This update represents just a handful among the hundreds of NRM projects happening across Australia, which are made possible through funding from the Australian Government and respective State governments.
Going ahead with Goats – Western Local Land Services, New South Wales
Western Local Land Services (LLS) are delivering the Going ahead with Goats project, funded by the NSW government to assist goat producers and the goat industry accelerate the adoption of goat research & development to grow market share for Western NSW goat producers, both domestically and in the export market.
Integral to the delivery of the project is the dedicated podcast and video series developed by Western LLS, featuring goat producers, depot operators and technical experts discussing research and management topics including genetic selection, running a goat depot, goat rotational grazing systems and goat infrastructure needs and trapping.
Read more about the Going ahead with goats Project and the Pastoral Poddy Podcasts.
Cultural Fire Management for Grazing Landscapes - a collaborative effort - NQ Dry Tropics, Queensland
NQ Dry Tropics (NQDT), funded through WWF-Australia’s Indigenous Fire Management Program, are working with the NQDT Traditional Owner Management Group in partnership between the region’s Traditional Owners, graziers, Indigenous ranger groups, Rural Fire Service and Firesticks Alliance to rebuild cultural fire management knowledge and practice.
Alongside grazing land management, the co-benefits from the project include building regional community capability, recognising and celebrating Indigenous knowledge and connection to Country, reducing bushfire risk and improving drought resilience, and Indigenous employment opportunities on Country.
“This project has been years in the making and is the result of lots of hard work and persistence from members of the NQ Dry Tropics Traditional Owner Management Group.” said Dr Janine Gertz (Gugu Badhun Traditional Owner).
Carbon plus biodiversity pilot project provides useful lessons - South West NRM, Western Australia
South West NRM are upbeat on their role in supporting the development and delivery of a pilot to trial a carbon plus biodiversity reforestation approach with landholders.
The pilot is part of the Australian Government’s Agricultural Stewardship Package, delivered by 12 regional NRM organisations across Australia from 2021 and included Carbon + Biodiversity and Enhanced Remnant Vegetation Pilots.
Regional NRM staff participated in the design of the program with researchers from the Australian National University, undertook local site assessments to assist with processing applications, and then worked with the farmers during the set-up phase to ensure successful project delivery. Findings from the program will be used to inform the Australian Government’s Nature Repair Market.
While a recent site visit showed that environmental plantings had done it tough in the severe drought, South West is pleased that their work in the pilots will help inform environmental markets.
Feral deer on the doorstep of towns and suburbs – Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board, South Australia
Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board are undertaking significant work to reduce feral deer numbers close to urban environments with efforts across the Mount Lofty Ranges focussed on feral deer populations which pose the biggest threat to urban invasion and spread.
Tom Kloeden, Regional Coordinator, Grazing Pressure Management at Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu explained “The further these animals move toward these peri-urban areas, the harder they are to control. As well as the impacts to the environment, primary production, and even gardens we are also faced with the increased risk of vehicle collision” he said.
Recent aerial and ground control operations in Mount Bold Reservoir Reserve, Scott Creek Conservation Park and adjoining private land suggested the controls were having an impact, with reduced numbers of feral deer and goats compared to last year.
Strahan’s Healthy Harbour project and the Maugean Skate – Cradle Coast NRM, Tasmania
Funded by the Australian Government, Cradle Coast NRM are part of a group of organisations delivering urgent recovery actions to reduce the Maugean Skate’s imminent risk of extinction through the Healthy Harbour project.
The Maugean Skate is Tasmania’s largest endemic fish and most endangered marine species, with the only known remaining population found in Macquarie Harbour. Cradle Coast NRM are building partnerships and effective communication with Strahan and West Coast residents, including the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, to improve the health of Macquarie Harbour, and connect people with their local environment through art, natural history and citizen science.
Read more in the Cradle Coast newsletter and on the Maugean Skate project page.
FarmMap4D: supporting land managers to future plan – Gulf Savannah NRM, Queensland
Gulf Savannah NRM is working with producers from across the Northern Gulf region to build their monitoring and decision-making capacity with a spatial mapping app called FarmMap4D.
Funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the software allows producers to visualise key aspects of their property, including land condition and grazing trends, pasture utilisation, distance from water points, and infrastructure options. Users can manipulate property infrastructure like pipelines, paddocks and water points to make informed business decisions as part of business resilience planning which opens potential funding opportunities.
Achieving river resilience in the Campaspe – North Central Catchment Management Authority, Victoria
Recent surveys carried out by North Central CMA as part of the Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program are showing the Campaspe River is bouncing back better after the 2022 floods than those in 2011. After more than a decade of environmental flows and riverbank revegetation and protection the riverbanks are healthier than after the 2011 floods, and key fish populations have replenished almost immediately.
“A key aim of environmental flows is to build resilience to protect the river from regulation and climate change” said North Central CMA Environmental Assets Program Manager Nicole Bullen. “We’ve constructed more than 100km of fencing, controlled 668ha of weeds, and revegetated 576ha of the banks, and it has paid off.”
Powerlink agreement will optimise environmental offsets – NRM Regions Queensland, Queensland
NRM Regions Queensland has entered into an agreement with Powerlink Queensland to work together to optimise the location and management of environmental offsets to ensure economic, social and environmental outcomes which benefit communities, landscapes and future generations. The agreement also ensures that Queensland’s NRM regions will be involved in the strategic planning for new infrastructure and the maintenance of existing infrastructure.
Chris Norman, CEO of NRM Regions Queensland praised the collaboration, “Together we want to develop a leading practice around nature positive offsets and limit the amount of damage any action – such as new energy projects – might have on the environment.”