Burdekin - Natural Resource Management region

Regional summary

Map of the region

The Burdekin region, located in north eastern Queensland, covers an area of approximately 133,432 square kilometers (around 8 percent of the state) and has a population of around 190,000. The region comprises several sub-catchments and spans three main bioregions. The region's assets include biodiversity, land such as national parks, stock routes, grazing, cropping, soil and water and the Great Barrier Reef.

Priority issues

The Burdekin region is being challenged to maintain and improve the ecological and environmental health of its natural resources. The key problem areas identified by partner agencies and the Australian Government programs are:

an increase in sediment and nutrient run-off on the Great Barrier Reef
excessive grazing pressure
insufficient community engagement and capacity
lack of traditional owner involvement
loss of biodiversity
native vegetation degradation
pest plants and animals
water quality degradation
salinity
soil degradation
unsustainable development
poor data and monitoring

Regional plan

The Burdekin Dry Tropics Board was responsible for developing the Burdekin NRM Plan, in consultation with the local councils and the community. This plan was based on a whole-of-region approach and address significant NRM issues incorporating social, environmental and economic aspects. The Burdekin Dry Tropics Board was also responsible for developing the regional investment strategy.

This is essentially the business plan that attracts investment from the Australian and state governments and details the specific actions, costs and timeframes required to implement the regional plan.

Burdekin plan - accredited May 2005

Current activities

NRM priority	Activities addressing the priority
Improving water quality	encouraging changes to land management practices in the Bowen-Broken River catchment and Lower Burdekin area
Water quality and salinity management	initiation of a Lower Burdekin water quality and salinity management programme
Dryland salinity	assessment of the dryland salinity problem in the Belyando Suttor sub-catchment and mapping of salinity hazard for the entire region
Wetlands and waterways assessment	whole of catchment assessment and prioritisation of wetlands and waterways
Improving community involvement	NRM InfoBase and encouraging community involvement in the Burdekin Dry Tropics region
Aboriginal Traditional Owner engagement	engaging Aboriginal Traditional Owner participation in National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality South West Queensland planning in the Burdekin Dry Tropics
Desert Uplands capacity building	encouraging community involvement in planning for sustainable production and natural resource management in Desert Uplands
Project planning	funding support for the Burdekin Dry Tropics Board and Facilitator network
Sustainable grazing land management	establishing consistent grazing patterns across the rangelands

Contacts

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Regional Facilitators for Queensland.

Region summaries

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

Key

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Australian Government NRM Team
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
1800 552 008 (toll-free)

DEWHA | DAFF | australia.gov.au | NAP | NHT
Caring for our Country is an Australian Government initiative jointly administered by the Australian Government departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

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