The Bugle - 07 November 2008
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- SuperGraze launch for graziers in Southern QLD
- Assistance for new parthenium outbreaks
- Anglers clean up in Dirranbandi for National Water Week
- Saving coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats
- Performance story nears completion
- Ban to protect Moreton Bay fish stocks
- Eurong and Happy Valley dingo deterrent grids to be electrified
- Farming and mining both needed
- Coral trout breeding a success, next it's rock lobsters and gropers
- $13 million for World Heritage projects announced
- First cultural heritage bodies formalised for Torres Strait
- Managing wetlands to mitigate climate change
- Wetland scientist wins national youth environment award
- Walk against warming in Brisbane
- Community groups offered new weapon in war on carp
- CSIRO funds environmental education outreach program
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
SuperGraze launch for graziers in Southern QLD
A new program designed to help Southern Queensland graziers sustainably improve the productivity of their land, and at the same time maintain the important environmental values of their region, was launched this week in Gayndah.
Called SuperGraze, the program will help build profitable, productive and resilient grazing management systems across Southern Queensland and will deliver workshops, training, on-ground works and practice change with 300 graziers in identified and prioritised landscapes.
Funded by the Australian Government's Caring for our Country: Landcare -Sustainable Practices program, the project is being delivered through a cross-regional venture between the Burnett Mary Regional Group, the Condamine Alliance and South East Queensland Catchments.
SuperGraze will also promote and communicate the demonstrated profitability and sustainability benefits of applying best management practices to grazing.
It is planned that the joint approach, and availability of incentive funding, will ensure that SuperGraze will be utilised by as many landholders as possible in the three regions.
If you would like further information please contact Kate Lyons at the Burnett Mary Regional Group on 4181 2999 or Katie Ferguson at Condamine Alliance on 4620 0100 or Anthony Hill at SEQ Catchments on 3503 1425.
Assistance for new parthenium outbreaks
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) is reminding landholders to be on the look out for new outbreaks of parthenium weed following recent rains.
QMDC is leading a program to provide assistance to landholders to rapidly respond to new outbreaks of parthenium weed across the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin region. The program is in partnership with local governments and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F).
DPI&F's Biosecurity Queensland Principal Lands Protection Officer Graham Hardwick said, "Parthenium is relatively contained to the north western parts of the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin, so we are investing a lot of effort and resources to keep the rest of the region parthenium free."
QMDC Weeds Technical Officer Lavinnia Fiedler said that QMDC will provide a financial incentive to landholders who work with their local government, or DPI&F, to quickly manage parthenium outbreaks.
"If you suspect you have a parthenium weed outbreak, contact your local council's Rural Lands Officer, QMDC or Biosecurity Queensland staff immediately," Lavinnia Fiedler said, "They will inspect the site and work with you to develop a rapid response strategy to eradicate the outbreak. QMDC will cover 30 per cent of the costs of those agreed management actions."
"The ideal response time from identification is one week, with follow up monitoring and control within six weeks, and then should be checked regularly," Ms Fiedler said.
For further information, or to report a parthenium outbreak, contact QMDC on 4622 8446, Biosecurity Queensland on 4622 9905, or your local government office.
Anglers clean up in Dirranbandi for National Water Week
More than 130 people attended the 2008 Regional Carp Buster Series final in Dirranbandi on 18 and 19 October. The event was part of National Water Week celebrations, and saw 161 European Carp removed from the Balonne River.
Dirranbandi Fishing and Restocking Club President Jack Taylor said that the day had been very successful.
"Carp is such a problem in our river, so it was great to see so many people come out and support the competition, and come and learn more about this and other threats to the health of the Balonne," Mr Taylor said.
More than 600 anglers participated in the six part series, which was held across southern Queensland since Australia Day, in January. Over 800 carp were removed from the Balonne, Moonie and Macintyre River systems.
Bruce Johnson, from Thallon, won the $2000 cash prize, having attended the most events, and caught the most carp of any participant.
One of the organising sponsors of the Regional Carp Buster Series, the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC), said that it was put together to raise community awareness about the damage caused by the feral European carp and other issues adding to the degradation of river and creek systems and native fish declines, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.
QMDC partnered with fishing clubs from Surat, Thallon, Goondiwindi, Mungindi, St. George and Dirranbandi to combine six local Carp Buster events into a regional series.
"The series has been one of the biggest community awareness-raising programs in this area," QMDC's Lavinnia Fiedler said, "We hope that events like this will encourage a coordinated and integrated approach to total river restoration, which will encourage the return of native fish species."
To learn more visit the QMDC website.
Saving coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats
A new digital case study is now available which shows regional bodies and partners are protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats.
With the increasing demands on Queensland's coastal resources, such as population growth, there is a great need to recognise and protect the coast's importance and values. Coastal and aquatic managers across the state are taking this into account in their coastal management planning, assessments and activities.
The latest state-level digital story, produced by the Queensland Regional NRM Groups Collective, shows examples of this work for public viewing on the PlaceStories website. This website is hosted by Landcare Queensland in partnership with Feral Arts who are working with Landcare groups and Regional NRM Bodies from across the state in developing a PlaceStories digital storytelling system customised the specific needs of the NRM network.
Each month a new case study showing how regional bodies and partners are addressing natural resource management in remote and northern Australia will be added.
Visit PlaceStories to see the third digital story of regional NRM partnerships across the state: Protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats. See also the Collective's website to download the promotional Chair's report for more details of these stories.
Government updates
Performance story nears completion
The Australian Government invited the North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) Dugong and Marine Turtle Project to be one of two Indigenous projects funded to trial a new method of evaluation - Most Significant Change Performance Story Report. The evaluation is almost complete.
The recent Dugong and Marine Turtle Management Summit at Mudnunn provided the stage for a final step in the process with representatives from each of the Project sites, government staff and research collaborators, selecting the 'most significant change story' from those submitted.
All the components of the evaluation including a data trawl, convening of Scientific and Traditional Owner panels, performance stories and interviews with support agency representatives, and the summit have shown the project itself to have been a substantial success.
Over the four year duration of the project, all participants have learnt many beneficial lessons.
The Traditional Owners have managed this extensive project and achieved the predicted outcomes and a number of positive additional social, cultural, environmental and economic outcomes.
In this project, Traditional Owners have used their diverse cultural knowledge of sustainable management of culturally and economically important species, as a common foundation to form networks for engaging Indigenous people.
All of these benefits are demonstrated to varying degrees in the evaluation results. The evaluation has also provided a valuable baseline and foundation for future dugong and marine turtle work and lead the way for implementing similar Indigenous partnered NRM projects.
The Most Significant Change Performance Story Report evaluation is due for completion later this year.
Ban to protect Moreton Bay fish stocks
The Queensland Government will ban 'backdoor' commercial fishing in the Moreton Bay marine park to ensure green zones deliver a boom in fish stocks.
In a move backed by the commercial fishing lobby and green groups, commercial fishers will be banned from Moreton Bay for five years if they surrender their licence under the Government $15.1 million buyback scheme.
Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland's Simon Balitas said, "The initiative is the first step in an urgent need to reduce commercial fishing effort in the Moreton Bay Marine Park."
Sustainability Minister Andrew McNamara said the government estimates about 100 of the 430 commercial operators will give up their licences.
The Queensland Government recently announced a huge increase in 'green zones' up from 0.5 per cent to 16 per cent in which fishing is not allowed. This followed the recommendations of an independent scientific panel.
"This is the greatest environmental initiative in the bay's history and it is based purely on science: no emotion, no politics," Mr McNamara said.
"It means our grandkids will be catching fish in the bay," Mr McNamara said.
Eurong and Happy Valley dingo deterrent grids to be electrified
Dingo deterrent fences on Fraser Island will soon be complete after vehicle grids are electrified.
Minister for Sustainability Andrew McNamara said the grid at Eurong was recently electrified and work on electrification at Happy Valley has started.
"Dingo-deterrent fencing at communities such as the Kingfisher Bay Resort has been a successful way of minimising contact between dingoes and humans," Mr McNamara said.
"I am looking forward to the same success at Eurong and Happy Valley townships," Mr McNamara said, "The fences will help to ensure that all visitors to Fraser Island have a safe holiday."
Mr McNamara said that last year the majority of aggressive dingo incidents, often involving young children, occurred in and around the townships of Eurong (including Second Valley) and Happy Valley.
"People still need to follow the Environmental protection Agency's (EPA) Be Dingo-Safe! guidelines inside the fenced area, particularly about supervising children."
Mr McNamara said, the EPA had assured him that there are no safety concerns about the electrification. Certification from qualified electrical engineers will ensure that the grids are safe. The shock is designed to deter and not harm the animals.
Before electrification, sand will be cleared out of the grids and any dingoes inside the fence line will be removed by trapping or tranquilising the animal.
Farming and mining both needed
A number of public forums were held last week on the Darling Downs to give farmers a chance to have their say about land access issues.
Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson said mining and farming have co-existed for many generations and there was no reason why they could not continue to co-exist and thrive for generations to come.
"Both of these industries are equally important to Queensland. One gives us the food and fibre we need for our daily lives. The other is a key economic driver of the state’s strong economy," Mr Wilson said.
The Minister organised a series of public forums in Roma, Injune, Miles, Wandoan, Dalby and Felton to give landholders a chance to raise their concerns.
The forums were arranged in partnership with AgForce to help inform landholders about their rights and responsibilities if gas producers and miners seek access to their land.
Minister Wilson said a Land Access Taskforce of peak rural and resource industry bodies had also been set up to look into concerns about access to farming land for exploration and mining.
The Taskforce includes AgForce, the Queensland Farmers Federation, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association and the Queensland Resources Council.
"The mineral wealth of Queensland is owned by all Queenslanders. We have to be good stewards of these resources for our children and generations to follow," Minister Wilson said.
Visit the Mines and Energy website to learn more.
Coral trout breeding a success, next it's rock lobsters and gropers
As the coral trout project in Cairns reaches another milestone researchers are getting closer to commercial captive breeding of two other iconic species, the tropical rock lobster and the giant Queensland groper.
Primary Industry and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin on a recent tour of the Northern Fisheries Centre said, "Captive breeding can help protect wild stocks while at the same time injecting millions of dollars into the Queensland aquaculture industry."
Australia's first captive bred coral trout were recently sent to a Bowen commercial farm. The 30 fish, about six months old and 20cm long, will be grown out and used for breeding future generations of captive bred coral trout. The in-farm trial will allow the transfer of laboratory growing techniques and expertise to a commercial operating environment. Depending on the season, coral trout can earn $40 to $80 per kilogram on the live fish export market.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) is also exploring the aquaculture potential of the giant Queensland groper and tropical rock lobster.
Rock lobsters are notoriously difficult to breed as they go through 11 stages to get from larvae to juvenile, a process that in nature can take over six months. Until recently the best results were a 60 per cent survival rate to stage 5 in relatively small numbers. DPI&F now have over 5000 larvae at stage 9 to 10 with a 92 per cent survival rate achieved in less than 80 days.
"If these larvae progress through to juvenile we believe it will be the first time such large numbers have been generated in captivity, and will set the scene for commercialisation," Mr Mulherin said.
DPI&F researchers are progressing to encourage giant Queensland groper to spawn in captivity. They will then apply larval rearing techniques developed for other groper species to provide a source of fingerlings for the industry to use.
"The value of Queensland groper is expected to be high with an established live-fish market in Southeast Asia and a potential domestic market as whole fish and white-fillet," Mr Mulherin said.
Visit DPI&F's website to learn more.
$13 million for World Heritage projects announced
Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett recently announced more than $13 million for World Heritage projects in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific at the Pacific Islands World Heritage Workshop in Cairns.
Addressing the workshop via video-link, Mr Garrett said the funds included $2.7 million for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, $2.5 million to UNESCO to support World Heritage initiatives internationally, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific, and an additional $1.9 million to support specific projects and administration across Australia's World Heritage sites.
"Australia has a rich and diverse representation of World Heritage properties, including the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, the Tasmanian Wilderness and the iconic Sydney Opera House, all of which are tourist destinations for people across the world and provide substantial economic benefits," Mr Garrett said.
Welcoming representatives from nations across the Pacific Islands to the Workshop, Mr Garrett said Australia also had an international responsibility to World Heritage.
"The Pacific, rich in both cultural and natural wonders, is the least represented region in the world with only three World Heritage-listed properties," he said.
"All nations in the Pacific region must work in partnership and share knowledge and expertise to protect exceptional sites for the global community and Australia is significantly supporting that effort," he said.
"During the workshop, experts from Australia, New Zealand and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre will provide practical advice and training in managing and assessing places that have, or may have, World Heritage values," Mr Garrett said.
The Pacific Islands World Heritage Workshop is jointly hosted with the New Zealand Government and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, with the support of the World Heritage Fund.
Mr Garrett said Australia's appointment as Vice-President of Asia-Pacific for the World Heritage Convention at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec in July, was clear recognition of Australia's leadership in world heritage, particularly in this region.
For more information visit the Environment website.
First cultural heritage bodies formalised for Torres Strait
The Torres Strait's Masigalgal and Dauanalgaw Corporations are the first formally registered Torres Strait cultural heritage bodies, bringing the total number of registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultural heritage bodies in the north to thirteen.
Natural Resources and Water (NRW) Minister Craig Wallace said, "The role of cultural heritage bodies includes identifying the correct Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander party or family who talk for country and to provide certainty about how cultural heritage is managed on their traditional land."
"In addressing the management of their traditional lands, cultural heritage bodies can be involved in a range of activities such as site surveys, monitoring, development of cultural heritage management plans, cultural heritage studies and the recording of cultural heritage sites," he said.
"This means that cultural heritage bodies are the first point of contact for land users in addressing their Duty of Care for cultural heritage. The area of land for a cultural heritage body is not limited in size or to a native title claim area," he said.
Mr Wallace said there were numerous advantages for a prescribed body corporate that officially registered as a cultural heritage body, including access to funding under the Cultural Heritage Bodies Grant Program.
"Under this program the Queensland Government is offering registered groups funding of up to $10 000 to purchase equipment that will help them address cultural heritage issues.
"This funding can be used for mapping programs, GPS and/or computers, or other items that are required to assist in the assessment and management of cultural heritage.
"Last financial year NRW's Cultural Heritage Coordination unit processed $100 000 in grant money for seven cultural heritage bodies. I am pleased that the newly registered Masigalgal and Dauanalgaw Corporations will now be able to apply for funding under this year's grant program and all future appropriate funding programs," Minister Wallace said.
For more information visit the NRW website.
Reef updates
Masthead Island closed while boaties urged to slow for turtles
Masthead Island off Gladstone is off-limits to all visitors for the next six months to protect nesting sea turtles, seabirds and island vegetation.
Environmental Protection Agency's Central Queensland Marine Parks operations manager Dave Orgill said, the annual closure would continue until Easter 2009. Tryon Island is also closed due to vegetation management and pest control issues. However, Lady Musgrave and North-West islands are still open to campers and day-trippers until late January.
"Masthead Island is an important breeding ground for endangered marine turtles and this closure helps reduce impacts on nesting females and the hatchlings when they emerge," Mr Orgill said.
"Seabirds such as wedge-tailed shearwaters, black noddies, and bridled terns use this area for breeding and raising chicks, so we need to reduce any disturbance by humans during this time. The island is also home to Pisonia grandis trees, which are found only on coral cays," he said.
With the turtle breeding season approaching, Mr Orgill also reminded boaties to 'go slow for those below'. Sea turtles, especially green turtles, are known to bask at the water's surface and are sometimes slow to react to approaching vessels, so boaties need to keep a good lookout and slow down for turtles.
The Capricorn/Bunker Group islands on the Great Barrier Reef and some adjacent mainland beaches are some of the world's major breeding areas for green and loggerhead turtles.
Please report all sightings of any sick, injured, or dead sea turtles or other marine animals by calling the EPA Hotline on 1300 130 372.
Wetlands updates
Managing wetlands to mitigate climate change
An internationally recognised Australian scientist Professor Max Finlayson from Charles Sturt University says better management of the world's wetlands will help alleviate the effects of climate change.
"Many wetlands contain a lot of carbon and when they are degraded they can release large quantities of carbon dioxide and methane with methane much worse than carbon dioxide in terms of the greenhouse effect," Professor Finlayson said.
Professor Finlayson says the current clearing, burning and draining of peat forests and swamps in South East Asia so oil palms can be planted for biofuel production was an example of this degradation.
"This clearing is being driven by biofuel policies in western countries, but the resulting release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is having a major greenhouse effect and a huge effect on human health due to the smoke haze across many countries in the region," he said.
"In Australia we have forested wetlands such as mangroves that are important stores of carbon that are still being cleared to make way for urban developments and harbour infrastructure," Professor Finlayson said.
Professor Finlayson is the longest serving member of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Scientific and Technical Review Panel. He is concerned there is not enough scientific knowledge about or recognition of the importance of the effects of clearing mangroves on carbon emissions.
About 10 per cent of the world's 16 000 known wetlands are listed as internationally important, with 65 of these located in Australia, including Kakadu in the Northern Territory.
For more information visit the Ecos magazine website.
Wetland scientist wins national youth environment award
Queensland Wetlands Program scientist Lana Heydon was presented with the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand 2008 Tor Hundloe Young Environmental Professional Award in Melbourne last week.
Lana received the award, presented by Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett, for her work on the development and use of conceptual models in wetland management and science communication.
The award recognises young environmental professionals who have made an outstanding contribution to environmental outcomes through professional practice.
Lana's work on the development of a wetland typology and the science synthesis of components and processes for Queensland's lakes and swamps are an Australian first.
The typology and conceptual models present new knowledge and understanding of Australian tropical and sub-tropical natural lake and swamp systems, and show how processes for these systems differ from current presumed understandings of wetlands components and processes.
This new knowledge has made wetland science more accessible and understandable to land and natural resource managers, and has had a significant impact on approaches to management, conservation and monitoring wetlands in Queensland.Natural resources news
Walk against warming in Brisbane
Join thousands of other Queenslanders this month for a walk against warming in Brisbane.
Starting at Queen's Park and ending at Roma Street amphitheatre, the colourful brollie parade will culminate in a human map of Queensland in the parklands.
This year focusing on saving the Great Barrier Reef and our island neighbours, the Walk Against Warming gathering will include presentations from reef scientists, Pacific Islanders, politicians and conservationists.
An initiative of Queensland Conservation, WWF, Friends of the Earth, Greencross and Make Poverty History, the event takes place from 12.30 pm on Saturday 15 November. The Walk starts from Queen's Park adjacent to the Treasury Casino. Don't forget your umbrella (brollie).
Further information is available from Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) on 3211 0188 or by emailing the QCC.
Community groups offered new weapon in war on carp
New carp cages, which have recently removed around seven tonnes of breeding carp from the Murray River in just 10 weeks at a single wetland, are now available to community groups, NRM boards, and catchment managers throughout the Murray-Darling Basin.
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) funded the development of the cages as part of its Native Fish Strategy which aims to return native fish populations to 60 per cent of pre-European settlement numbers.
Researchers at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) have modified the cages to work with carp in wetlands.
MDBC Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik AM said that together with a range of other options being investigated under the native fish strategy, the cages will boost efforts to control carp in the Murray.
The modified SARDI wetland carp separation cages contain specialised combination carp jump/push traps.
These are being trialled in a project funded by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, at the Kingston-on-Murray Banrock Station wetland in SA's Riverland, following its refilling in early June.
The cages are designed to exploit two unique behavioural traits displayed by carp; jumping over and pushing under in-stream obstacles. SARDI Senior Research Officer, Dr Leigh Thwaites says researchers hope that the traps will eventually be used to help control carp throughout the Murray-Darling Basin.
Groups interested in using the cages are urged to seek advice from the Invasive Species team at SARDI Aquatic Sciences, to ensure the cages are used to their optimum advantage, and to promote communication to continue improving existing trap designs.
The designs for carp push traps are available on the SARDI website, along with further information about carp separation cages and SARDI's work with invasive species.
For further information please email the Invasive Species Sub-Program Leader Dr Ben Smith or Invasive Species Sub-Program Senior Research Officer Dr Leigh Thwaites.
CSIRO funds environmental education outreach program
Under a new CSIRO program called Energymark, teams of students in nine universities in NSW, Queensland and Victoria have been awarded grants to educate their communities in making environmentally sustainable personal and business decisions.
Energymark will also provide researchers with insights into individual attitudes towards the implementation of energy-smart practices and allow them to track behavioural changes that occur after the Energymark workshops.
CSIRO is collaborating with Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), an organisation that brings together teams of tertiary students who aim to make a positive difference in their community.
The grants will see university teams establish a series of Energymark workshops for local residents. The workshops are held over a period of six months and provide a forum to discuss community views relating to climate change and energy.
The process gives students the opportunity to develop and deliver an innovative literacy program that identifies and addresses the financial issues associated with sustainable energy practices at a community level.
The program will culminate in a national competition next year, where the results will be judged by a panel of experts in the field of climate change, energy and environmental finance.
For more information about the Energymark program visit the CSIRO website.
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 or NRMjobs 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/organisation: Qld Regional NRM Groups Collective
Title: Statewide Indigenous Network Co-ordinator
Salary range: Competitive remuneration
Location:Brisbane, however may be open to negotiation
Closing date: 17 November
Thought for the week
Nowadays some people expect the door of opportunity to be opened with a remote control.
M. Charles Wheeler
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Last updated 22 January 2009