Caring for country - Northern and Yorke Natural Resources ...

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4board talk Lynne walden General Manager, Crystal Brook Wise investments in crucial resources Achieving balance between using and protecting our natural resources is a huge challenge. The Northern and Yorke NRM Board is working with partners to this end - all the way from Hamley Bridge to Port Augusta and Hawker, and across Yorke Peninsula. Our region contributes about a quarter of the State’s total agricultural production from cropping and livestock. Its economic stability depends on sustainable agribusiness, which are all affected by the way natural resources are managed. Achieving long term positive change takes time. Surveys, scoping studies, planning and working with community groups to increase their involvement in NRM activities is a lengthy process which will ensure better outcomes for our natural resources. The Board’s greatest challenge is allocating limited resources effectively across the vast array of NRM priorities in the region. The Board has worked with stakeholders to develop a strategic NRM Plan which sets long-term NRM targets for the region. Each year, programs are developed which build incrementally on those of previous years. This is how the NRM Plan’s targets are achieved. For example, if the target is ‘improved native vegetation’, then first pests must be controlled, land revegetated and then its condition monitored to ensure the program is ‘working’. It follows that NRM investment must ensure best possible value for money. The NRM Plan is underpinned by the Board’s three year Business Plan (2010-13) which outlines regional NRM strategies and action targets, and highlights past achievements. The Board delivers the NRM Plan through its six investment program areas: • Healthy soils - $747,000 (for this financial year); • Healthy terrestrial ecosystems - $1.68 million; • Viable water resources - $541,000; • Healthy coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems - $342,000; • Minimal pest impact - $872,000; and • Community driven NRM - $1.08 million. In terms of soils, the Board supports landholders to protect the capability of our economic base - agriculture. In collaboration with farmer support groups and a Landcare facilitator, it provides advice on soil health, grazing management and pest weed control. Water is increasingly being recognised as a precious resource, and the introduction of a Water Affecting Activities (WAA) permit system has been implemented to help ensure its long-term sustainability. A water officer has been engaged to promote the WAA system and help landholders understand processes and requirements. The Board also supports sustainable farming. Regional farmer groups, under the umbrella of the Ag Ex Alliance, are developing and testing new sustainable methodologies and spreading messages about better farming practices through demonstration sites and regular workshops. The community plays a vital role in NRM. For example, a community committee has been set up to plan and implement the Baroota Prescribed Area, while coastal councils have collaborated to develop a coastal access management strategy to protect sensitive coastal vegetation and provide access to recreational areas. The Board also supports a biodiversity program in the Southern Flinders Ranges – where Peppermint Box and Iron grass woodlands are under threat. These assets are a key target of the Australian Government under its Caring For Our Country funding program and activities, and regular monitoring using the community based bushland condition monitoring has been implemented over the last year. More than 5000 ha have been restored, and more than 40 sites are now monitored regularly. Pest control is another Board focus, with more than 50,000 ha of weed control undertaken across the region during 2009-10. The Board has also worked successfully with landholders in the region’s far north to eradicate rabbits. Farmers have been thrilled by achievements, which are more apparent following revegetation of these sites with hardy local native species. Meanwhile, an extensive fox-bating program in the southern Yorke Peninsula continues to produce excellent results in partnership with the national park programs. Increasing numbers of farmers have undertaking baiting, with improved outcomes for graziers and enhanced native habitats leading to the return of several local native fauna species. In terms of Community Driven NRM, 46 projects were successfully completed last year including 20 school programs. Board staff attended many local events such as the YP Field days, Port Augusta Marine Environment Day and country shows, providing information and support to local farmers and community members. In addition, the Board has allocated $207,000 to 29 projects under its Community Grants Scheme. Other regional projects include a small community funding program, several research projects into the potential impact of climate change on soils and pests, monitoring of underground water and an Aboriginal knowledge project. The Board is developing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework, using specific achievement indicators to determine our NRM achievements. This vital area of NRM ensures we are achieving the NRM targets in the long term. An annual report card will compare our yearly progress. In June 2010, the Board said farewell to its inaugural presiding member Merv Lewis, who had a long-term involvement in regional NRM. On behalf of the Board, I now warmly welcome Caroline Schaefer as our new presiding member and look forward to working with her to continue to build on Merv’s work to manage and protect our region’s natural resources. Estimated Income Sources Board Programs - Proposed Expenditure 2010-11 Jayne Bishop Educator, Peterborough I have been on the NYNRM Board for two years. My experience is in school teaching, adult training, water resources, conservation and networking information about sustainable land management since the early ‘90s. The issues we face concerning water, land, coastal/marine, biodiversity and pest animal/plant control are inextricably linked, and the formation of Natural Resources Management Boards is timely and appropriate. Climate change doesn’t depend on science, but on the knowledge that climate changes and always has. Adaptation occurs best when natural systems are preserved and rehabilitated, in regards to the extent that they are connected and can thus move naturally over time through inherent processes. I encourage diversification on-farm, connectivity and the benefits of riparian vegetation for crops, stock, biodiversity and water conservation. Fencing waterways from stock minimises erosion and water pollution. With good planning, reforestation can be recognised as having economic benefits as an investment product and also subsequent local climatic effects that benefit crops and stock. I spent five years establishing homelands schools on the Pitjantjatjara and Maralinga/Tjarutja Lands in the far North West of South Australia. In this time I became aware of the huge potential of food, medicines and timber that is indigenous to Australia that we have hardly explored in mainstream agriculture/ forestry (probably because indigenous Australians hadn’t developed a need for sedentary agriculture before invasion). The knowledge of the elders is immense, and I am committed to Aboriginal engagement in this regard, since European Australia is in its infancy in respect to sustainable land management and the value of indigenous species, beyond National Parks and Conservation areas. These species are naturally suitable for the conditions of this country and thus potentially more sustainable in the long term. Indigenous food also tastes good, is good for you and well worth efforts to develop them commercially. John Cornish Primary Industry and Resources SA The Northern and Yorke Drought Taskforce has prepared a report that identifies the key learnings from drought and identifies strategies required for drought recovery across the region. Drought Taskforce chair Jeff Burgess said there is an opportunity for the taskforce to utilise the next twelve months with the resources of a regional coordinator to move into recovery. He acknowledged the support of Minister O’Brien and the State Government in providing 11 phases of drought support and now recovery to regional communities and businesses. He went on to say that there are areas that have not really moved into recovery, particularly the Upper North Cropping area. The Taskforce has supported a new application for Exceptional Circumstance for this area, and an inspection by National Rural Advisory Council is likely by September. The taskforce is keen to monitor the progress of the new national drought program being piloted in Western Australia. The program has a focus on supporting farmers to prepare for dry seasons through effective planning and is a move away from an emergency response and Interest Rate Subsidies. Strategies in the Report on Drought Response and Strategies for Recovery will guide the focus of the taskforce and provide information on the needs of the agricultural industry and rural communities to governments, key agencies and interested groups. If you would like more information, please contact Primary Industries and Resources SA Northern recovery coordinator Liz Connell on 88426270. 26 Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board
4board talk From left: Jackie O’Reilly, Wayne Hutchins (Department for Water), Cathy Bowman, John Cornish (Primary Industries of SA), Anita Crisp (Central Region of Local Government), Lynne Walden (general manager), Eric Sommerville, Caroline Schaefer (presiding member), Kerry Ward), Pam Pilkington, Neville Wilson and Claudia Smith. Not present: Tim Collins (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and Jayne Bishop. Photo: Catherine Gasmier Jackie o’reilly Horticulture, small business and engagement, Wirrabara Forest Balance – what is it and how do we find it? Who gives and who takes? How do we measure it? Our living world is the biological medium that supports all that we have. A living interconnected organism. Investing in our natural resources is an investment in our future. Many of us look to government and other major players for the answer, with the expectation that ‘they’ should solve this dilemma. Certainly I believe many policies are economically geared and deserve a much increased environmental value. The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists has coined such considerations in Accounting for Nature - A Model for Building the National Environmental Accounts of Australia. www. wentworthgroup.org Here it discusses the need to value the services that nature provides, and to monitor the health of our natural world in much the same way as we do our economic world. With increased taxpayer-funded environmental spending occurring, the Wentworth group points out that we do not have a commensurate accounting system in place. The Conservation Council of South Australia has attempted to answer some of these questions in its recently released South Australia in a Changing Climate – A Blueprint for a Sustainable Future (www.conservationsa.org.au) As individuals I feel we have the most important role to play, as it is our day to day decisions that impact on the elements on which we depend – our water, soil health, marine life, vegetation communities and fauna habitat. Daily we also play a role in waste management and pest and disease control, as well as resource consumption. How we journey through our lives and the footprints we make along the way is what we will leave behind for future generations. We as a human race have not yet learned to reconcile our lifestyles and prosperity with functioning natural ecosystems. It is our choices that will reflect who we are. Claudia Smith Environmentalist, Port Victoria I am a proud and active member of my community. I grew up on the Yorke Peninsula and am part of a fishing family. I have devoted my 16 year career to aged care and Aboriginal health and have been working in the Aboriginal health/education sector for 10 years. I am a Chairperson on the Port Victoria Progress Association Steering Committee for the Medical Facility and a member of the Aboriginal Ethics Committee, Aboriginal Heritage Committee and Narungga Nations Aboriginal Corporation (NNAC) for Land. I am particularly proud of my role as a researcher and writer/recorder of family histories. I have a strong interest in the protection and conservation of natural resources and am committed to ensuring that development does not negatively impact on the health and environment of Aboriginal communities. I am pleased to be a representative on the Northern and Yorke NRM Board. Pamela Pilkington Farmer, Crystal Brook My interest in natural resource management has evolved and expanded throughout my lifetime of growing up, living and working in the Koolunga, Redhill and Crystal Brook communities. Being involved in farming for the entirety has exposed me to the challenges land managers face. These challenges include protecting soils, reducing pests, looking after waterways and maintaining healthy ecosystems. We also have a crucial role in managing these resources sustainably to pass on to future generations. A particular interest I have is in protecting and maintaining native plant species, remnant native vegetation and ecological communities. I see the need to enhance connectivity between these systems. Effective control of pest plants along roadsides, in parks and reserves, as well as agricultural land, will assist in the re-establishment of many native species. Native grasses which are incorporated as an integral component of grazing pastures have proven valuable in supplementing year round fodder, as well as stabilising soils during summer periods, and I would like to see continued support for graziers who have implemented this practice. I value the importance of vibrant, supportive communities which develop strong networks, and work together to achieve desired outcomes. Many valuable projects have been undertaken throughout the region, with immense benefits not only to the natural resources, but also to building the capacity of our communities. Economically viable country communities are the backbone of our Northern and Yorke region, and one of our greatest challenges is to provide the support which our farmers need to produce an efficient, safe and secure food supply for our nation, and globally, into the future. Kerry Ward Vigneron, Clare I am a vigneron from Clare with experience in Local Government, soil conservation, animal and plant control and water resource management. The next stage of water resource management for the Board is the creation of the Baroota Water Allocation Plan (WAP). I am the chairperson of the local committee overseeing the process. The task of this committee, on behalf of the Board, is to help balance the interests of the three major stakeholders. They are the water dependent ecosystems of the Baroota catchment, the groundwater irrigators and the Baroota reservoir, which dominates the surface water flows and contributes some of the recharge to the ground water systems. The Baroota WAP will be the first plan of the Board to create licences that have four management components as required by the National Water Initiative (NWI). This initiative is an Australia-wide approach to improving the management of water resources. In Clare the completion of the Clare WAP has resulted in the conversion of the area-based allocations to volumetric allocations. This is one of the reforms that have resulted from the NWI guidelines. The Clare WAP will also be amended in the next few years by ‘unbundling’ the existing licences, so that they also consist of four components as required by the NWI. kathleen Bowman Farmer, Orroroo I wonder if many of us think about how much planning we do in our everyday lives. I’m sure it’s a lot more than most of us realise. We plan on a daily basis, what we’ll cook for dinner for example and which paddock to spray today. We plan on a weekly and monthly basis, where and when to shift our stock and our seeding and harvesting activities. Most importantly, we plan on a yearly basis, our crop rotations, our stock and cropping enterprise mix and whether or not our cash flow budget will stack up. Without planning I’m concerned we would spend far too much of our time ‘chasing our tails’. We on the NYNRM Board have spent the better part of the past two years planning, both for the next year and for the short to medium term. I have felt that it has been a rather long, drawn out process but I’m very pleased now to have a blueprint with which to work. It makes what we do so much easier to manage. That is the aspect of NRM which I worry is being under-appreciated. The object of the Board is natural resource MANAGEMENT. It is our duty to put in place policies which are to the advantage of everyone involved in the sector. Here in the Northern and Yorke region where so much of our natural resources are in the hands of our farming community, it is very important that not only do we make sure that our policies protect our soils, our water resources, our coasts and marine ecosystems and our biodiversity, they also should be aimed at keeping our farmers viable and sustainable. That is our challenge - to get the mix right and have sufficient for all players. Eric Sommerville Farmer, Spalding As a new member to the Northern and Yorke NRM Board, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Eric Sommerville and I am a fifth generation farmer in the Spalding District. I and my wife, Judith, and our two sons, Damien and Ben, manage a farming and agricultural contracting business. We continuously crop all arable country and have been direct drilling since the early 1980s. Stubble retention and soil structure has been a major focus on our farm. Sheep lightly graze our stubble over the summer for approximately twelve weeks to manage grain residues and re-growth. I believe agriculture is maligned for its damage to the environment, whereas my opinion is, and I see it on a daily basis, most farmers are excellent stewards of the land. Acidic soils are being limed, organic content is increasing, pest plants controlled and revegetation patches are appearing. Farmers now talk of integrated weed and pest management and are very aware of the environment. I am intensely proud of the young farmers in our district and believe that we can achieve a lot in the next decade. My interest in the environment goes back to the 1970s when Judith and I decided to ‘pretty up the place’ by planting trees and to stop some dust and wind around the house and sheds. Since then, we have fenced off sites for revegetation, planted wind breaks and tried to minimise dust wherever possible. Natural resource management is a natural extension of this. As a member of the Yackamoorundie Landcare Group, I became aware of the Northern and Yorke NRM Board and to cut a long story short, I was appointed to it in April 2010. I have been ‘blown away’ by the size and responsibilities of the Board. Soil structure, water management, pests, plants, animals and coastlines are all in the portfolio. My particular interests are soils, water and pests (like farming, really). The first few months have been enlightening and enthralling and I look forward to the future with the Board. Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board 27
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