The Bugle - 22 September 2006
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Cultural heritage on the agenda in Condamine
- Condamine biodiversity threatened
- An earless dragon? I'd like to see that!
- No future for wild dogs in the Quilpie Shire
- Conference to empower youth
- International flavour planned for celebration breakfast
- Planning our future's property managers
- New unit managing land and sea in the Torres Strait
Government updates
- Awareness grants help communities celebrate precious natural resources
- $1 million for Wet Tropics World Heritage project
- Mandatory horticulture code of conduct
Reef Plan updates
Natural resources news
Cultural heritage on the agenda in Condamine
North East Downs and Toowoomba Landcare groups have partnered to host the first in a series of workshops to help explain indigenous cultural heritage in the Condamine River catchment.
The workshop in Meringandan on 2 October will feature educator and facilitator Tom Kirk in a session to discuss ways to understand Aboriginal cultural heritage and their way of life.
The Condamine Alliance’s regional indigenous facilitator, Corie Leslie, has developed the program, largely in response to feedback from Landcare groups seeking a process to address cultural heritage issues.
"Landholders want to get to know Traditional Owners in their areas. The workshops will help to overcome the fear of the unknown that persists due to the lack of proper understanding of cultural heritage legislation. It will help to open direct lines of communication," said the Alliance’s regional Landcare coordinator, Andrew McCartney.
The program will be as follows:
- Cultural awareness training: presented by Tom Kirk.
- Cultural heritage legislation: presented by Bob Munn, cultural heritage co-coordinator, South-east Queensland region, Department of Natural Resources and Water.
- Cultural heritage manual: presented by Corie Leslie.
- Cultural heritage assessment: conducted by a Traditional Owner.
To attend, contact Rachel Topp, Toowoomba Landcare on 4637 6285, or Nikki Pilcher, North East Downs Landcare on 4691 1499.
Condamine biodiversity threatened
Three projects recently completed by the Condamine Alliance, focusing on biodiversity in the Condamine River catchment, have highlighted the need for better biodiversity management strategies
One project focused on endangered species, another on regionally significant vegetation, and another on remnant corridor connectivity.
The Alliance’s Katherine Purcell completed the projects and described the key findings as follows:
- There are 20 species in the catchment classified as endangered under the state and national legislation (12 fauna and eight flora).
- Management targets of Species Recovery Plans are not directly useful on the ground. They are generally too abstract.
- Focusing on species classified as endangered is not the most effective or efficient level of management. Management should ideally be multi-species and multi-purpose, incorporating habitat and landscape management.
The Department of Environment and Heritage map of National Biodiversity Hotspots shows that the Condamine catchment is not only in an energy corridor but is also one of 15 identified biodiversity hotspots in Australia.
For more information contact Penny Hamilton on 4620 0107.
An earless dragon? I'd like to see that!
Darling Downs residents have a rare opportunity coming up to see a 'dragon' in the wild.
A series of field survey and information mornings on the cryptic Grassland Earless Dragon is planned in October by Mt Tyson Landcare.
This 'dragon' is a lizard that appears to have adapted well to a farming environment, but little is known of its extent, ecology and habitat requirements.
The "Here There Be Dragons" Envirofund grant was obtained to help answer some of these questions and raise awareness in the community of these unique little lizards.
The field days are being held across the Darling Downs to learn from farmers, who have them on their property, take measurements and give people an opportunity to see the lizards in their natural habitat.
Dates and venues are as follows:
- Clifton: 13 October
- Bowenville: 14 October
- Macalister: 15 October
For directions and a flyer on the field days, email Don Turner from Condamine Alliance or Alison Goodland from QMDC.
No future for wild dogs in the Quilpie Shire
Effective, large scale advances in natural resource management don’t always have to be expensive.
Sometimes a small amount of investment can reap excellent rewards as is evident in a recent FUTURESCAPES project undertaken by the Quilpie Shire Council. The project, aimed at reducing wild dog populations in the region, has helped to contain the feral population on nearly six million hectares of land since its inception.
The extended drought in the region had raised additional cause for concern about the increased activity of wild dogs in the shire. Dogs were increasingly driven to invade properties, looking for food and water as supplies dried up.
The Quilpie Shire Wild Dog Advisory Committee wanted to be able to expand its coordinated baiting program in the region to combat the increased number of wild dogs. Cheaper meat needed to be sourced and stored in a way that would ensure it was available to landholders on demand.
The group applied for Round 2 FUTURESCAPES funding to purchase a 20ft cold room for the storage of bait meat that would be available to all landholders for use in between coordinated baiting campaigns. The purchase and placement of the cold room at the Quilpie Shire Council ensured that it was accessible and managed in an appropriate way.
With just a small amount of funding through the FUTURESCAPES program, the Quilpie Shire has been able to greatly expand the effectiveness of its wild dog baiting program.
For more information contact South West NRM on 4654 7382.
Conference to empower youth
More than 250 students and teachers from around Queensland will converge on Toowoomba in October for the Discovering Landcare Conference.
The theme of this year's conference will be 'Making Waves', drawing on the current debate and need for action in water management.
"With speakers such as Narelle Oliver, Frank Manthey, Ranger Tim Moore and Delphine Bentley, this second conference is promising to be even better than the first," conference organiser Renee Fletcher said.
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee will host the event as part of the culminating celebrations for students involved in their Learning Through Landcare (LTL) program.
The conference is open to students and teachers from year three to 12, and will be held on 16 and 17 October. If you would like to participate in the 2006 Discovering Landcare Conference, contact the QMDC on 4637 6201, or visit their web site.
International flavour planned for celebration breakfast
Guest speakers from Kenya, China and the Philippines will be speaking at the World Rural Women’s Day breakfast, to be held at the Mt Abundance Homestead on 15 October.
Anne Mungai, from Kenya, will be one of the speakers at the event.
"I met Anne at the Roma Saleyards and was fascinated to hear of her life in Kenya," said Pam Fisher, organiser of the event for the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC).
"Her passion about the role of women in agriculture and building stronger families was very clear," she said.
"When she began to speak of the conditions in her country I immediately realised she would make a brilliant speaker for our breakfast. There are many women in this district who will be captivated by Anne’s story and experiences," said Ms Fisher.
Details of the World Rural Women’s Day Breakfast are available from the Maranoa-Balonne Catchment Management Centre by phoning Pam Fisher on 4622 2993.
Planning our future's property managers
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee’s annual property planning field day for senior agriculture students was held near Tara recently.
The event, designed to give senior agriculture students across Southern Queensland the 'real world' experience of planning for the long-term management of a farm, was held on Daryl and Valerie Lush’s farm just West of Tara.
"The day attracted around 60 students and their teachers from Warwick, Toowoomba and St. George," said organiser Pam Fisher.
"Val and Daryl often support education programs from around the district, but this was the biggest group they’d had out to the farm at any one time."
A variety of sessions were run for the students, from the eco-services provided by vegetation corridors, to water and soil testing, to pasture management.
Ms Fisher said, "the students participating in the field day will now be asked to develop a property management plan for 'Lush Farms'.
"The plans will be assessed, with a winner to be announced and student presentations made at our Discovering Landcare Conference in October," she said.
New unit managing land and sea in the Torres Strait
Natural resource management is now a force to be reckoned with in the Torres Strait, with the establishment of the Land and Sea Management Unit.
The unit - part of the Torres Strait Regional Authority - was created in June 2006 to coordinate the delivery of regional and local level land and sea management initiatives, and to support communities to access additional financial and technical support, and information about the sustainable management of their environments.
While only a small unit of five, several major projects are being undertaken by the group, focusing on:
- dugong and turtle management
- coastal erosion
- water education
- capacity building for native title bodies
- a hydrological survey on Ugar Island
- a land and sea management program on Badu Island
- landcare programs including lantana removal on several islands and revegetation works.
Over the next two years, the unit will receive $450,000 in new money to undertake these and other significant projects.
To find out more about the Land and Sea Management Unit, visit the Land and Sea Management section on the TSRA web site.
Awareness grants help communities celebrate precious natural resources
Community groups and schools across the state will receive grants totalling $100,000 to highlight the importance of Queensland’s natural resources.
Themed Working together: Protecting, repairing, restoring the environment, the Community Awareness Grants 2007 were announced at the annual Queensland Landcare Conference in Brisbane last month.
Minister for Natural Resources and Water Kerry Shine urged community groups and schools to apply.
"This is the fourth year that the Community Awareness Grants have been offered to celebrate the importance of our natural resources and the valuable work of the volunteers who protect them.
"These grants highlight the role of a healthy and productive environment as the basis for a strong community and prosperous economy.
"They encourage local people to get involved in the many community organisations that monitor the health of our land and waterways, repair damaged landscapes, and protect our precious natural resources.
"To achieve the most impact for each project, community groups should consider working in partnership with other like-minded organisations, schools, businesses or local governments," Mr Shine said.
Community groups and schools can apply for up to $5000 and grants of up to $10,000 will be considered where projects are a genuine collaboration between two or more organisations.
Application forms and guidelines are available from the Department of Natural Resources and Water web site. Applications close 27 October 2006.
$1 million for Wet Tropics World Heritage project
More than $1 million is being provided by the Federal Government to help preserve the cultural heritage of Rainforest Aboriginal people in the Wet Tropics Queensland World Heritage Area.
The funding was announced in Cairns on Wednesday by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Greg Hunt, and Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch.
Mr Hunt said an extensive cultural heritage mapping project will be carried out by Rainforest Aboriginal people over the next two years.
"To Rainforest Aboriginal people, the country, natural features and resources of the Wet Tropics are inseparably woven into their value systems. These are central to their spirituality, culture, social organisation and customary economy including food, medicines, tools and traditions," Mr Hunt said.
"This project provides an opportunity for Traditional Owners of the Wet Tropics Rainforest region to record and preserve their rich and important culture for future generations.
"It will also provide a chance for Rainforest Aboriginal people to develop the technological skills necessary to record and manage cultural heritage information."
Mr Entsch said a key aspect of the project will see Traditional Owners interview tribal elders to gather and record information about Traditional Knowledge of places, species and use of their Traditional Country that relate to on-ground management of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.
"Ultimately this project will provide a useful tool to educate the next generation and wider community about the need to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Wet tropics region.
"The information recorded over the next two years will also play an important role in the management of natural resources in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area," Mr Entsch said.
This project is jointly managed by ARC and FNQ NRM, with project partners including Traditional Owner groups of the WTQWHA, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM and James Cook University.
Mandatory horticulture code of conduct
The Federal Government this week decided to proceed with implementation of a mandatory code of conduct for the wholesale horticulture sector.
Peter McGauran, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries, announced a mandatory code would now be introduced, following endorsement of both its coverage and content.
"The mandatory code will clarify the responsibilities and obligations of growers and wholesale traders, and improve the transparency of transactions across the fresh fruit and vegetable industry," Mr McGauran said.
"The code will provide fair, efficient and effective markets for our horticulture industry, and strengthen relationships between growers and wholesalers."
Mr McGauran also highlighted the considerable time and effort spent by growers and industry bodies to develop a code that provides transparency in transactions, addresses market failure and provides certainty for the industry.
"The mandatory code that the government will introduce was developed over 12 months due to the tireless efforts of grower representatives, notably the National Farmers' Federation, Growcom, Horticulture Australia and Ausveg, amongst others," Mr McGauran concluded.
Riparian plants are important to land managers
Protecting water quality is often associated with protecting riparian plants. But what are riparian plants?
They are the trees, shrubs and grasses growing next to small creeks and rivers, on gullies and dips which sometimes run with water, and vegetation surrounding lakes and wetlands on flood plains which run into rivers during floods.
Riparian vegetation should not be viewed as only those plants growing on a narrow strip of land along a riverbank. Gullies, dips and floodplains can be extensive. The neighbouring land use (e.g. national park, farming, forestry, housing) will influence how wide an area of vegetation is needed to protect water quality.
So, why should land managers manage riparian zones?
Stock can fall down steep riverbanks or become bogged in riparian zones resulting in injury or their death. By fencing riparian land from stock and using off-stream watering points, stock are protected. Over clearing and intensive use of riparian land results in water moving quickly, stripping off top soil and accelerating bank erosion, causing a loss of valuable agricultural land.
Healthy riparian vegetation provides habitat for insect-eating birds and insect parasites that can protect pastures and crops from damage. As well as preventing erosion, riparian plants can absorb and use nutrients which might otherwise be washed into streams, resulting in the growth of water weeds and algae within rivers and on inshore reefs within the Reef catchment.
Visit the Reef Plan website to learn more about what is being done to improve water quality.
Calls for global legislation to achieve global energy targets
A new report has found wind energy could provide up to a third of the world's electricity by the year 2030, if governments around the globe legislate to support renewable energy.
The report was prepared for the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace.
The director of Greenpeace International's Renewable Energy Campaign, Sven Teske, says Australian states like South Australia and Victoria have already taken positive steps towards mandating renewable energy targets.
Mr Teske says the state and federal governments need to do more by stopping subsidies for fossil fuels.
"It doesn't make sense to talk about targets when there is no mechanism in place to achieve those targets," he said.
"So a very important first step is an ambitious target and a second one is to put measurements in place and programs to achieve those targets, that's very crucial."
Thank you to ABC online for providing this story.
Shortage threatens biosecurity
A critical shortage of scientific skills in the identification of insects and plants could confront Australia with serious biosecurity risks - and the potential loss of export markets.
This warning comes from three of the nation's most eminent biologists involved in the control of introduced pests and weeds.
"The taxonomists and entomologists who kept Australia safe during the last 20-30 years and supported our highly successful biocontrol programs are retiring, and we simply haven't been training young ones to replace them," chief executive officer of Weeds CRC, Dr Rachel McFadyen said.
"You cannot just go out and recruit one of these specialists. They have to be familiar with Australian plant and insect species, environmental conditions and the invasive species."
Dr Jim Cullen, former chief of CSIRO Entomology, said one area likely to be affected by the skills shortage was biosecurity and quarantine.
"...The less expertise available, the greater the risk of incorrect or delayed identification and therefore of a pest, disease or weed invasion taking hold - and the greater risk of loss of markets for agricultural products through misinformation."
Dr Max Whitten, a visitor to the Weeds CRC and also a former chief of CSIRO Entomology, said Australia was now in a position where it simply didn't know what threats it was facing, because it no longer had enough skilled experts to look out for them.
Thank you to the Mackay Bush Telegraph for providing this story.
Thought for the week
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead (1901-1978)
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The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Community Partnerships, the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 22 September 2006