The Bugle - 07 December 2007
In news this week
Government updates
- Making it easy to find new funding opportunities and incentives for NRM
- New faces in Learning and Evaluation team
- MBI's finest minds gather in Brisbane
- Moreton Bay to be protected to assure future fishermen a catch!
- Release of State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy
- Scheme to offset essential clearing with environmental protection
- Call for applications under the National Landcare Programme
- $3 million made available through Lifestyle WaterWise Grants program
Reef updates
Wetlands updates
Natural resources news
Regional NRM group stories
Cyber learning for land managers
Land managers in southern Queensland have been learning just how easy it is to use wikis, audio files and other online resources to access land management training. Funded by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) delivered seven e-learning workshops in Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, St. George and Roma over the last five months.
QMDC's community training coordinator Sandy Robertson said "the workshops introduced participants to personal web pages, blogs, wikis, digital storytelling, online communication and conferencing, and concept mapping."
Landcare coordinator from Goondiwindi, Tammy Caldicott, regularly delivers land management training to farmers, and coordinates a range of wide-spread farming groups to undertake improved farming practices. Tammy said "the tools I learned about will really help me to reach and service a lot more farmers."
Tammy communicates with and coordinates more than 2900 farmers over a 13 426 square kilometre area, which can be very difficult. Because of farming commitments, it can be difficult for farmers to attend field days and workshops, so these tools will help tremendously.
Bruce McCollum said the tools and techniques he learnt about at the workshop certainly provide new ways for interactive communication. He has set up blogs for two of his groups and has a wiki under way, is also using skype and gmail. Bruce is involved with the irrigation industry, NRM and community economic development.
These 'e-tools' have already begun to be incorporated into a range of training opportunities currently being offered to land managers across the QMDC region. Sandy Robertson said science and technology is moving at a very fast pace, so why not use this technology to inform land managers about best practice and innovations as well as support them with accredited training?
For more information visit the QMDC website.
Government updates
Making it easy to find new funding opportunities and incentives for NRM
The NRM incentives database is the most comprehensive database in Australia for funding opportunities and incentives available for NRM and one of the most visited pages of the regional NRM website.
The NRM incentives database is a really helpful tool for keeping track of what funding is available for NRM activities. Recently, Land and Water Australia added the database as a component of the NRM Toolbar, an initiative of their Knowledge for Regional NRM program.
The searchable database lists incentives offered by local councils, regional NRM bodies, state and federal government agencies and non-government organisations. Incentives are available for over 30 NRM activities, including fencing, revegetation and soil management.
Searching the database involves selecting the type of activities you wish to undertake, the incentive provider, or your region. You will then be provided with a comprehensive list of all matching incentives, a description and links to the provider's website.
For more information, email Shion Yee on 3224 7734 or visit the NRM incentives database.
New faces in Learning and Evaluation team
Phil Maher and Beth Crook have joined Nicole Blackett and Claire Carter in the Learning and Evaluation team in Natural Resources and Water's Community Partnerships.
Phil joins the team from Biosecurity Queensland, where he was involved in statewide and national invasive species management programs including coordinating the management and reporting for Class 1 declared plants in Queensland and the Departments of Primary Industries and Fisheries' involvement in the Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) Program.
Phil will be playing a key role in the preparation of Monitoring Evaluation Reporting and Program Improvement (MERI) elements for the proposed third phase of the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), including the development of the Queensland MERI Implementation Plan.
Beth may be familiar to many in Queensland regional arrangements, as she has been a key member of Community Partnership's Contract Management team and provided key financial support to many of the regional NRM bodies.
One of Beth's primary projects in the Learning and Evaluation team will be coordinating the receipt and processing of final reports.
Please remember that final reports for the NHT, National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and National Landcare Programme projects should be submitted to Community Partnerships' performance reporting email address.
Contact Phil Maher on 3224 7221 or contact Beth Crook on 3239 6892.
MBI’s finest minds gather in Brisbane
Experts in market-based instruments gathered at the Brisbane Powerhouse last week, finalising a series of market-based instruments (MBI) fact sheets, case studies and guidelines for the national MBI Capacity Building Programme.
They also assisted in the development of a decision support tool which will help regional groups and government staff to determine an appropriate tool to use for designing on-ground project delivery.
The attendees were leaders in the field of MBIs from around Australia and their input and support for the new products will help to ensure they form a valuable source of information for all regional groups and government officers wanting to get involved in MBIs.
MBIs are policy tools that encourage behavioural change through market signals rather than through explicit directives. There is a range of types of market-based instruments, including trading schemes, offset schemes, subsidies and grants, accreditation systems, stewardship payments, taxes and tax concessions.
People at the two-day workshop also reviewed processes for training in market-based instruments. An online training package will be developed and made available to regional groups and government staff through 20 workshops to be conducted around the nation. The workshops will begin in April 2008.
The training modules and the other MBI capacity building products will be made available on the Designer carrots website from January 2008.
Moreton Bay to be protected to assure future fishermen a catch!
Future generations of fishers will be guaranteed a viable catch if the draft plan for Moreton Bay is adopted. The draft Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan follows months of consultation and scientific investigation.
Currently, less than one percent of the bay is protected by 'green zones'. The expansion of green zones to almost 15 percent of the total bay area will help ensure the future of this internationally significant marine environment, which supports more than 750 species of fish and 120 species of coral.
Green zones provide the highest level of protection in Moreton Bay Marine Park. These are areas where all forms of extractive use, direct disposal into the area, coastal development and most maritime infrastructure are prohibited to provide whole-of-ecosystem protection.
Importantly, recreational fishers will continue to have access to 85 percent of Moreton Bay Marine Park under the draft zoning plan. The Bay will always be open to recreational fishing, crabbing and netters; people will always be able to fish from jetties, rock walls, marinas and other popular spots including the vast majority of beaches that fringe Moreton Bay.
Over the past eight months the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) received 6500 submissions and held 94 community and stakeholder meetings to discuss this vital issue with everyone with an interest in Moreton Bay.
The draft zoning plan includes potential impacts on the commercial fishing industry. To help fishers adjust to any impacts arising from the final zoning plan, there will be a Moreton Bay Marine Park Structural Adjustment Package. This package, valued at up to $14 million, will be administered by the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority.
The draft zoning plan can be viewed online at the EPA website, or phone 1800 105 789 to request a copy. Submissions can also be made via the website or a submission form.
Release of State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy
The State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy was released this week to improve the capacity of land managers to adapt to future challenges and emerging issues such as climate change.
Starting early in 2008, the strategy has a number of measures and tenure incentives to continue profitable land use while maintaining land, vegetation and water in good condition.
Farmers and graziers who lease state government land will be able to get longer leases if they improve the condition of their land, under an innovative environment-focused land strategy affecting nearly 65% of Queensland.
The environment-focused strategy offers incentives that include allowing lease terms of 50, 40 and 30 years compared with the current maximum of 30 years.
State leasehold land covers about 63% of Queensland, with 99% of this land being used for grazing and agriculture, mostly in the State's north and west.
Queensland has around 3000 leases affected by the Strategy, many in marginal areas with ecosystems susceptible to degradation.
Developing the strategy involved input from a wide range of areas, reflecting the complexity of developing effective solutions for NRM.
The State Rural Leasehold Land Strategy was the product of an intensive consultation with the community and a partnership between the Queensland Government, AgForce Queensland and the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society.
For more information, including a copy of the strategy, visit the NRW website.
Scheme to offset essential clearing with environmental protection
A 'Green Invest' scheme to help developers find offsets for vegetation that they clear as part of a major project was announced by Premier Anna Bligh in October 2007.
Natural Resources and Water (NRW) Minister Craig Wallace said NRW would take the government-run environmental offsets exchange facility from concept to reality. As part of the evolution, a new name will be announced shortly. In the meantime the facility will be called Vegetation Offsets.
Offsets are considered a last resort, to be used only after every practical step has been taken to avoid or minimise environmental damage.
The principle is that the offset must achieve an equivalent or better environmental outcome and the environmental outcome must be directly related to the environmental value that is affected.
Program Initiatives, a new unit of NRW, will take a strategic approach to protecting environmental values by stimulating the supply of offsets in targeted priority areas, particularly biodiversity corridors and koala habitat. It will establish a register to record offset interest, and will support evaluation and exchange, as well as providing administration services for offset agreements.
NRW's Program Initiatives unit has the job of making this happen.
Program Initiatives staff, headed by Dr Evelyne Meier, recently met the CEO of Burnett Mary Regional NRM to discuss what role they could play in this exchange facility. One possibility is that they could help identify areas that can to be used as offsets and act as agents on behalf of the landowners who are interested in providing an offset.
Further information will be made available in coming months.
Call for applications under the National Landcare Programme
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry invites applications from landcare and primary industry groups for funding in 2008–09 under the National Landcare Programme's Sustainable Practices component.
Successful applicants will be funded to undertake local and regional community landcare activities.
Applications should address sustainable agriculture issues. Proposals with a focus on improving capacity to manage drought and other adverse natural events are encouraged.
Before submitting an application please refer to the Sustainable Practices guidelines and discuss your proposal with a state Landcare coordinator and your local regional NRM body. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry will fund activities that are regional priorities. In most cases, successful applicants will receive funding through regional NRM bodies.
Applications close: 25 February 2008
For further information, and to obtain a copy of the Sustainable Practices guidelines, visit the DAFF website, email nlp.contact@daff.gov.au, or call 1800 657 220 during business hours.
$3 million made available through Lifestyle WaterWise Grants program
More than 200 Queensland sporting clubs, churches and community groups will share in more than $3 million in the second round of the Lifestyle WaterWise Grants program.
The program was designed to assist not-for-profit organisations to maintain gardens, parks and sporting fields during the state's worst drought on record.
Successful applicants under Round Two of the Lifestyle WaterWise grants program include:
- Jimboomba Community Kindergarten north of Beaudesert will receive $7,848 to install water efficient taps, showers, toilet suites and urinals
- Palm Beach Currumbin Cricket Club Inc on the Gold Coast will receive $30,030 to install rainwater tanks
- Kingaroy State High School Parents and Citizens Association will receive $27,204 to install rainwater tanks
- Saint Anthony's Catholic College in Deeragun, north-west of Townsville, will receive $18,630 to install a water efficient irrigation system, taps, bubblers and toilets
- Biloela Netball Association will receive $33,000 to replace grass on playing surfaces.
The Lifestyle WaterWise program is a two-year, $10 million election commitment to help Queensland's sporting clubs, churches and community groups to save water.
In the first round of the program in June 2007, 392 organisations were successful in receiving funding. This second round of grants will help a further 202 community groups across the state.
The Lifestyle WaterWise Grants program offered community groups grants of up to $30 000 to implement waterwise measures including improving water systems, replacing existing water amenities such as toilet cisterns, providing alternative water sources such as water tanks, and installing swimming pool covers and rollers.
A full list of the successful recipients will be available in the next few days on the NRW website.
Reef updates
Good news for banana farmers and for the reef
Scientists and farmers in the Tully catchment are working together to secure banana yields and ensure the safety of the Great Barrier Reef. New research showed banana farmers could achieve the same crop yields while using less fertiliser.
Around 85 per cent of Australia's banana industry is located on Queensland's wet tropical coast, and the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser through run-off and seepage is considered to be a serious threat to the reef.
NRW north region principal scientist Dr John Armour said a study on phosphorus fertiliser management in the North Queensland banana industry had started in 2006.
They worked with five growers representing a range of soil types, fertiliser practices and soil phosphorus concentrations. The small on-farm demonstration plots compared banana growth and leaf phosphorus status of crops grown by standard practices with those grown with nil phosphorus application.
No differences were observed in the growth of banana plants where phosphorus was not applied and the results do not indicate any consistent differences in the concentrations measured in the leaf samples.
Lower application rates of fertilisers will not decrease banana crop yields.
Not only will this save farmers money, while still producing the same yields, but it will also help maintain water quality for our Great Barrier Reef.
For the full media statement visit the Queensland Government's media statements.
Wetlands updates
School wins award for wetlands curriculum
The Queensland Wetlands Programme congratulates Townsville Central State School on winning an 'Action and Adventures' award for its wetlands curriculum.
Earlier this year the Year 7 class spent 10 weeks learning about wetlands in the classroom before putting it into practice during a two-day canoe trip down Stuart Creek.
The Queensland Wetlands Programme funded the development of the curriculum and supported the implementation of the project.
The coursework was developed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Townsville State School. It was designed to give students an appreciation of the importance of wetlands and an understanding of the role they play in wetland conservation and maintenance.
The Action and Adventures award was presented by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of its Reef Guardian School awards. The award recognises action in the field and other environmental actions undertaken by the school.
The success of the curriculum project has resulted in the Queensland Wetlands Programme sponsoring the piloting of the curriculum at Rasmussen State School and Tewantin State School in 2008.
The project could not have been successful without the help of the Scouts and Girl Guides, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Townsville Local Marine Advisory Committee, Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research, Environmental Protection Agency, Education Queensland, Herbert River Catchment Group, Mungalla Farm and 4TOFM.
The Queensland Wetlands Programme is a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland governments to protect wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment and throughout Queensland.
For more information about the Queensland Wetlands Programme curriculum project, email Angela Reed or call 07 3006 4621.
Get a job in NRM!
Are you interested in working with Queensland's regional natural resource management bodies? Then head to the Regional Groups' Collective website where current job opportunities are now available. Be sure to check back regularly to ensure you don't miss out on the job of a lifetime!
Here's a sample of what's on offer:
Regional body: Fitzroy Basin Association
Title: Cartographic Officer – Geographic Information System
Tenure: Full-time to June 2013 with possibility of extension.
Salary range: $44 353 - $57 697 (starting salary commensurate with
skills and experience)
Location: Rockhampton
Thought for the week
Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
Buddha
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We welcome your contributions and feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions for The Bugle please contact Carl Glen, Shona Strachan or Aleisha Domrow.
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 08 January 2008