Caring for our Country

What is NRM?

Border Rivers-Gwydir - Natural Resource Management region

Regional summary

Map of the region

The Border Rivers-Gwydir region is one of the headwaters catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin. Located in the north of the state, and encompassing tablelands, slopes and plains to the west of the Great Dividing Range, the land resources of the region have been extensively developed for broad-acre crops and for grazing; however, significant areas of native vegetation remain.

Both the regional plan and investment strategy were approved in February 2004. Funding was provided for the Border Rivers-Gwydir region to support priority activities and activities from the agreed investment strategy based on the accredited regional plan.

Priority issues

The key natural resource management issues in the region are:

Specific issues include managing groundwater accessions, soil erosion and other forms of degradation, the reduction and degradation of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, the loss or degradation of riparian habitats, reduced water quality, provision of environmental flows, fish passage, cold water pollution, impacts of weeds and pest animals, and outbreaks of blue-green algae.

Regional plan

The former Border Rivers and Gwydir Catchment Management Boards - predecessors to the current Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority - prepared integrated natural resource management (NRM) plans, or blueprints, for what is now the Border Rivers-Gwydir region, incorporating social, economic and environmental elements of NRM. These blueprints are based on a whole-of-catchment approach and set 10-year catchment condition targets for the priority NRM issues of the region. They outline the tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve these targets.

These blueprints form the basis for the development of Investment Strategies that are used to attract funding from the Australian and state governments, and from other sources, for the specific actions identified in the Investment Strategy.

Through the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) and the Natural Heritage Trust (the Trust) funding, the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority provides information and incentives to resource managers to encourage strong community involvement in the region's NRM and foster projects and practical activities that benefit the environment and the community.

Current activities

NRM priority Activities addressing the priority
Biodiversity
  • providing incentives for retention of priority native vegetation for biodiversity outcomes
  • identification of priority biodiversity assets in the region
Riverine ecosystems
  • providing incentives for better wetland and riverine management
  • identification of priority riverine assets in the region
Dryland and riverine salinity
  • identification of salt-tolerant plant species for rehabilitation of salinised land
  • providing incentives for retention of priority native vegetation for management of groundwater accessions and levels
  • measurement of deep drainage under cropping and identification of high water use efficiency vegetation management practices
  • monitoring of salt levels to direct investment and assess programme outcomes
  • mapping of salinity risk as a basis for argeting on-ground investments
Soil and land use management
  • providing financial incentives to farmers to identify and adopt improved land use practices for better natural resource management.
  • monitoring of soil condition to direct investment and assess programme outcomes

Contacts

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Regional Facilitators for New South Wales.

Region summaries

You can also use your town name to find your NRM Region.

Key

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