The Bugle - 6 October 2006
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Three Queensland groups to receive salinity funding
- Taskforce visits Condamine River rescue sites
- How many dragons are in your river?
- "Living in the Landscape" in south-east Queensland
- CYPDA holds "top" AGM
- Spreading the word on cultural heritage
Government updates
- Australian Government announces NRM investment beyond 2008
- Government responds to Corish report
- Regional groups offered social and economic "showcase"
- Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council worried about drought
Reef Plan updates
- Primary Industries and Fisheries supports Reef Plan
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act review release
Queensland Wetlands Programme updates
Natural resources news
Three Queensland groups to receive salinity funding
Three Queensland regional NRM groups will be part of a $4.6 million project to improve understanding and management of salinity in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The two-year project will fund catchment management organisations to identify and undertake stream sampling in areas at risk from salinity.
The project, funded under the National Action Plan for Sallinity and Water Quality, is to be managed by the Bureau of Rural Sciences.
Queensland groups to receive funding are the Queensland Murray Darling Committee in partnership with Condamine Alliance (including Maranoa-Balonne) and the South West NRM Group.
The information will be used by the catchment management organisations to plan and target salinity and water management programs within their catchments and across the Murray-Darling Basin.
This story was sourced from Land and Water News.
Taskforce visits Condamine River rescue sites
A river rescue program about to be launched by the Condamine Alliance "is an exciting concept that promotes the benefits of integrated rehabilitation of our rivers with the involvement of all levels of the community", according to a community taskforce advising the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.
The Murray-Darling Basin Native Fish Strategy Community Stakeholder Taskforce met in Toowoomba recently to review MDBC activities and projects.
"The taskforce will be watching the (Condamine) program with interest and sees potential for successful initiatives such as this to be applied to other areas of the Murray Darling Basin," taskforce chair Adrian Wells said.
Taskforce representatives from Canberra, Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Queensland inspected Bowenville Reserve, as well as potential sites along Myall Creek in Dalby.
The Condamine River Rescue program includes stakeholder engagement and community participation in rehabilitation that will begin at the source of the Condamine River, in the uplands near Warwick, to the end of the catchment – a distance of more than 500 km.
The program will follow guidelines provided by the MDBC Native Fish Strategy to build a "demonstration reach" – a reach of river that has been rehabilitated – and will address water quality, riparian vegetation, habitat restoration, fish passage and pest fish control.
Best practice will be showcased at demonstration sites, including Archers Crossing and Bowenville Reserve. Works at both sites have been funded by the Australian Government Recreational Fishing Community Grants and supported by local councils, Landcare and fish stocking groups.
For more info, phone Fran Holt at Condamine Alliance on 4620 0117.
How many dragons are in your river?
River health surveyors have been scouring the rivers and streams right across the Maranoa-Balonne and Border Rivers catchments to find the answer to this question.
The intensive river health survey was part of a Queensland Murray-Darling Committee project to assess rivers and streams in the region.
QMDC Water Projects Officer Paul Webb said, "Even in dry conditions, studies of permanent waterholes will provide valuable information about ecosystem health."
"This will help us understand and plan the best ways to maintain or improve the health of our rivers.
"We assessed riparian vegetation and took water quality and macro-invertebrate samples, including mosquito, midge and dragonfly larvae.
"Macro-invertebrates, like dragonflies, can be quite sensitive to changes in the river and some can only survive in healthy rivers. By studying which bugs are where, we can get an idea of how healthy the rivers are."
Thirty-five QMDC staff and community volunteers studied 100 sites across the two catchments over the course of three weeks. A report on the survey will be available in early 2007.
For more info, phone Paul Webb or Gavin Prentice, Regional Coordinator Riverine and Wetlands, on 4637 6270
"Living in the Landscape" in south-east Queensland
In among south-east Queensland's busy urban development, Landcare and agriculture still hold an important place. To help new-comers and old-stayers alike learn more about where they live, Maroochy Landcare, with support from SEQ Catchments and Maroochy Shire Council, hosted the "Living in the Landscape" Expo on the Sunshine Coast recently.
The carnival-style event showcased the area's cultural and natural heritage and highlighted issues facing this once-rural area that is now being inundated with development. The expo had everything from pest control to permaculture, farm safety to fine arts, and grazing management to giant slippery slides.
The zone beyond the urban areas that is in transition from agriculture has recently been the subject of much research and discussion. The main feature of this peri-urban zone is the wide range of people who live there for a multitude of reasons.
This fascinating and fun-filled day offered the opportunity for locals to find answers to many of their questions about where they live and the interaction between people and the landscapes in which they live. There was a vibrant array of speakers and stalls to share practical information about horse and grazing land management, farm safety, fire management, permaculture, water and pest issues, property management planning, farm forestry and much more.
Ranger Tim Moore from Totally Wild talked about sustainable living and played fun and educative games like "Kangaroo Squash". Gubbi Gubbi Dance and Dr Eve Fesl welcomed all to country and traditional owners shared stories from their heritage. Maroochy Mayor, Cr Joe Natoli, officially launched the expo.
The Living in the Landscape Expo was an entertaining day out for all ages and is hoped to become an annual event.
For more info, visit the Living in the Landscape expo web site.
CYPDA holds "top" AGM
More than 30 Cape York stakeholders and invited guests travelled hundreds of kilometres to attend the Cape York Peninsula Development Association annual general meeting at Weipa in September.
Representatives of the cattle and tourism industries, economic development and community organisations, Weipa Chamber of Commerce, Department of Natural Resources and Water (including Dr Evelyne Meier) and Warren Entsch, Federal Member for Leichhardt, attended the meeting.
Contracts were signed for the future delivery of the Cape York feral animal, weed and fire management projects under the Natural Heritage Trust and NRW.
Special thanks was offered to Warren Entsch for his contribution to securing federal funding in the wake of cyclones Monica and Larry, both of which devastated business, infrastructure, landscapes and habitats on Cape York Peninsula.
CYPDA President Joy Marriott painted a bright and stable future picture for CYPDA, while acknowledging the contribution of state and federal agencies.
As an outcome of the funding agreements, CYPDA has expanded to meet the growing needs of Cape York residents and businesses, with the appointment of new staff in the three key roles of Natural Resources Management Coordinator - Brian Benham, Office Manager - Trish Butler and Communications Manager - MaryBeth Gundrum.
"With the additional staff, we hope to work even more closely with the community to reflect their future visions for Cape York and deliver much needed services and infrastructure to Cape York Peninsula," Ms Marriott said.
The next CYPDA general meeting will be in Cooktown in early December.
Spreading the word on cultural heritage
North East Downs and Toowoomba Landcare groups hosted a successful cultural heritage awareness workshop for landholders, traditional owners, council officers, government departments and environmental groups in Meringandan this week.
Participants were reminded that landholders taking part in Landcare projects within the Condamine catchment will be required to do a cultural heritage assessment in relation to prescribed activities. This involves an inspection on their property by a traditional owner, in consultation with the Condamine Alliance Indigenous facilitator and their local Landcare coordinator.
The workshop was designed to increase awareness of cultural heritage and these property inspections, legislated in the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003.
Learning more about the Aboriginal way of life and traditional beliefs was the focus of the morning session of the workshop, led by Indigenous culture educator and facilitator Tom Kirk. It was an interactive session that participants found extremely informative and interesting.
Cultural heritage laws and the duty of care that landholders have for sites of cultural significance were discussed by Bob Munn of the Department of Natural Resources and Water.
The afternoon session was based at the Gummingurru sacred site at Gowrie Junction. Corie Leslie, Indigenous facilitator at the Alliance, gave an overview of the Alliance's cultural heritage manual to explain the process used to assess a property.
Traditional owners Brian Tobane of the Jarowair people and Thomas Daniels of Gambuwal people then led a walk through Gummingurru, discussing the rock formations and the things they look for during a property assessment.
For more info, phone Rachel Topp, Toowoomba Landcare Group, 4637 6285; Nikki Pilcher, North East Downs Landcare Group, 4691 1499; or Corie Leslie, Condamine Alliance, 4620 0119.
Australian Government announces NRM investment beyond 2008
The Australian Government has announced it will continue its support beyond 2008 for the largest environmental rescue effort since Federation.
New programs based on good science will build on the success of the $3 billion Natural Heritage Trust and the $1.4 billion National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
"We are taking a comprehensive, continent-wide approach to managing our natural resources, and have already achieved some amazing results," Senator Campbell said.
"Australian Government funding has already helped to protect over 8 million hectares of wetlands, treat 400,000 hectares of land for salinity and erosion, and help some 800,000 volunteers get involved in on-ground work.
"We want to keep this momentum going, so we've been talking to communities, industries and our state and territory government partners and hearing their views about how best we can keep this vital work going.
"The responses we've had have been consistent across the country. Australians value the support that the Australian Government has provided to protect our land, water and coasts and they want us to continue to provide that support."
The Keogh Review was undertaken by Kim Keogh, Bob Frazer and Doug Chant, chosen for their links to the community and experience across a range of environmental and agricultural issues to inform the Australian Government on the design of future NRM programs.
"One thing that came across loud and clear was the overwhelming support for the partnership between governments, rural communities and the Landcare movement," Mr McGauran said.
The review also highlighted that significant investments have been made to build the necessary links between communities, industry and government for the successful delivery of natural resource programs.
Vist the Australian Government's natural resource management programs web site
Government responds to Corish report
The Australian Government has confirmed its ongoing support for policies and programs to boost the competitiveness, sustainability and profitability of agriculture, food, fisheries and forestry into the future.
Announcing the Government response to the report, Creating our future: agriculture and food policy for the next generation (the Corish Report), Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said that the report was a comprehensive assessment of the Government’s priorities for Australia’s rural and food industries.
As part of the response to the Corish Report, Mr McGauran made several announcements today, and signalled that the Government response would form the basis of a landmark agriculture and food policy statement (‘the 2007 Agriculture Statement’) to be released early next year.
“The 2007 Agriculture Statement will cover themes including self-reliance, productivity and industry growth; competitiveness through trade, quarantine, biotechnology and reducing business costs; and sustainability and natural resource management,” Mr McGauran said.
Read the Minister's media statement
Regional groups offered social and economic "showcase"
Help is on the way for regional NRM groups that want to know more about social and economic impact assessment.
The Department of Natural Resources and Water has commissioned a one-day training course for regional NRM groups on social and economic impact assessment. This course was developed by a team including Susanne Cooper (SKM), Mary Maher (Mary Maher & Associates) and Romy Greiner (River Consulting).
The course is designed around four social and economic impact assessment tools and is interactive and practical. The aim of the course is to combine good processes with examples, case studies and practical exercises to demonstrate how the tools could be applied to your region.
Two-hour "showcases" of the course are planned to be held at regional NRM group premises during October, with a member of the design team presenting part of the course. This is meant to stimulate interest in and awareness of the training course and to demonstrate its relevance to the work of regional NRM groups. It is not a substitute for the full course.
If you would like the team to present a showcase for your group, or if you would like more info, phone John Mackenzie on 3224 7741.
Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council worried about drought
The Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council met in Sydney last week.
The council expressed serious concern about the increasingly severe drought and its likely effects on individuals, communities, irrigators and the environmental health of the Murray-Darling Basin.
All Ministers agreed to work cooperatively in the spirit of the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement 1992 to minimise the impact of the current low water resource availability on all the users of the system's water resources.
Primary Industries and Fisheries supports Reef Plan
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is the lead agency in a number of initiatives to improve farming and grazing practices to protect the Great Barrier Reef's coral and fisheries ecosystem.
The department is working with wet tropics and dry tropics landholders in Reef catchments to improve the quality of water entering the Reef lagoon. The initiatives include a wetlands module for the grazing land management education package, development of a portable trailer with CSIRO for sampling irrigation water quality, and the Profitable Farms/Healthy Catchments project for innovation in the horticulture, sugar and beef industries.
The DPIF-led projects are part of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and the Queensland Wetlands Programme, joint initiatives of the Queensland and Australian Governments to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Profitable Farms/Healthy Catchments project is funded by the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
Find out more about the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and the Queensland Wetlands Programme.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act review released
The Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, has released the review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act.
The review panel considered 227 submissions and held 36 consultations.
Senator Ian Campbell said the government supported the review's recommendations, which included:
- There will be no alterations to the current zoning plan for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park for a minimum of seven years.
- The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will continue to be based in Townsville and work closely with local communities and businesses.
- The Great Barrier Reef Consultative Committee will be reconstituted as an advisory board reporting directly to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage.
- an outlook report will be published every five years, documenting the overall condition of the Marine Park, effectiveness of management and the risks and pressures on the ecosystem. The report will be subject to peer review by an expert panel appointed by the Minister.
Read the Senator's media statement
Wetland vision showcased at Suzuki event
The Queensland Wetlands Programme took the opportunity to demonstrate how it's fostering sustainable wetlands management in Townsville on Tuesday this week.
The program showcased its wetland management profiles and interactive wetland tool at the David Suzuki Speaks event at the Townsville Entertainment Centre.
More than 2000 people attended the free event, which involved environmentalist David Suzuki outlining his vision for a sustainable Townsville.
The Queensland Wetlands Programme's aim is to support projects and programs that will result in long-term benefits to the sustainable use, management, conservation and protection of Queensland's wetlands.
It's achieving this aim by rolling out information and tools that will help wetland managers in the decision-making and implementation of management actions.
For more information on the program and its tools, please contact Angela Pattie or visit the QWP web site.
Register now for Science Day
A one-day conference will be held on 29 November to celebrate the scientific achievements of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality State-level Investment Projects (SIPs). Presentations will cover science relating to each of the SIP themes:
- water quality
- salinity
- sustainable agricultural production
- NRM capacity building
- social and economic aspects of NRM
Where: Riverglenn Conference Centre, 70 Kate Street, Indooroopilly
When: 29 November
Cost: FREE (including catering).
Online registration is required for entry and must be submitted by 20 November.
To register or obtain further information, including program details, visit the Water Quality Online web site or email Ralph Dowling.
Ozone layer hole reaches record size
The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has beaten the record size logged six years ago, according to the United Nations' weather agency, the ABC has reported.
The World Meteorological Organisation said data from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) showed the hole in the atmospheric layer that guards the world against dangerous ultraviolet light had grown to 29.5 million square kilometres.
Thought for the week
Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverance for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.
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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 05 October 2006