The Bugle - 24 March 06
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Larry trashes FNQ NRM
- Condamine corporate partnership receives green gong
- Fighting prickly pests
- Water savings flow from efficiency project
- Get a job ... in the Mackay Whitsundays
Government updates
- Queensland Government suspends water charges
- NRM facilitators meet in Brisbane
- New protocol smooths way for target changes
- Torres Strait groundwater study given go-ahead
Natural resources news
Larry trashes FNQ NRM
Cyclone Larry didn't miss FNQ NRM's office as it cut a swathe through north Queensland.
FNQ NRM's office was badly damaged and the regional NRM group has had to relocate its equipment to other premises.
If you have any dealings with FNQ NRM, please bear with them as they struggle to get their operations back together.
Condamine corporate partnership receives green gong
A corporate social responsibility model developed in the Darling Downs has been nominated as a finalist in the Environmental Protection Agency's Sustainable Industries Awards.
Condamine Alliance developed the new partnership model to engage corporate investors in natural resource management.
Condamine Alliance Chief Executive Officer Phil McCullough said an example of the new partnership model included the partnership with Millmerran Power Partners (InterGen Australia).
"Millmerran Power Partners has invested $30,000 towards a joint program involving Millmerran Landcare, Millmerran Shire Council and Natural Resources, Mines and Water to eradicate a pest weed from Back Creek sub-catchment in Millmerran," Mr McCullough said.
Condamine Alliance was one of 24 finalists from 115 entries in the EPA's inaugural awards. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane on Monday, May 15.
The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water's Deirdre Lawrence said Condamine Alliance had received funding to develop the model from the National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality's capacity building state-level investment project, CB07.
"They've done a fantastic job with the project and have been keen to share their knowledge and the model with other regional bodies. It's one of those projects which will have longer term benefits for regional bodies as they start to build closer relationships with potential non-government investors," she said.
For more information about CB07, email Deirdre Lawrence or phone her on 3224 7677.
Fighting prickly pests
The South American pest plant, coral cactus, is consolidating its spiky foothold in western Queensland after ideal winter rain in 2005.
Coral cactus infestations pose a significant threat to inland Queensland. They are difficult to kill, spread easily, have no natural predators and could devastate native flora.
Desert Channels Queensland is sourcing and providing funds to help landholders to take a preventative approach to manage the problem.
"We currently have $60,000 earmarked for cactus eradication across the Desert Channels region," DCQ's Brett Carlsson said.
"If landholders know of any infestations, big or small, they can give me a call on 4652 7823 to discuss funding and control options."
As well as coral cactus, other species of cactus established in the region are: common prickly pear (Opuntia stricta); wheel cactus (Opuntia robusta); tree pear (Opuntia vulgaris); tiger pear (Opuntia aurantiaca); devils rope pear (Opuntia imbricate) and snake cactus (Harrisia spp).
For more information on cactus control funding or other work of Desert Channels Queensland, call 4658 0600.
Water savings flow from efficiency project
Fruit and vegetable growers in the Stanthorpe area are among those to benefit from a new Rural Water Use Efficiency project in the Queensland Border Rivers and Maranoa Balonne catchments.
The project, which is run by the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee with support from the National Landcare Program, Growcom and RWUEII, has provided $300,000 to help irrigators improve water use efficiency on-farm and reduce the effects of deep drainage.
Project coordinator Michelle Prendergast said with dwindling water supplies and increasing costs, many growers were looking for ways to make their production system more efficient and to produce more from each megalitre of water.
A total of 59 projects on 28 properties have received funding through QMDC's Rural Water Use Efficiency project, with funding covering up to 40% of individual project costs.
For more info, phone Michelle Prendergast on 4671 7900 or 0428 468 865.
Get a job ... in the Mackay Whitsundays
Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group is looking for an Aboriginal land management facilitator to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' participation in NRM planning and on-ground activities.
It's a part-time position (three days a week) until June 2007. The facilitator will work closely with the Mackay Whitsunday Traditional Owner Reference Group and the traditional owner representative on the management committee.
For more info email Nic at Ready Workforce or phone 4957 8575 but be quick, applications close 27 March.
Queensland Government suspends water charges
The State Government will immediately suspend new water management charges for farmers, industry and local government, and charges for stock and domestic use, Premier Peter Beattie announced this week.
Mr Beattie said the charges had been set at $4 per megalitre for agricultural users, $10 per megalitre for industrial users, $15 per megalitre for local authorities and $100 per annum for licensees accessing the Great Artesian Basin for stock and domestic purposes. To date no charges have been collected.
"Our farmers and representatives of the agricultural industry have raised a number of issues in relation to the new charges and their implementation," Mr Beattie said.
"Therefore we have agreed to take another look at it and suspend all charges until an updated independent analysis of water planning and management costs is completed and farmers and key stakeholders such as the Queensland Farmers' Federation, AgForce and Local Government Association of Queensland have been consulted."
NRM facilitators meet in Brisbane
The first State-wide NRM facilitators' meeting was held in Brisbane yesterday.
Attendees heard presentations from Evelyne Meier and Dave Wildermuth (NRMW, Community Partnerships), Rebecca Richardson (World Wildlife Fund for Nature), Sara Williams (Threatened Species Unit, EPA), Nigel Parrat (Queensland Conservation Council), Tony Gietzel (State Coordinator, National Landcare Program), Craig McGregor (Nature Refuge Program, EPA), Malcolm Petrie (Local Government Association of Queensland), Ross Kirkman (Queensland Farmers Federation), Brenda Walhain (Queensland Water and Land Carers), Sam Morris (Queensland Landcare Foundation), Kirsten Wilcox (Envirofund, Australian Government), Bronwyn Fisher (Queensland Dairy Farmers) and Kellie Williams (Seafood Services Australia).
Evelyne Meier said the meeting was a great success.
"The meeting was convened to allow the diverse players across the NRM sector to network, share information and create alliances with the aim to reduce duplication," she said.
"Everyone now has a better idea of each others' roles and responsibilities, and the resources that are available that can be accessed across the sector."
For more information, email Dave Wildermuth or phone him on 3224 2475.
Top
New protocol smooths way for target changes
Regional NRM groups are now able to change management action targets and resource condition targets in regional plans and investment strategies, thanks to a new protocol.
The protocol was developed at the request of the Joint Queensland-Australian Government NRM Steering Committee (JSC) and had input from regional NRM groups, Regional Coordination Groups, Queensland and Australian Government regional liaison officers and the Queensland Learning and Evaluation team.
The protocol outlines:
- examples of circumstances that lead to target review
- steps, roles and approval pathways necessary to make changes to targets
- points to be considered at the regional level to help determine the management implication of the target change
- overarching principles and assumptions regarding the target review process.
For more information about the target review protocol, email Nicole Blackett or phone her on 3224 2154.
Torres Strait groundwater study given go-ahead
The Joint Queensland-Australian Government NRM Steering Committee (JSC) has given the go-ahead for a study of sustainable groundwater extraction on a remote island in the Torres Strait.
Ugar Island, in the north east of Torres Strait, is only accessable by boat or helicopter.
The study will assess how much freshwater can be pumped from bores before saltwater intrudes into the aquifer.
It is the first technical project under the recently released Land and Sea Strategy for the Torres Strait.
For more information, email Kate Eden or phone her on 3224 8408.
Humans spur worst extinctions since dinosaurs
Humans are responsible for the worst spate of extinctions since the dinosaurs and must make unprecedented extra efforts to reach a goal of slowing losses by 2010, a UN report has said.
Habitats ranging from coral reefs to tropical rainforests face mounting threats, the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity said in the report, issued at the start of a March 20-31 UN meeting in Curitiba, Brazil.
"In effect, we are currently responsible for the sixth major extinction event in the history of earth, and the greatest since the dinosaurs disappeared, 65 million years ago," said the 92-page Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 report.
Read the Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 report
Melbourne to host 2006 Coast conference
COAST TO COAST 2006 is Australia's biennial national coastal conference. It will cover the range of coastal and marine issues being considered at national, state, regional and local levels.
The conference offers delegates the chance to:
- consider key coastal and marine issues from different perspectives
- learn about new initiatives tackling current and emerging issues
- meet and re-connect with many people with an interest in the coast and
- re-energise the batteries.
COAST TO COAST 2006 will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 22 to 25 May.
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.
Last updated 05 April 2006