The Bugle - 27 October 2006
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Celebrating the art of NRM
- Priority pests under pressure
- South west succeeds in latest funding round
- Volunteers administer first aid to region's river
- Biodiversity incentives report released
Government updates
Natural resources news
- Read the latest about the Blueprint for the Bush
- Prioritising species for conservation is Back on Track
- Drought hits one third of rural jobs in Qld
- Historic film showcases soil conservation triumphs
- Study in a tropical paradise, and get paid for it!
- Antarctic ozone hole biggest on record: report
- Landcare group blasts back into cyberspace
Celebrating the art of NRM
FNQ NRM invites the community to a natural resource management celebration and art exhibition on Saturday, 18 November at Cairns City Council chambers on Spence Street.
The NRM Puzzle – bringing the pieces together display features artwork from individuals and groups from across our region.
The exhibition opens at 4.30pm and is followed by FNQ NRM's annual general meeting.
For more info, phone 4043 8000 or visit FNQ NRM's web site.
Priority pests under pressure
South West NRM is putting the pressure on pest animals and weeds through a project that will identify and prioritise exotic species throughout south west Queensland.
The project, which Geodorum Consulting will undertake, will assess the distribution and impact of weeds and pests in the region and develop a prioritisation process for their control. Current recommended practices for the control of the identified priority weeds and pests will be assessed.
"Infestations of weeds and pests have a significant impact on the social, economic and environmental components of a community," South West NRM's, Linda Durham said.
"This project will enable South West NRM Ltd to assist landholders, community members and local governments to better coordinate and target control and eradication campaigns by providing them with up-to-date, catchment-specific data.
"A number of significant benefits for the region will be achieved on completion of this project. South West NRM Ltd will use the information to set catchment-based resource condition targets, develop current recommended practices where gaps exist and also to target investment for high priority on-ground management activities.
"This research project, coupled with other potential on-ground projects that South West NRM Ltd is working on in partnership with shire councils throughout south west Queensland, will definitely put the pressure on pests. Weeds and pests – watch out!"
For more info, contact Linda Durham on 4654 7382.
South west succeeds in latest funding round
South west Qeensland has done well out of the latest round of Envirofund grants.
Thirteen projects have been approved and one project is on a reserve list pending funding availability, according to South West NRM’s Keith Walker.
The average project funded in south west Queensland was worth more than $27,000; with the total funding for south west Queensland in Round 8 exceeding $350,000.
The south west has received almost $2 million since the Envirofund’s inception.
The successful applicants can be viewed on the Envirofund web site.
For more info, phone Keith Walker on 4654 7382 or 0418 468 859.
Volunteers administer first aid to region's river
A series of workshops to help community members understand and protect local waterways are being held across the Mackay-Whitsunday region.
Saskia Von Fahland from Sarina Landcare and Catchment Management Association said the Healthy Waterways program was a collaboration between the community and local, regional and state natural resource management groups that aimed to prevent land-sourced water pollutants damaging the inner reef and seagrass areas of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Further workshops are planned for the Pioneer Catchment and Landcare Group on 17 November and the Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Group on 8 December. For details on times and venues, potential volunteers should contact the coordinators, Jane Eales on 4968 4561 and Christine Peterson on 4945 0267.
For more info about Healthy Waterways in the Macak-Whitsunday region, contact:
- Saskia von Fahland, Sarina Landcare and Catchment Management Association, on 4956 1388
- Natalie Fries, Healthy Waterways Project Officer, Natural Resources and Water, on 4967 0873
- Carl Mitchell, Mackay Whitsunday NRM, 4944 7830.
Biodiversity incentives report released
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM has released a report on biodiversity incentives in the Bowen, Broken and Bogie River catchments.
These catchments contain 11 highly significant areas of remnant vegetation within the northern Brigalow belt, as well as several wetland areas that meet the criteria for wetlands of national significance. These areas are not formally protected and maintenance of their ecological integrity relies on on-farm conservation.
Grazing enterprises in the region are under pressure to intensify production, which poses a major threat to biodiversity conservation. Farm debt has been identified as a key driver of intensification.
As part of this $192,500 project, Burdekin Dry Tropics and River Consulting worked with landholders in the Bowen, Broken and Bogie River catchments to develop incentives focused on conserving biodiversity. The landholders in these sub-catchments stood out from other regions within the Burdekin Dry Tropics as being interested in incentives and open to novel approaches, including debt-for-conservation-swaps.
The project was undertaken under the National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality's Social and Economic State-level Investment Program (SE05).
For more info, phone Deb Cavanagh on 4724 3544 or 0427 245 001.
Forum charts course for future NRM incentives
A recent forum has charted the next steps in using market-based incentives to encourage wise management of natural resources.
Seventy-seven representatives of regional NRM groups, research institutions, industry groups and government departments from across Australia came together at the Designer Carrots Symposium in Brisbane.
Participants shared the lessons from seven trials of market-based incentives regional NRM groups undertook through the National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality's Social and Economic (SEO5) project.
They also heard the latest on market-based instrument design and implentation from experts including John Rolfe, Stuart Whitten, Mark Eigenraam and Mark Morrison through the AgSIP 13 project.
The projects undertaken by Queensland's NRM groups were considered to be the cutting edge for cost-effective incentive design and included conservation tenders, stewardship payments, debt-for-conservation swaps and community-based social marketing.
For more info on market-based incentives, visit the incentives database or phone John Mackenzie on 3224 7741.
Visit the incentives innovations web page.
Download the participants' handbook
Find out more about the Designer Carrots Symposium
Register 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 scientific outcomes relating to each of the SIP themes:
- Water Quality
- Salinity
- Sustainable agricultural production
- NRM capacity building
- Social & economic aspects of NRM.
Where: Riverglenn Conference Centre, 70 Kate Street, Indooroopilly
When: 29 November
Cost: FREE (including catering) but online registration is required for entry and must be submitted by 20 November
To register or obtain more information, visit Science Day web site or e-mail Ralph Dowling.
Read the latest about the Blueprint for the Bush
The Minister for Communities, Disability Services, Seniors and Youth, Warren Pitt, launched the first edition of Bush e-Telegraph at the western ministerial community forum in Longreach on 21–22 October.
Bush e-Telegraph aims to keep rural Queenslanders informed of the progress of the Blueprint for the Bush implementation. It also features stories of rural people and communities and highlights their achievements.
Read the first edition of Bush e-Telegraph
Visit the Blueprint for the Bush web site
Prioritising species for conservation is Back on Track
The roll out of the Back on Track species prioritisation framework has been gaining momentum.
Back on Track is designed to prioritise species, regardless of their current classification under state and Commonwealth legislation, to better reflect the level of management required to conserve Queensland's native wildlife.
Species are assessed against multiple criteria to identify those species that are in need of conservation and which have a greater chance of recovery. This information is used as a base from which to identify the common threats and actions where investments will give the greatest conservation benefit – thereby encouraging a multi-species/ecosystem approach to conservation.
The first step has been to undertake technical assessments to identify priority species. Since October 2005, about 2600 species covering the freshwater fish, marine and terrestrial mammals, birds, reptiles, sharks and rays, grasses, orchids, Cape York plants, palms, sedges and some rainforest plants have been assessed. By December 2006 another 1000 plant species will be assessed.
In July, a cross-regional workshop was held to encourage the exchange of biodiversity conservation information across regions. During the workshop, participants from 12 NRM regions had the opportunity to exchange ideas and develop cross regional conservation projects to focus funding.
To learn more about Back on Track, contact the EPA's Sara Williams.
Drought hits one third of rural jobs in Qld
Around a third of jobs in the agriculture sector have disappeared in the current drought, reflecting the economic pressure building on rural communities in the state, according to the Queensland Farmers' Federation.
QFF chief executive John Cherry said a comparison of rainfall and employment data for Queensland showed that the rural sector created 27,000 jobs between 1994 and 2000 with good rainfall, but that 39,000 jobs had disappeared with declining rainfall since then.
"One in three jobs in rural industries have dried up along with the rains, reflecting the close relationship between rainfall and employment in the rural sector," he said.
"Drought affects not just farmers, but their workers and their families and their communities.
"QFF supports recognition of that community hardship with the extension of targeted financial support to local businesses suffering as a result of drought.
"Drought is hitting many industries hard, particularly the cotton, dairy, beef, and horticulture industries, with cane farms in the Mackay region also affected.
"While the northern half of the State has had too much rain – slicing around $200 million off the value of the cane harvest – the southern half of the State is rain-deprived."
Historic film showcases soil conservation triumphs
The Darling Downs will host a series of remembrance evenings to mark the 50th anniversary of a film aimed at promoting soil conservation.
Natural Resources and Water Minister Kerry Shine said the film highlighted the long battle against soil erosion and the success that has been achieved conserving soils.
The film, Soil is your Future, was made in 1956 by the then Department of Agriculture and Stock in conjunction with the Toowoomba Rotary Club.
Queensland Secretary of the Australian Society of Soil Science Bruce Carey, who is also a senior officer at the Department of Natural Resources and Water, will present the film evenings.
"The evenings will also feature historical photographs and the significant gains made in the control of soil erosion in the area since the 1950s," Mr Carey said.
"The film was made at a time when erosion had led to the abandonment of 16,000 hectares of cultivated land, leaving almost every paddock on the Darling Downs under threat.
"While significant progress had been made in controlling soil erosion, we must remain vigilant as droughts can sometimes allow people to become complacent about the problem."
The remembrance evenings start at 7pm with a barbecue provided by the local Landcare groups and the Queensland Branch of the Australian Society of Soil Science.
Millmerran: Tuesday, 24 October – Anzac Room, Cultural Centre
Pittsworth: Wednesday, 25 October – Senior Citizens Rooms
Jandowae: Monday, 30 October – Accommodation Park (Caravan Park)
Jondaryan: Tuesday, 31 October – Jondaryan Woolshed
Toowoomba: Wednesday, 1 November – Highfields Tavern
Freestone: Wednesday, 8 November - Freestone Hall
For more info, contact Bruce Carey on 3896 9390.
Visit the Australian Society of Soil Science's web site
Study in a tropical paradise, and get paid for it!
Applications are open for a PhD scholarship as part of the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility project, Understanding and enhancing social resilience:science and management integration, at James Cook University
Applicants for this fully funded position would use participatory processes to work with individuals and community groups to develop indicators of social resilience to changes in water quality at the community scale.
A salary of $20 000 a year for a full-time PhD student for three years is available. The successful student will be based at JCU in Townsville or Cairns.
Applications forms are available on the JCU web site. For more info, phone Margaret Gooch on 4781 4946.
Antarctic ozone hole biggest on record: report
This year's ozone hole over Antarctica is bigger and deeper than any other on record, according to an ABC report.
The ozone layer shields Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, and the layer thins out over the South Pole each year, primarily because human-made compounds release ozone-eating chlorine and bromine gases into the stratosphere.
"From September 21 to 30, the average area of the ozone hole was the largest ever observed, at 10.6 million square miles (27.4 square kilometres)," said Paul Newman, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre outside Washington.
Landcare group blasts back into cyberspace
The Wowan Dululu Landcare group's web site is up and running again.
This group has strong links to the Mount Morgan Rehabilitation project and information on the Dee River will be on the site for students.
For more info, phone group coordinator Robyn Mapp on 4992 3894.
Check out the Wowan Dululu web site
Thought for the week
You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
Mahatma Gandhi
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To view past issues of The Bugle visit the regional NRM web site.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Community Partnerships, the Department of Natural Resources and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 26 October 2006