Australia’s regional NRM organisations work to support healthy, productive and nature-rich landscapes
Natural Resource Management (NRM) is recognised around the world as the integrated management of the natural resources that make up our landscapes - land, water, soil, plants and animals. We rely on these assets, our environment, to provide essential services such as food production, water and clean air, and for regulating climate, absorbing waste, and preventing disease. In Australia, regional NRM organisations work with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver environmental, economic, cultural and social benefits across every region in the country.
Australia is the only country lucky enough to have a national regional NRM model. We are proud of the knowledge, skills, networks, relationships, strategic plans and committed people that help us sustain our natural resources.
Australia’s vast size and diverse ecosystems and communities means that regional natural resource management solutions must be adaptable enough to work with many different partners on many varied activities across Australia.
What is natural resource management?
Regional NRM planning
Three critical elements underpin the ongoing success of Australia’s regional NRM organisations:
Planning:
Integrated and place-based planning allows activities and investments to be optimised. Regional NRM planning can inform what, where and how projects should be delivered to build resilience and deliver better overall outcomes for nature and people. Regional NRM plans exist for every region in the country and are used nationally to guide best practice land management and nature repair.
Partnering:
Managing landscapes is complex and requires collaboration. Regional NRM organisations work across landscapes with landholders, industry, community groups, First Nations peoples, governments and many others from the local to national level. Participatory planning is a key feature of regional NRM plans - incorporating different voices increases community and environmental benefits, builds regional resilience and delivers more enduring on-ground success.
Delivering:
Regional NRM organisations have been delivering on-ground restoration and sustainable land management projects across Australia for over 20 years. It is what we do. Projects delivered by our members range from restoring vegetation for landscape connection and waterway protection, protecting and improving soils, controlling weeds and pest animals, monitoring and protecting threatened species, supporting adoption of innovative technologies for agricultural productivity and much, much more.