The Bugle - 28 October 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
Government updates
- National evaluations underway
- The JSC visits Mackay Whitsunday
- What women want...from participating in NRM
- Fearless leaders farewelled
- Workshop gives low down on NRM governance and partnerships
Natural resources news
- Students of all sorts will benefit from new scholarships
- Defeat the Weed Menace
- Nuclear power no answer to climate crisis
Discover the Desert Uplands Committee
The Desert Uplands Build-Up and Development Strategy Committee will hold a series of 'discovery days' in November to 'meet-and-greet' the community and discuss future funding opportunities.
The Desert Uplands Committee lies over two regional bodies: the Burdekin Dry Tropics Board to the east and Desert Channels Queensland to the west. As funding begins to flow from these bodies, the Committee is concentrating on new projects and opportunities.
As a result, the Committee will hold several 'discovery days' to gain feedback and inform the community on what is going on in their local area.
The Committee will be in the south of the region on 16—17 November and in the north on 18-19 November. Locations will be announced at a later date.
For more information contact the Desert Uplands office on freecall 1800 007 807.
Marine turtle monitoring receives funding boost
Marine turtle monitoring projects at Wreck Rock and Lady Musgrave Island are among the latest activities being funded under the Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Inc (BMRG) regional investment strategy.
Project coordinators Nev McLachlan (Wreck Rock) and Jim Buck (Lady Musgrave Island) have undertaken annual turtle monitoring for more than 20 and 18 years, respectively. With numerous volunteers ready to assist, the groups will monitor nesting success rates and investigate better ways to conserve these ancient mariners.
The project runs from December 2005 to February 2006. Revegetation activities will also be carried out at the turtle nesting sites.
For further information please contact Sue Sargent, BMRG Coastal and Maine Coordinator, on 4132 8311.
National evaluations underway
National evaluations into the outcomes of regional investment strategies under the Natural Heritage Trust and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality are underway.
In May 2002, the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council agreed to the National NRM Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, to be implemented through monitoring and evaluation plans for each program.
This framework focuses on key areas of concern to management and stakeholders and is central to the management and improvement of the programs. Evaluation should provide confidence that the program is effectively, efficiently and appropriately achieving its intended results.
The following evaluations and case studies are underway:
- Biological diversity - Burnett Mary, Southern Gulf, Desert Channels, Queensland Murray Darling Committee, South West NRM and Wet Tropics
- Weeds - Wet Tropics, Northern Gulf, Desert Channels, South East Queensland NRM
- Governance - Wet Tropics, Desert Channels
- Salinity
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Coastal and marine
- Impact of the National NRM Facilitator network
- Envirofund
- National investment stream of the Natural Heritage Trust
- Bilateral agreements
Biological diversity, weeds, salinity, sustainable agriculture, national investment stream and bilateral agreements evaluations will conclude with a final report in November/December 2005. Other evaluations are on-going.
For further information on national evaluations contact Geoff Rohan, Department of the Environment and Heritage, on 02 6274 2344.
JSC visits Mackay Whitsunday
The Joint Steering Committee (JSC) visited the Mackay Whitsunday region last week for the committee's 25th meeting and second regional visit for the year.
The JSC is the joint Australian and Queensland Government committee that oversees regional NRM funding.
It wasn't all work and no play for the JSC; they also attended a dinner with members of the Mackay Whitsunday regional body, and chair and executive officer of the Regional Groups Collective.
While in Mackay, JSC members toured Peter Faust Dam to get a first hand view of the problems associated with the weed, Mimosa pigra. Since 2001, Mackay Whitsunday NRM has contributed nearly $133,000 towards the weed's eradication, and will continue to provide funding through their regional investment strategy.
Last week's meeting was also the last for Tony Pressland and Olwyn Crimp, who are both leaving the Public Service. We thank them for their untiring effort and support, and wish them well for the future.
What women want...from participating in NRM
What motivates women to participate in natural resource management?
A report undertaken by the University of Queensland and commissioned by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines provides the answer to commemorate the Centenary of Suffrage - 100 years since Queensland women gained the right to vote in state elections.
Nearly 60 women were interviewed and included landholders, primary producers, businesswomen, educators, historians, academics, artists, traditional owners, students, community leaders and scientists involved in natural resource management, mostly volunteers.
The most common motivations for participating in NRM were childhood experiences; an interest in or passion for the environment; a sense of stewardship; an appreciation for the intrinsic value of natural resources; a catalytic event as an adult; the intellectual and problem solving nature of NRM; the opportunity for social interaction and networking; a consideration for future generations and a belief they had 'something to offer'.
The report was launched in Toowoomba on Thursday 20 October and can be downloaded from the regional NRM web site.
Fearless leaders farewelled
After a combined 57 years in the public service, Olwyn Crimp and Tony Pressland (both General Managers with the Department of Natural Resources and Mines) have decided it's time for a break and will retire at the end of the month.
We thank them both for their hard work, support and leadership (and tireless efforts for the Joint Steering Committee!), and wish them the best of luck for the future.
Evelyne Meier has joined Natural Resource Management Arrangements to take over Olwyn's reins. Tony's replacement has not yet been announced - keep an eye out on future issues of The Bugle.
Workshop gives low down on NRM governance and partnerships
Two workshops presented by the Coastal Cooperative Research Centre gave participants the lastest information on governance and partnerships in regional natural resource management.
The workshops were held in Rockhampton and Brisbane last week, with around 60 people attending.
Interesting case studies included a presentation by Roy Rickson on an industry-community-government partnership in Switzerland that allowed a company to develop an important resource, while at the same time protecting a sensitive natural environment, maintaining the local community's traditional use of the area, cutting the development lead time from 10 to four years and saving the company more than $40 million.
Other presentations included community involvement in regional environmental governance, using the town planning system to promote sustainable development, using the 'adaptive management' concept to continually refine natural resource management to take into account changes in natural systems and developing social and community health indicators of changing coastal environments.
The workshops concluded with presentations on the importance of communicating science to non-technical audiences and practical tips on how to do it.
For more information, visit the Coastal CRC website or email Don Alcock.
Students of all sorts will benefit from new scholarships
The Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures (CRC IF) is offering scholarships to university students to undertake honours or post-graduate studies.
The scholarships are open to any students currently studying under one of the focus areas of the CRC IF, including social, environmental, agricultural and natural resource mangement sciences; law; economics; business; environmental, agricultural and civil engineering; equipment manfacture; or mechatronics.
Information packs for both honours and postgraduate scholarships are available from the CRC IF web site.
For further information contact Andrew Sanderson on 02 6391 3607.
Defeat the Weed Menace
The Australian Government has committed $40 million over four years, from 2004-05 to 2007-08, for national action on Australia's most threatening weeds through the Defeating the Weed Menace program.
Weeds are one of the greatest biodiversity threats in Australia. New weeds are discovered each year, mainly due to escapes from domestic gardens and the disposal of garden waste.
The program will identify and attempt to manage Australia's most threatening weeds, including on-ground control and eradication, awareness raising campaigns and research into cost-effective management techniques.
The closing date for applications for the 2005-06 round is Friday 4 November.
Guidelines and application forms are now available from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry web site.
For more information about weeds, see the Department of Natural Resources website.
Nuclear power no answer to climate crisis
There is now no serious doubt that climate change is real, it is happening now and its effects are accelerating, according to one of Australia’s most eminent scientists.
Professor Ian Lowe addressed the National Press Club last week to warn of the dangers of climate change and to caution that nuclear power was no solution to greenhouse pollution.
'To avoid dangerous further changes to our climate, we need to act now. We should make a commitment to the sensible alternatives that produce sustainable cost-effective reductions in greenhouse pollution: wind power, solar water heating, energy efficiency, gas and energy from organic matter such as sewage and waste. Nuclear power is expensive, slow and dangerous, and it won't stop climate change,' Professor Lowe said.
Professor Lowe said successive reports on the state of the environment and three reports by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on measures of progress all showed Australia was not using natural resources sustainably.
'The sensible responses to global warming are just the sorts of measures that will take us toward a clean, green, smart and sustainable future. The nuclear option would be a further decisive step in the wrong direction,' Professor Lowe said.
Professor Lowe said reducing waste was by far the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse pollution.
'Did you know that more than 10 per cent of household electricity in this country is used keeping appliances like TVs and video players on standby?' he said.
To read the full text of Professor Lowe’s important address, visit the Australian Conservation Foundation website.
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 regional NRM 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