Author: Bronwyn Robertson

NT: Resilient and Sustainable Industries

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Investigate and implement a range of options to support local sustainable industries, including promoting local markets, managing water quality and supply, supporting innovation, value adding, knowledge transfer and regional branding.

Justification

We can work with our agricultural community to create/promote a new image for the region that is focussed on regenerating landscapes, growing prosperity and abundance for local people and communities. Our local agricultural community is the place to start. We can support farming techniques that result in cleaner water, less water use, healthier food, better profit margins and happier communities. This approach could help transform farming communities, rebranding and re-enlivening the sector.

Examples of Local Action

  • Investigate and trial the use of drought resistant crops, which require less water use.

NT: Bicentennial Lakes – Community and Environmental Values

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Manage and protect the values of Bicentennial Lakes in Mareeba, to ensure their social and environmental values are maintained.

Justification

Bicentennial Lakes provide an easily accessible, natural space for the local community. There are recognised connections between healthy waterways and healthy communities. Maintaining the natural values of these areas will ensure their long term health, as well as providing benefit to local communities.

Examples of Local Action

  • Develop a plan and appropriate actions for the ongoing management of Bicentennial Lakes, involving the community and Mareeba Shire Council.

NT: Protecting Waterways

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Protect and maintain the health of waterways, including from the risk of introduced pest fish and plants from the aquarium trade.

Justification

Pest fish and aquatic plants have the potential to impact significantly on the environmental, social and hydrological values of local waterways. Increasing community awareness about the risks of pest fish and aquatic plants can help to minimise their impacts and avoid any further release of these species to waterways.

Examples of Local Action

  • Monitor the sale of aquarium plants and fish to ensure species at risk of becoming invasive are not being sold eg. Amazon Frogbit, Bog Moss, Water Mimosa, Water Hyacinth.

NT: Feral Pig Control

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Conduct a coordinated feral pig control program across the Tablelands, using a range of methods.

Justification

Pigs are destructive in the local landscape, damaging the natural and agricultural values of the Northern Tablelands. A large scale feral pig control program needs to occur, with all stakeholders involved, for maximum effectiveness and reduction in pig numbers.

Examples of Local Action

  • Use a range of feral pig control methods in high risk areas, including trapping, poisoning and hunting.
  • Involve Traditional Owners in pig control activities. Investigate innovative approaches, such as whether it would be viable to provide feral pig carcasses to places like the crocodile farm, to reduce pig numbers and provide a financial return to Indigenous pig hunters.
  • Re-introduce the use of the chiller box (at the sale yards in Mareeba), which could be regulated by private enterprise.

NT: Water Supply and Security

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Secure adequate and consistent water supply for environmental purposes, including wetland areas which are dependent on water supplied externally from dams and storages.

Justification

The lagoons, wetlands and lakes in the Northern Tablelands have strong social and cultural values. Some of these areas, including the Mareeba Wetlands and Bicentennial Lakes, rely on external water sources to maintain water levels. If this water is not available, the wetlands will disappear, affecting all their environmental, social and cultural values.

Examples of Local Action

  • Work with Sunwater to develop an agreement regarding secure water availability to local wetlands, including Mareeba Wetlands and Bicentennial Lakes.

NT: Community Capacity Support

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Ensure sufficient support is available to community organisations to maintain their capacity, so they remain effective and capable of delivering outcomes for the local community and environment.

Justification

Community organisations provide an essential link between government / external stakeholders and local communities and Traditional Owners. They can act as a go-between from higher level organisations to the people who can get things happening on the ground. Providing sufficient support, including training, funding and resources, will allow those community organisations to continue functioning effectively.

Examples of Local Action

  • Develop and support ranger programs with local Indigenous people.

HB: Coordinated Fire Management

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Implement a coordinated approach to fire management, across landholders and landscapes, incorporating cultural and ecological knowledge to improve outcomes from controlled burns.

Justification

Fire management brings multiple benefits, including weed management, removing pest animal harbourage and ecological and cultural outcomes. A coordinated approach across all tenures and land uses will bring the best outcomes.

Examples of Local Action

  • Develop and make available a fire toolkit to educate and raise awareness of fire management appropriate to our area.
  • Identify suitable locations and, where appropriate, investigate the use of early dry season, cool fire as a management tool in degraded wetland areas. This may be an option in particular areas, such as those with a high weed biomass, limited ecological or hydrological function or where access is difficult.
  • Investigate whether developing and implementing appropriate fire management programs can open up opportunities in carbon credit programs.

HB: Prevention of New Biosecurity Risks

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Focus on new incursions and those that provide a ‘stitch in time’ outcome, with significant financial returns.

Justification

Delayed action on new biosecurity risks often results in a no-win situation, with ongoing financial loss / burden and environmental impacts. Good communication and partnerships with others will support better biosecurity outcomes.

Examples of Local Action

  • Conduct ongoing R&D to identify the best control measures (biological control, etc) of the main weeds (currently Siam weed, African Tulip trees, Navua Sedge, Gamba Grass) and use this information to conduct on ground weed management.
  • Continue with current biosecurity programs and review regularly to ensure value for money and outcomes achieved.
  • Implement a coordinated control program on Gamba Grass to prevent its spread to the lower Herbert catchment eg. use adaptive fire regimes to control infestations in the upper catchment, conduct education and awareness raising in the lower Herbert, coordinate stakeholder planning now to prepare and respond to the threat of Gamba Grass.

HB: Feral Animal Control Program

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Conduct a coordinated and ongoing program of feral animal control across all land tenures.

Justification

The environmental and economic impact of feral animals has a significant effect on local communities and ecosystems. Consistent and coordinated control of feral animals is required to minimise these impacts.

Examples of Local Action

  • Use fire as a tool to remove harbourage areas for feral animals.

HB: Agriculture for the Next Generation

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Invest in the next generation of farmers so agriculture remains a viable and attractive career option for young people.

Justification

Sustaining agricultural industries requires new, younger people to join the industry and to be able to develop their careers in this field. Generating an interest and enthusiasm in the younger generation to enter agricultural industries can bring new ideas to the farming sector and make sure there are viable, well-managed agricultural industries operating into the future.

Examples of Local Action

  • Develop graduate programs and pathways into agriculture.
  • Develop mentoring programs for more experienced farmers to support and nurture young farmers.
  • Develop and deliver small, hands on activities to engage younger farmers at other agricultural events eg. field days, digging deeper programs.

HB: Community Culture Change

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Conduct a communication campaign to raise awareness of natural resource management to help bring about a culture change in the community.

Justification

Changing attitudes will lead to onground change. Engaging people by focusing on issues they care about and providing factual information will increase support for good NRM initiatives, facilitating better planning, management and outcomes.

Examples of Local Action

  • Organise and support community events and forums eg. NRM forum, school events.
  • Establish a data hub to make NRM information easily accessible to the community and NRM stakeholders eg. weed and pest mapping, catchment and prioritisation plan.

HB: Meaningful Traditional Owner Partnerships

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Improve collaboration between all stakeholders, including Traditional Owners, for planning and implementation of natural and cultural resource management projects.

Justification

Facilitating meaningful Traditional Owner involvement in broader NRM requires a commitment to investing time and resources to develop relationships. It is vital to involve Traditional Owners early, during project planning, to ensure cultural considerations are incorporated into projects in a meaningful way.

Examples of Local Action

  • Joint agreement between all Traditional Owner groups in the southern Wet Tropics region, Terrain NRM and NQ Dry Tropics to develop and deliver truly collaborative initiatives for natural and cultural resource management.