius (NDLG), on 5485 2468 or the Biodiversity team leader, Josie Kelman (BMRG), on 5483 7718.
Hard work of some to benefit many
Regional bodies will soon benefit from results of a pilot project completed by the SE02 project team with the Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA).
The Central Queensland Regional Information System was developed for the FBA, and includes a kit of documents that other regional bodies can adapt to suit their own requirements, such as project and communication planning, technical specifications, and training guides.
By developing their own information systems, regional bodies will be able to share important socio-economic and geographic information with their communities in a 'one-stop-shop'.
For more information contact Tim Draper on 4938 4657 or David Kraatz on 4938 4469. Alternatively, visit the CQRIS web site.
Totally wild: New laws to preserve wild rivers
Queensland’s wild rivers will be protected by legislation passed in State Parliament late last month.
Wild rivers are those that have all, or almost all, of their natural values intact—the Wild Rivers Act 2005 seeks to preserve those natural values forever.
The legislation does not automatically declare wild rivers but rather details how rivers can be nominated for consideration. Nominated rivers will be assessed to see what level of natural assets the river and catchment have retained. There will be extensive community consultation before any river receives wild river status.
Most of the waterways with wild-river potential are in Cape York, where entire catchments remain largely unharmed by human activity.
Existing activities of communities living in nominated areas would not be effected by the Act. Limited new commercial, industrial, agricultural and urban development may be permitted in certain areas.
Experience has shown that it’s easy, quick and cheap to damage rivers but hard, slow and expensive to return them to a sustainable state. Not only is it cheaper to preserve values than restore lost values, wild rivers also provide recreational, cultural heritage and scientific benefits.
For more information visit the NR&M web site
Time running out for Community Activity Grants
Applications for the 2006 round of Community Natural Resource Awareness Activity Grants close Friday 28 October 2005.
Grants of up to $2500 are available to Landcare, Bushcare, Coastcare, Waterwatch and other community NRM groups to develop small, innovative and creative projects that aim to strengthen the community's awareness and involvement in sustainable NRM.
The theme for the 2006 grants is Queenslanders, naturally resourceful. Successful projects will occur in or around Queensland Resources Week, in May 2006.
For further information on how to apply, download the guidelines and application form from the NR&M web site, or contact the Capacity Support Officer on 3239 3860.
Extreme makeover: NR&M web site gets a face lift
After a major review of its navigation, structure and content, the new-look Department of Natural Resources and Mines web site was unveiled last week.
The site is now easier to use with improved navigation and content arranged in major topic areas e.g. land management and weeds and pest animals management.
Visitors will also appreciate the new search function that returns featured pages on commonly used search terms.
Workshop explores how to save CQ environment
Social scientists are promoting better ways for natural resource managers and community groups to work together to conserve and manage central Queensland’s natural environment.
During a free two-day workshop in Rockhampton next week, a multi-agency team will present new research findings and tools developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management (Coastal CRC).
Research results during the Collaborative Regional Natural Resource Management workshop will be made available to local governments, state agencies and community organisations.
Organiser Dr James Whelan of Griffith University said the workshop would help participants to improve organisational relationships to develop, monitor and evaluate the quality of environmental planning throughout the region.
Dr Peter Oliver, a senior scientist at the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, will outline a range of barriers and bridges for environment governance to help local groups build better relationships and administer funds to manage rivers, coastlines, biodiversity and vegetation in Queensland.
Dr Stewart Lockie, a social scientist at Central Queensland University, will outline how social indicators can be used as a measure of community well-being along with conventional "state of environment" reporting. The social health indicators will be used in guidelines for reporting triple bottom line and sustainability reporting by government, industry and regional NRM groups in central Queensland.
Fitzroy Basin Association communication and education officer Sharon Marks will present innovative ways to communicate science for natural resource management, including an evaluation of the "Healthy Waterways" campaign in central Queensland.
To register, contact Karrina Nolan on 0403 920 195 or visit the Coastal CRC web site.
New books propose A Big Fix for Australia's environment
“If civilisation is to survive, this century will have to be a time of dramatic transformation, not just in technological capacity but also in our approach to the natural world – and each other. The road we are travelling now can only end in disaster.” This is the message of the latest book by the pre-eminent Australian scientist and environmentalist, Ian Lowe.
In A Big Fix: Radical Solutions for Australia's Environmental Crisis, Professor Lowe advocates a fundamental change to our values and social institutions and offers a vision of a healthier society – one that is humane, takes an eco-centric approach, adopts long-term thinking, uses our natural resources responsibly and is informed about the fragility of our natural systems.
In a related theme, in Affluenza, Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss diagnose a disease that is wrecking personal happiness and the environment. Affluenza infects people in affluent countries. The symptoms are overworked, stressed and unhappy people, conspicuous consumption, massive waste and a degraded environment. The authors ask why, when Australians are richer than they’ve ever been, are we working longer hours than any western country and why has the rate of depression risen 10 fold since the second world war?
These books are the latest in a series that warn that dire consequences will follow if we do not change the way we manage our natural resources. Others in the series include the acclaimed Collapse – How societies choose to fail or succeed by Jared Diamond.
Ian Lowe and Clive Hamilton were guests at the recent Brisbane Writers’ Festival.
Have you seen this bird?
Pastoralists throughout northern and central rangelands can help track one of Australia's most fascinating nomadic birds by taking part in a survey soon to arrive in the mail.
During November and December, a survey will be mailed to pastoralists throughout northern and central Australia, seeking information on if and when flock bronzewing pigeons have been seen on their property.
Peter Dostine from the Australian National University said the aim of the survey was to find out where these birds are still common and why.
“The fact that they are nomadic and readily move to new areas makes them very difficult to study”, Mr Dostine said.
Mr Dostine hopes that a group of landholders will continue to help with the project after the survey.
“Landholders who can provide me with regular reports about flock pigeons will be an invaluable part of the project, because they can supply information which cannot be easily collected in any other way.”
The information gathered from the survey will be summarised and presented on the Bird Survey page of the Tropical Savannas CRC web site. The survey form can also be completed online from this web site.
To learn more about the project or complete the survey online visit the Tropical Savannas web site.
Peter Dostine can be contacted by telephone on (08) 89 448 475 or by mail at PO Box 496, Palmerston, NT 0831.
Chance to get down and fungi in November
Fungi hunters, experts and enthusiasts will gather in Brisbane on Saturday 5 November (yes, that date's correct) for the chance to talk everything fungi.
The Fungi Conference, organised by the Cubberla Witton Catchment Network (CWCN), is a one-day event featuring a group of nationally and internationally recognised speakers from across Australia.
Mycologists estimate there are around 25,000 species of macrofungi in Australia but only 8000—10,000 have been described and very few have been studied in detail.
Registration costs are $50 and early-bird registrations of $45 close on Saturday 15 October. Bookings are essential.
For registration forms visit the CWCN web site or for more information contact 3878 6571or 0407 769 569.
Greening Australia celebrates with art and jazz
Greening Australia Queensland would like to invite interested persons to attend their annual celebration evening on Friday 4 November at the Greening Australia Centre, Norman Park, Brisbane.
Cr David Hinchcliffe will officially open the Art and Jazz in the Courtyard event, a cultural evening featuring jazz music, poetry and an art exhibition by local artist Madonna Barraclough. A percentage of the proceeds of all artwork sold will be donated to Greening Australia.
The event will kick off Greening Australia's "open week" (beginning 5 November); a chance for partners, colleagues, supporters and interested bystanders to "look...hear...& experience" Greening Australia and their work with the community.
Tickets are $33 per person and RSVPs are due by Friday 28 October.
For more information visit the Greening Australia web site
We welcome your input and feedback on this newsletter. If you have any contributions, comments or suggestions please contact Shona Strachan or Paul Rees.
To view past issues of The Bugle visit the regionalNRM web site.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Natural Resource Management Arrangements, Natural Resources and Mines, highlighting regional natural resource management activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 April 2006