Australian Capital Territory - Natural Resource Management region
Regional summary
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) natural resources management region is a small landlocked area of 2358 square kilometres, which lies within the upper Murrumbidgee catchment. Its major features are rugged timbered mountains in the south and west, and plains and hill country in the north.
The Territory is home to 328,000 people. It comprises only 3 percent of the total Murrumbidgee catchment area, but contains 58 percent of the population and consequently there is an emphasis on urban issues. Canberra has grown to be a major population centre which impacts significantly on the environment. These impacts include the interruption of natural river flows and the disposal of waste.
More than half of the ACT region (53 percent) is included in conservation areas. This is the highest proportion of any Australian jurisdiction. Grazing of natural and modified pastures is the next most significant land use in the region.
Namadgi National Park covers 47 per cent of the region and includes a wide variety of habitats, ranging from broad grassy valleys to snow gum woodland and sub-alpine herb fields. Namadgi is also the northernmost part of the combined tri-state (New South Wales, Victoria and ACT) Australian Alps National Parks system.
Priority issues
Major natural resource management (NRM) issues relevant to the ACT include:
- competition for natural resources
- surface water flows and quality
- land degradation
- nature conservation
- weed and pest management
- stormwater management
Several on-going challenges exist in NRM, including those associated with changing land uses, conservation on private land, past land clearing and urban development.
Regional plan
Both the ACT and Australian Governments have accredited the Natural Resource Management Plan for the ACT. This plan details the ACT's strategic NRM targets as well as the management actions that will meet those targets. It also provides a link to the many existing Territory, regional, national and international plans and strategies associated with natural resource management.
- ACT Regional Plan - accredited May 2004
Current activities
Over 150 community groups are working with the Australian and ACT Governments and the ACT NRM Board to protect and enhance the region's land, biodiversity and water resources.
Contacts
Further information can be obtained by contacting the Regional Facilitators for the Australian Capital Territory.
Region summaries
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
You can also use your town name to find your NRM Region.
See also
Key
Links to another web site
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