Caring for our Country funding announced
Business plan 2009-10 successful projects base-level funding
The table below lists the base level funding for regional NRM organisations within each state. Each state and territory also received funding through the Business plan 2009-10 competitive process.
| New South Wales | ||
|---|---|---|
| Region / NRM organisation | Project description | Funding approved from July 2009 |
| Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA | The Border Rivers Gwydir Catchment Management Authority will deliver integrated projects delivering on multiple Caring for our Country targets. These projects will be underpinnned by community engagement to support landscape change that adds to the National Reserve System, increases and improves native habitat and reduces the impact of weeds and rabbits. Additionally education and awareness workshops will be undertaken to increase the capacity of landholders in the Ramsar listed Gwydir Wetlands to maintain and restore the ecological values of the area. Partnerships will continue to be established with Indigenous groups, including the maintenance of the Aboriginal Reference and Advisory Group and the recording of traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge for future generations. | $4,410,803 (over 3 years) |
| Central West CMA | The proposal establishes investments in biodiversity, weeds of national significance, sustainable farm practices, critical aquatic habitats and community skills, knowledge and engagement. It makes the most critical investments needed to achieve on ground outcome and to secure the institutional foundations required in the region for the integrated delivery of this strategic approach. The Central West region includes the Castlereagh, Bogan and Macquarie River valleys and covers an area of approximately 92,000 km². Major issues in the region include dryland salinity, declining surface water quality and health and extent of native vegetation, degradation of river and wetland ecosystems and deterioration of soils. The Central West region is also home to the Ramsar listed Macquarie Marshes. | $9,075,050 (over 4 years) |
| Hawkesbury-Nepean CMA | The Hawkesbury-Nepean CMA (HNCMA) draws on the capacity generated by 16 years of catchment management in this region. Community participation is a key element and high level institutional partnerships introduce additional capacity and resources. The project is an integrated landscape approach involving landholders in priority areas and focussing on multiple Caring for our Country outcomes. Key on-ground activities including reducing threats to native habitat, revegetation to link key remnants including cumberland plain woodland, strategic weed and pest management again focussing on important native vegetation including areas that impact on the values of the Blue Mountains world heritage area. | $9,045,400 (over 4 years) |
| Hunter-Central Rivers CMA | The proposal establishes investments in biodiversity, weeds of national significance, World Heritage and Ramsar, sustainable farm practices, coastal hotspots and community, skills, knowledge and engagement.The Hunter-Central Rivers CMA plays a vital role in managing a unique and diverse 37 000 square kilometres of the east coast of NSW - from Taree in the north, to Gosford and the coastal waterways of the Central Coast in the south, and from Newcastle in the east to the Merriwa Plateau and Great Dividing Range in the west. Key issues in the Hunter-Central Rivers region include urban development, loss of biodiversity and native vegetation, erosion, wetland degradation and loss, water quality, salinity and declining soil health. | $9,007,008 (over 4 years) |
| Lachlan CMA | The Lachlan catchment is located in central western New South Wales and covers an area of approximately 84,700 km². The geology of the Lachlan Catchment is quite complex and has a significant impact on salinity and the management options available to land managers. The catchment has a number of Nationally Important Wetlands. The catchment exhibits a rich diversity of fauna with over 32 amphibians, 109 reptiles, 337 birds, 78 mammals recorded in the Lachlan. An overall decline in the species diversity in the catchment is largely the result of fragmentation of vegetation leading to a decrease in connectivity across the landscape. As a result of this decline 121 species have been listed as threatened under the State and Commonwealth legislation. |
$9,241,665 (over 4 years) |
| Lower Murray Darling CMA | Activities will be undertaken by the CMA across 6.3 million hectares of south western NSW. This work will build on previous work delivering measurable improvement to the landscape resilience, sustainable agriculture and vibrant informed communities. The key activities in this proposal:
|
$3,686,000 (over 2 years) |
| Murray CMA | This proposal builds and improves on NRM programs delivered by Murray CMA over the last five years. A market-based instrument (MBI) will be the primary delivery mechanism. Eligibility and Assessment Criteria will be specified to ensure:
|
$12,750,000 (over 4 years) |
| Murrumbidgee CMA | The Murrumbidgee Regional Investment Strategy outlines investments that will ensure effective progression to achieve a wide range of Caring for our Country national outcomes and associated targets. Critical investments include managing native vegetation and protecting threatened and endangered flora and fauna for biodiversity conservation through the implementation of property vegetation plans and associated incentives with landholders, and reducing threats to the Ramsar sites and Lowbidgee high conservation value aquatic ecosystems. The Murrumbidgee Region includes wetland of national and international importance, a number of endangered assets, managed public parks and reserves, and privately managed grazing and grain producing areas. The major threats to these assets include loss of native habitat, erosion and loss of soil structure, and biodiversity decline. | $14,843,419 (over 4 years) |
| Namoi CMA | The proposal includes building the region's strategic approach to integrated natural resource management, maintaining critical partnerships in delivery and key delivery activities and ensuring the region has the governance to achieve the required results and to report effectively on progress. It will see an increase in native habitat, including endangered grassland ecosystems, brigalow dominant and co-dominant ecosystems and upland wetlands. The allocation will also provide education/skills for and engagement of land managers to implement BMP to increase soil carbon and support implementation. Community skills, knowledge and engagement will also be supported via biodiveristy workshops and field days that target EPBC listed species and ecosystems and develop a stakeholder network in relation to endangered grassland ecosystem and species conservation. An Aboriginal Communities Program will provide an Aboriginal Community Support Officer to deliver training and engagement activity in the Catchment. Partnership support for Aboriginal Communities will deliver partnerships that progress access to country and community capacity development as well as deliver education to the non-Aboriginal community regarding the importance of cultural values. |
$3,318,000 (over 2 years) |
| Northern Rivers CMA | The Northern Rivers covers approximately 50,000 square kilometers and includes Lord Howe Island. The region is rich in agricultural production, timber production, commercial fishing and tourism and the major industries are beef and sheep production, dairying, sugar, farm forestry, horticulture and the nursery industry. The region includes sensitive EECs, World Heritage Areas, as well as significant areas of National Reserve and Indigenous Protected Areas. This investment includes addressing biodiversity and natural icons through increasing connectivity on of Tablelands and managing critical threats in Littoral Rainforest and Coastal EECs and reducing WONS through engagement of land managers, community groups and volunteers targeting containment lines and outlying infestations in priority non-coastal areas; treatment against Bitou Bush and Lantana in priority land/tidal interface areas. Sustainable farm practices will be addressed through incentive programs targetting landmanagers to improve organic soil carbon and soil acidification. Coastal areas will be protected through community organisations being engaged to implement coastal protection works. | $7,327,721 (over 4 years) |
| Southern Rivers CMA | The Southern Rivers regions comprises 35% of the NSW coastline, 65% public land providing the backbone for landscape scale conservation, significant primary production industries that will benefit from improved soil management practices and woodland conservation, a large growing coastal population and high complex Aboriginal population. This investment outlines the investments that will provide extension support and financial incentives for private land managers to implement grassland conservation works, strategic control of WONS to protect core areas of high conservation value Native Temperate Grassland alternative grazing management practices and training and knowledge and skill building. Communities will be supported to deliver coastal priorities across the 460kms of Southern Rivers coastline with a particular focus of the involvement of Aboriginal communities. | $9,850,000 (over 4 years) |
| Sydney Metropolitan CMA | The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority region represents one of Australia's most critical and complex landscapes. Botany Bay has been identified as a biodiversity 'hotspot' of great significance and the region is seeking to improve its water quality through improved planning, water sensitive urban design and other natural resource management actions including areas around the Cooks and Georges rivers. The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority (CMA) region includes other significant sites such as Towra Point Ramsar Wetland, located at Kurnell Peninsula in Botany Bay and those with endangered ecological communities such as Cumberland plain, eastern banksia scrub and high blue gum forest. However a number of threatening processes affect the region, including unsustainable land use practices, invasive pests and weeds, habitat fragmentation and high levels of urban and peri-urban expansion. These processes are decreasing the ecological resilience of the region's natural assets and as such have been targeted by the CMA in its investment proposal. | $1,528,000 (over 2 years) |
| Western CMA | The Western CMA proposal delivers on multiple Caring for our Country Targets through planning process that have developed an integrated approach to Natural Resource Management based on 'whole of Catchment'. The WCMA base funding project addresses Caring for Our Country targets through targeted contracted partnerships with other organisations and/or devolved grants. Western CMA continues to maintain critical partnerships in delivery and key delivery activities. Areas of focus are Rangeland Land Management Conservation, Ramsar Wetlands and High Conservation Value areas such as the Paroo and Barwon River, targeting of weeds of National significance through the containment of existing Mesquite infestations, removal of Athel Pine and Parkinsonia threats and the implementation of early warning mechanisms for other WONS. Investment across all targets will rely heavily on on-ground works, community education and capacity building including with the Aboriginal community. | $8,567,662 (over 4 years) |
| Total for New South Wales | $102,650,728 | |