The Bugle - 27 March 2009
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Burdekin Dry Tropics has new name for the future
- Carp busting anglers compete for rich prize
- Legends, Larrikins and Landcare in Longreach–October 2009
- $2 million from federal coffers to cleanup Moreton Bay
- Low carbon diet community funding available
- Community engagement opportunities on Sunshine Coast updates
- SEQ Regional Plan under review
- LoGiCane–the healthy sugar
- Indigenous perspectives at World Water Forum
- Ancient land management system could reduce greenhouse woes
- Climate change supercomputers will ACCESS our weather
- Sheepish support to fight climate change blues
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Burdekin Dry Tropics has new name for the future
Burdekin Dry Tropics announced this week a name change to NQ Dry Tropics to better focus on the whole region and the tagline, ‘land and water solutions’ that focuses on the work being done.
NQ Dry Tropics Chairman, Mark Stoneman stated the fundamental decision to change the name was that any change be evolutionary, have a consistency of design, identify the broad area of activity, and indicate what it is that the organisation does
The Burdekin Dry Tropics region covers an area of 140,000 square kilometres with about 210,000 residents. The majority of people live in Townsville and other rural centres such as Charters Towers, Ayr, Home Hill, Bowen, the lower Burdekin towns, Collinsville, and Alpha and Clermont districts.
NQ Dry Tropics’ core business will continue in partnership with groups and individuals across its full range of activities aimed at enhancing land and water management practices and good outcomes under its charter.
Mr Stoneman stated that an organisation must move with the times and be flexible and innovative. He stressed the importance for urban areas to feel included in order to build a greater understanding of the scope of land and water management issues that impact on everyone.
For further information visit the NQ Dry Tropics website.
Carp busting anglers compete for rich prize
Anglers, from the upper reaches of the Murray-Darling Basin in Queensland, cast their lines last weekend at the annual Carp Busters event for 2009, all hoping for a share in the rich prize money.
This is the second year for the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) event, a part of their commitment to raise awareness of exotic fish pests in regional waterways. The QMDC stated the event is not just about the number of carp caught but it also raises awareness of the damaging effect these noxious pests have on our river systems and native animals and plants.
In collaboration with fishing clubs in Thallon, Surat, Goondiwindi, Mungindi, St George and Dirranbandi anglers are being offered a prize pool of $3000 with points awarded for not only the number of carp caught but also the number of events entered as well.
The 2009 program includes a series of five more carp busting events for anglers in different locations, in April, August, September and October. One of the key aims of these events is encouraging a coordinated and integrated approach to river restoration, resulting in the return of native fish species.
QMDC will have a display at every event, designed to bring anglers attention to noxious fish and water weeds and encouraging them to report any sightings. Carp feeding habits muddy the water posing a major challenge to native fish. Carp can also survive in a wider range of conditions and water temperatures and native fish simply cannot compete. Early sightings of these noxious species will enable the QMDC to prevent carp from establishing larger populations.
For further information on noxious fish or future carp busting events visit the QMDC website.
Legends, Larrikins and Landcare in Longreach–October 2009
Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) are hosting the annual Queensland Landcare conference in Longreach later this year, themed Legends, Larrikins and Landcare. DCQ chairman John Fischer has extended a hearty invitation to all volunteers and corporate entities to join them and celebrate Landcare achievements and discuss the hot issues during the three day event.
The conference boasts plenty of generous hospitality from this bustling regional town as well as showcasing land and water management practices. These include everything from water wise gardens, control of woody and exotic weeds, feral animal control and the rehabilitation of our natural water courses.
The Queensland Landcare Conference runs from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October 2009 and will contain plenary sessions, presentations from well known industry representatives, field trips and an extensive social program designed to incorporate the conference theme.
Future editions of the Bugle will provide more information as it becomes available. For further information or to register for the conference visit the 2009 Queensland Landcare Conference website.
Government updates
$2 million from federal coffers to cleanup Moreton Bay
The Moreton Bay local community and regional NRM groups will receive an immediate injection of $2 million from the federal government to help continue the clean up of oil in the Moreton Bay area.
Two weeks ago, 31 containers of ammonium nitrate went overboard from cargo ship the Pacific Adventurer, causing the ship to leak oil that caked Moreton Island and beaches along the Sunshine Coast in south-east Queensland. Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the oil spill continued to pose serious risks to the region’s environment.
Minister Garrett and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke stated that significant effort was being made throughout the region to conclude the clean-up activities and ensure the environment is protected from significant, long-term damage.
The environmental significance of the Moreton Bay wetlands is internationally recognised under the Ramsar convention. The $2 million would be provided through the Coastcare program, under the ‘Caring for our Country’ initiative to help with the restoration of the wetlands and coastal environment.
Minister Burke said the Federal Government would continue to assist the Queensland Government through the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and other agencies such as the EPA, regional NRM bodies, Landcare Queensland and councils.
For further information visit the Federal Environment website.Low carbon diet community funding available
Choose to become part of the climate change solution and apply for funding through a new initiative of the Queensland Governments’ climate smart living agenda, the Low Carbon Diet Community Funding Program. This funding is available to Queensland groups and organisations for assistance with administration and delivery costs.
This two-year funding program offers grants between $2000 and $10,000 (GST exclusive) to not-for-profit incorporated community organisations, local councils and tertiary institutions throughout Queensland.
Three rounds of funding are still available this year, but it is important to note the closing dates: round two closes in May; round three closes in August and round four closes in December 2009.
For further information about the Low Carbon Diet Community Funding Program including guidelines and application form, visit the climate change website.
To answer questions or to discuss other ways to become involved, contact the team at climate smart living.
Community engagement opportunities on Sunshine Coast
Community engagement is taken seriously on the Sunshine Coast. Local communities are encouraged to play an active role in the Sunshine Coast Council’s decision making process and help shape the future of the area.
The Public Participation Program was developed by the former Maroochy Shire Council to encourage community members to have a say in local decisions. The Sunshine Coast Regional Council website now has the Public Participation Program-policy, strategy, manual and brochures available for downloading.
The documents outline opportunities for people, affected by or interested in a Council decision, to participate in decision making processes. The Council has also developed electronic opportunities for people to stay informed of decisions made or to merely follow the progress of a range of Council projects.
By working closely with the community, the Council has increased engagement opportunities for local groups and is building a region based on community engagement outcomes.
For additional information on the Council's engagement activities contact its Customer Service Centres.
SEQ Regional Plan under review
A review of the South East Queensland’s (SEQ) Regional Plan 2005–2026 is underway and all Queenslanders are invited to have a say.
The SEQ Regional Plan 2005–2026 is a 20 year plan outlining an urban management strategy for South East Queensland to address its burgeoning popularity and projected future growth. Government, industry and the community identified opportunities and threats to the region and positive management strategies.
The Queensland Government is carrying out a review of the 2005 - 2026 Plan in response to emerging regional growth management issues. These include continued high population growth, housing affordability, transport congestion and the need to develop a regional climate change management strategy. Another aim of the review is to provide opportunities for the development of appropriate rural industries, tourism and non-urban economics in rural areas.
The Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009–2031 sets out the Queensland Government’s strategy for managing growth and development in the south east corner. All Queenslanders are encouraged to take this opportunity to have a voice in the future of the region and provide feedback on the draft plan by 5pm on 3 April 2009.
For further information or to have your say visit the get involved website.
Reef updates
Weather triple whammy roughs up the Reef
Stifling heat, heavy rainfall causing significant flooding, and destructive winds from cyclone Hamish, has created a summer of hard knocks for the Great Barrier Reef (Reef).
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Chairman Dr Russell Reichelt, stated the extreme weather brought a triple whammy of pressures to the Reef. It can take reefs up to 20 years to fully recover.
Sea temperatures across most of the Reef rose a massive 2-3 degrees above average in December. High sea temperatures cause stress to corals and prolonged heat causes bleaching and ultimately coral death. Reports have been received of bleaching and coral death between Cairns and the Whitsundays.
In addition, summer storms caused record levels of rain and flooding with stressful flood plumes adding dirt to the coral’s wounds. The one in a hundred year flood event caused plumes to cover large areas of the marine park. To make matters worse, Cyclone Hamish affected more than 50 per cent of coral reefs.
The GBRMPA is working with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Environmental Protection Agency to assess the damage between Townsville and Lizard Island. AIMS Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ian Poiner stated the Institute have tracked the reefs’ health for decades and identified a decline in coral growth.
Dr Reichelt stated historically the Reef has been resilient to events like this, but it is rare to have three such events in a short period and their aim is to keep the Reef as healthy as possible. The Reef has experienced setbacks this summer, but is still faring better than most of the world’s reefs and remains a fantastic destination for tourists.
For further information visit the GBRMPA website.
Wetlands updates
Pioneer school kids become Wetland Warriors
School children are leading the pack when it comes to showing Queenslanders how to take care of our Wetlands. Leadership in wetlands management is high on the agenda at Pioneer State High School as 180 year eight students, become Mackay’s first ever Wetland Warriors.
The children have been involved in a 10 week curriculum at school developed by the Queensland Wetlands Program in conjunction with an educative learning program. Successfully trialled in two Townsville schools last year, it includes sessions on how wetlands work, the impact of land management actions and the role wetlands play in maintaining catchment health.
The students learnt how to protect, conserve and manage wetlands and the fun learning program included a field trip and an indigenous-inspired story thread unit.
For more information about the curriculum or to register your interest email the wetlands team by 8 May 2009.
Naturalresources news
LoGiCane–the healthy sugar
LoGiCane, a new ‘healthier’ sugar product, was recently launched in Australia as the result of a collaborative business venture between Horizon Science based in Melbourne and the Mossman Sugar Mill located north of Cairns.
LoGiCane is being touted as the world’s first low-glycaemic sugar. Horizon Science chief executive officer Dr Barry Kitchen says this sugar product can be used by all Australians including people with diabetes, obesity and blood pressure issues.
The Queensland sugar industry is hoping this new sugar product will create a major resurgence of sugar being viewed more positively in the future.
Australia is as an important test market and results of all sales and consumer feedback will not only identify LoGiCane’s acceptability in Australia but also inform any decisions about moving into the international marketplace. To make it easily accessible to all Australians the sugar product is available in both small quantities for the general consumer and industrial sized quantities for food manufacturers.
Dr Kitchen also stated that another exciting element of this product is the technology used to develop it has great overseas export potential.
The future looks bright for the Queensland sugar industry who have pinned a lot of hope on Australians viewing sugar in a healthier light.
For further information visit the LoGiCane website.
Indigenous perspectives at World Water Forum
The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) recently sent a delegation to the World Water Forum in Turkey which focuses on ’Bridging divides for water‘.
NAILSMA Chief Executive Officer Joe Morrison said the Forum, held last week in Istanbul (Turkey), provided an excellent opportunity for Indigenous people to present their concerns and ideas for sustainable water management.
Mr Morrison said “Traditional knowledge offers a significant contribution to modern science and water management, but until this understanding is articulated and accepted by the wider community, this expertise will be ignored at the detriment of the environment and the security of water sources for all peoples.”
Chairperson of the Indigenous Water Policy Group Joe Ross presented with other Indigenous leaders from across the globe on a ‘Traditional Water Management and Global Environmental Change’ panel at the Forum.
Mr Ross said water has become a tradable commodity on the open market and Indigenous people in Australia are not well positioned in terms of economic opportunity, being usually relegated to non-commercial use of the resources.
A key event at the Forum was the launch of the International Indigenous Water Declaration. The declaration provides a statement and set of principles on the rights of Indigenous People to maintain custodial responsibilities to managing water resources.
For further information email Lorrae McArthur.
Ancient land management system could reduce greenhouse woes
Recent scientific research has shown traditional prescribed burning practices in savannahs are kinder to biodiversity and emit less carbon, helping to reduce the the effects of greenhouse emissions.
Reintroducing this practice could reduce national greenhouse emissions by nearly five megatonnes a year and trigger a $52 million-a-year industry. Aboriginal people would burn off savannah grasses using relatively small fires lit in a mosaic pattern, early in the dry season.
Environmental economist Scott Heckbert of the CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Townsville stated science is able to provide tools to measure and monitor rainfall, fuel growth, emissions and offsets, as well as the technology - from helicopters to drip torches - to make burning faster and more effective.
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme white paper outlines the Federal Government's commitment to include Indigenous communities in carbon markets in some way.
Joe Morrison from Northern Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) agreed with Mr Heckbert that earmarking a proportion of the sale of emission permits could help fund Indigenous management of the savannahs.
This could create more than 1000 jobs for Indigenous people.
Sourced from ABC News
Climate change supercomputers will ACCESS our weather
Supercomputers to forecast weather and track climate change are to be built in Australia. A deal was recently signed between the Australian National University (ANU) and the Bureau of Meteorology to build two new supercomputers at the ANU campuses in Canberra and in Melbourne.
The head of ANU Supercomputing Facility, Ben Evans, stated the new system is expected to be operational by the end of 2009, and be among the world's top 30 high performance computing systems.
Acting Director of the Bureau of Meteorology Dr Neville Smith stated the computers will provide researchers with the extra processing power needed to produce more demanding climate forecasts.
The new supercomputers will provide the computing power needed to develop ACCESS (Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator ) a new project to tie together weather forecasting as well as climate and ocean forecasts.
Sourced from ABC News
Sheepish support to fight climate change blues
Climate friendly sheep are the latest attempt to address some major climate change issues. Sheep might be better known for their ‘baas’ than their burps, however studies have shown sheep reared for meat or wool release about 20 litres of methane every day.
As methane is reportedly 23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, it makes the humble sheep a significant contributor to Australia’s climate-damaging emissions. Methane in the digestive process of sheep is a waste product of inefficient digestion by bugs inside the sheep gut. The expulsion of methane gas is wasted energy that the animal can't use to produce meat, wool or milk.
Scientists in Western Australia lead by Associate Professor Phil Vercoe, said a million dollar research study is underway to identify genes in different breeding varieties of sheep that belch less methane than conventional flocks.
The outcomes of this study could not only help fight climate change, but result in more efficient farming and pave the way for Australian sheep with naturally low methane emissions to be bred in the near future.
A second study focusing on identifying the best plants to sow in pastures to keep methane-filled belches to a minimum is also being led by Dr Vercoe. Different plants have different effects on the methane-producing capabilities of the sheep’s gut bacteria, much the same as eating probiotic products influences the gut fauna in humans.
Sourced from The West Australian News
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: Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA)
Title: Weedwatchers Project Officer
The Project Officer will be responsible for co-ordination and delivery of the Weedwatchers Program in the Wet Tropics Region of North Queensland.
Weedwatchers has been designed to involve community volunteers in activities that will support the efforts of agencies, local government and other community groups towards managing the threat of weeds in the region.
Tenure: Full-time
Location:Cairns, Queensland
Contact:Applications addressing the Key Selection Criteria should be forwarded to: employment@cva.org.au
Closing date: 5 April 2009
Thought for the week
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill
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Last updated 05 May 2009