NACC NRM (Northern Agricultural Catchments Council NRM) is the official natural resource management body for the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR).
NACC NRM, originally established in 1995 as Northern Agricultural Integrated Management Strategy (NAIMS), developed an integrated natural resource management strategy for the Northern Agricultural Region, now called NARvis. Over time, NARvis has evolved from a hard copy document to an interactive website, and in turn, NACC NRM’s role has expanded from being the custodians of NARvis to also delivering parts of the strategy.
NACC NRM is a membership-based organisation available for free to anyone with an interest in the region. We maintain a community focus across the organisation, and recognise that change to improve environmental health has to come from the whole community. We collaborate with farmers, community groups with a focus on natural resource management activities, Traditional Custodians, local government, industry and government.
The NAR also contains three of Australia’s 15 national biodiversity hotspots: the Geraldton to Shark Bay Sandplains, Mount Lesueur-Eneabba and the Central & Eastern Avon Wheatbelt.
The Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) is home to approximately 7,480 native plants and animals, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and plants. Approximately 13% of these are endemic to the region. The NAR is located within the Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot in WA, Australia’s only recognised international global biodiversity hotspot (Myers, N. et al. 2000; CEPF 2020).
The NAR also contains three of Australia’s 15 national biodiversity hotspots: the Geraldton to Shark Bay Sandplains, Mount Lesueur-Eneabba and the Central & Eastern Avon Wheatbelt. National biodiversity hotspots are largely intact areas supporting natural ecosystems and native plant and animal communities with a high diversity of locally endemic species.
Five of the 89 recognised Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) regions, based on distinct regional patterns of landform and vegetation, are also found in the NAR. These are the Avon Wheatbelt (Merredin and Katanning), Jarrah Forest (Northern), Swan Coastal Plain (Dandaragan Plateau and Perth), Geraldton Sandplains (Geraldton Hills and Lesueur Sandplain) and Yalgoo (Tallering; Florabase 2013; Wikipedia 2020; DAWE 2020).
Approximately 22% of the region’s land area (including the islands) is protected through a high-conservation-value network of ~150 protected areas. Some of these areas include Kalbarri National Park, the Houtman-Abrolhos Islands National Park, Beekeepers Nature Reserve, Jurien Bay Marine Park and Lesueur National Park.
Approximately 80 fauna species and nearly 900 flora species are considered under threat in the region. Many of these threatened species are being managed under either approved or interim recovery plans (DBCA, DAWE). The Australian Government is particularly interested in NAR populations of Black-flanked Rock-wallaby, Chuditch, Malleefowl, Black Grevillea, Fitzgerald’s Mulla-Mulla and Glossy-leaved Hammer Orchid (National Threatened Species Strategy).
The Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) has a rich history of agriculture and fishing. Broadacre farming is the primary land use, while mining and tourism are also prominent and employ many local residents.
Just over half of the NAR’s residents are employed (54%, Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016). 32.5% are outside of the workforce (e.g. retired people and students) and the unemployment rate is around 4%. Outside of the Greater Geraldton area, agriculture (including fisheries) employs the most people throughout the region. Residents of the region are also employed in mining, construction, and a range service industries including health care, retail, education, hospitality, public administration, and logistics (ABS 2016).
Around 64,000 people live in the NAR and roughly 60% of these people are based in the Greater Geraldton region. The population is diverse. Around 75% of residents were born in Australia and 15% were born overseas, in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa and at least 37 other countries.
The Noongar (also spelled Nyoongah or Nyungar) and Yamaji (also spelled Yamatji) Peoples are the Traditional Owners and original natural resource managers of the NAR. According to the 2016 Australian census, approximately 6% of the population of the NAR are of Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander descent. The Yamaji People are the Traditional Owners of the land and coastal waters extending north from the coast at Green Head, to Onslow and the Ashburton River. There are at least six language groups within the Yamaji region of the NAR.
For over a decade, NACC NRM has been steering the Northern Agricultural Region towards a sustainable, healthy future, working in partnership with the community, industry, and government to ensure we maintain a vibrant and prosperous region.
NACC NRM’s contributions to our national NRM snapshots
