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caring for our country Achievements Report COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS AND CRITICAL AQUATIC HABITATS 2008 –2013 Coastal Environments and Critical Aquatic Habitats

Fragile ecosystems are being protected and rehabilitated by improving water quality, protecting Ramsar wetlands and delivering the Great Barrier Reef Rescue package. Table of contents

Introduction

Reef Rescue outcomes

Outcome 1 Reduce the discharge of dissolved nutrients and chemicals from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 25 per cent.

Outcome 2 Reduce the discharge of sediments and nutrients from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 10 per cent

Case study: Minimal soil disturbance in cane farming—Tully/Murray catchment, Queensland

Case study: Repairing bank erosion in the Upper Johnstone catchment, Queensland

Case study: Sugar cane partnerships, Mackay Whitsunday region, Queensland

Case study: Horticulturalists nurturing the reef, Mackay Whitsunday region, Queensland

Case study: Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships Program, Queensland

Outcome 3.1

Deliver actions that sustain the environmental values of priority sites in the Ramsar estate, particularly sites in northern and remote Australia.

Case study: Currawinya Lakes Ramsar wetland, Queensland

Case study: Macquarie Marshes Ramsar wetland, New South Wales

Case study: Interlaken Ramsar wetland, Tasmania

Case study: Peel–Yalgorup System Ramsar wetland, Western Australia

Outcome 3.2 Deliver actions that sustain the environmental values of an additional 25 per cent of (non-Ramsar) priority coastal and inland high conservation value aquatic ecosystems [now known as high ecological value aquatic ecosystems] including, as a priority, sites in the Murray–Darling Basin.

Case study: Lower Ovens River System high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Victoria

Case study: Derwent Estuary high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Tasmania

Case study: Anson Bay high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Northern Territory

Outcome 4 Improve the water quality management in the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary in New South Wales and in all priority coastal hotspots.

Case study: Corner Inlet coastal hotspot, Victoria

Case study: Gippsland Lakes, Victoria

Case study: Tuggerah Lakes Estuary, New South Wales

Case study: Botany Bay coastal hotspot, New South Wales

Case study: Hunter River Estuary coastal hotspot, New South Wales

Case study: Swan Canning Estuary System coastal hotspot, Western Australia

Case study: Vasse Wonnerup and Geographe Bay coastal hotspot, Western Australia Outcome 5 Increase the community’s participation in protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats

Case study: Glenelg Alliance, Victoria

Case study: Coastal communities protecting beach-nesting birds, Victoria

Case study: Catchment to coast—managing and restoring environmental values in the Cygnet River, South Australia

Case study: Water quality improvements in the Great Lakes—a community partnership, New South Wales

Case study: Partnerships protecting sea turtles, Queensland

Case study: Coastwest/Coastcare: engaging communities in caring for the coast, Western Australia

Case study: Caring for our Coast, New South Wales

Case study: Filling the gaps for Coastcare communities in southern Tasmania

Continued investment in Australia’s urban and coastal aquatic habitats – Phase II Caring for our Country 2013—2018

References Introduction

Australia’s coasts and critical aquatic habitats are significant environmental assets which are also fundamentally important to the Australian lifestyle and economy. These environments support ecosystems and provide habitat for threatened, marine and migratory species and they also have cultural and recreational values and support livelihoods. The Caring for our Country initiative recognised the importance of these ecosystem services by providing targeted investments to protect the Great Barrier Reef, Ramsar wetlands, high ecological value aquatic ecosystems and priority coastal hotspots. The Great Barrier Reef is an internationally significant coral reef ecosystem that requires special protection as a World Heritage area and matter of national environmental significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). All of these coastal and aquatic assets face a range of pressures, including declining water quality, climate change, dune erosion, habitat loss from urban development, land clearing and increased traffic from ports and marinas.

Identified priorities for the national priority area included reducing sediment and nutrient discharge to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, protecting and restoring Ramsar wetlands and high ecological value aquatic ecosystems, improving water quality in coastal hotspots and increasing community participation in coastal and aquatic restoration. Funded projects aimed to ensure that these sites are sustained into the future. Caring for our Country investments focused on particular approaches for achieving a number of strategic five-year outcomes. These approaches included:

 providing incentives for improved land management practices to reduce sediment, nutrients and chemical discharges from agricultural lands  allocating funding for planning and on-ground activities to conserve these environments  investing in research and practices to improve water quality. An essential aspect of these strategies was to build the capacity of communities and land managers, including Indigenous communities, to implement activities that improve coastal and aquatic assets. Community organisations played an important role in mitigating the challenges of climate change, population growth and degradation of coastal environments. Funding was provided to deliver training and knowledge and enhance the capacity and skills of local communities to take actions to rehabilitate coastal waterways and wetlands, prevent coastal erosion and protect important migratory bird sites. Indigenous communities were supported to reduce coastal and marine debris to protect threatened species such as turtles and dugongs.

In order to address the issues and challenges of the theme area, funding was targeted to achieve five outcomes by 2013:

 reduce the discharge of dissolved nutrients and chemicals from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 25 per cent  reduce the discharge of sediment and nutrients from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 10 per cent  deliver actions that sustain the environmental values of:  priority sites in the Ramsar estate, particularly sites in northern and remote Australia, and o an additional 25 per cent of (non-Ramsar) priority coastal and inland high ecological value aquatic ecosystems including, as a priority, sites in the Murray–Darling Basin o improve the water quality management in the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary in New South Wales and all priority coastal hotspots  increase the community’s participation in protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats. Various projects were funded to achieve the five-year outcomes and long-term objective for coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats. These projects, which aimed to improve environmental conditions and reverse the impact of threats to these assets, included:

 establishing stewardship arrangements to protect high conservation value areas  establishing buffer zones and fencing to protect water bodies from stock  improving the application of chemical fertiliser and herbicide  reducing and managing acid sulfate soils and salinity  restoring wetlands and coastal areas  revegetating and managing weeds in major waterways and remnant bushland  developing Indigenous land and sea country management projects  working with Indigenous communities to record and pass on traditional ecological knowledge and protect culturally important landscapes  trialling new technologies or techniques to improve water quality  expanding water quality monitoring programs. The achievement of five-year outcomes for this theme area assisted with reversing the impact of threats facing the Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s Ramsar wetlands and other high-value aquatic and coastal environments, while ensuring that local communities had the information and support to effectively address local threats to these environments. Ongoing efforts and investments are required to continue the successful management of priority coastal and aquatic sites. Reef Rescue outcomes1 Outcome 1 Reduce the discharge of dissolved nutrients and chemicals from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 25 per cent. Outcome 2 Reduce the discharge of sediments and nutrients from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 10 per cent.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef extends across 348 000 square kilometres of Queensland’s coastline and was listed as a World Heritage area in 1981 because of its outstanding universal value. One of its natural values is that the reef provides habitat for a number of protected species such as dugongs (Dugong dugon), grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles, and freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon). The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and contains a globally unique array of interconnected ecological communities, habitats and species. The integrity of these diverse ecosystems is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in cooperation with the Queensland and Australian governments. Tourism associated with the national icon supports around 63 000 jobs and contributes more than $5 billion annually to the Australian economy. In terms of agricultural production, the reef and its surrounding catchments contribute more than $40 billion to the Australian economy each year. The sea-country also has important cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous people, as it contains story places and marine totems. Since the declaration of the Great Barrier Reef Commonwealth Marine Park in 1975, the Australian Government has implemented various measures to address pressures on the reef. While the Great Barrier Reef is recognised as one of the best-managed marine protected areas in the world, it is under threat from a range of natural and human-induced disturbances. Threats include climate change, the crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), cyclones, floods, and coral bleaching events. These threats were addressed through the $200 million Reef Rescue program in the first phase of Caring for our Country. Reef Rescue will continue to be funded in the next phase of the initiative from 2013–2018.

In the first phase, the program comprised a number of components:  water quality grants for on-ground works, and funding for developing partnerships and community participation ($158 million over five years)  monitoring and reporting ($22 million over five years)  research and development ($10 million over two years)  Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships Program ($10 million over five years). Reducing the pollutants from land-based activities that enter the reef lagoon helped to improve the resilience of the reef against other pressures.

The Reef Rescue program supported agricultural land managers to reduce the discharge levels of nutrients, pesticide and sediment entering the reef from the land. Reef Rescue activities were undertaken to implement the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan). The Reef Plan was jointly agreed by the Australian and Queensland governments in 2003 and was updated in 2009. It is currently under review. Reef Rescue complemented the Reef Plan and sought to reduce the decline in water quality by 2013. The Australian and

1 All Reef Rescue figures are correct at February 2013. Queensland governments also recently announced a comprehensive strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area to create an agreed, long-term plan for sustainable development in the region. Key achievements of the Reef Rescue program:  understanding the water quality benefits of diverse agricultural practices  tailoring delivery to local conditions and leveraging local support  developing partnerships with industry  evidence-based prioritisation through robust and transparent investment metrics  embedding ongoing improvements within industry systems  demonstrating adaptation and effectively managing intervening factors such as floods and cyclones  data collection and reporting of program outputs and practice changes. The large-scale investment and five-year commitments of Reef Rescue allowed delivery agents to plan strategically to meet the ambitious targets of increasing the uptake of land managers to adopt improved land management practices. Land managers were assisted to improve water quality leaving their properties. The run-off of excessive amounts of chemicals and nutrients from pastoral properties has devastating consequences on the reef and surrounding mangrove ecosystems. These chemicals and nutrients can lead to loss of coral and the species that depend on it for survival. A key success of the Reef Rescue program was the integrated nature of investment, with $158 million committed over five years to provide water quality grants and develop partnerships to deliver targeted on-ground works. Minimal soil disturbance in cane farming—Tully/Murray catchment, Queensland

Reef Rescue funding supported Mario Raccanello, a land manager of a 241 hectare sugar cane farm near Tully, to address water quality issues relating to nutrients, pesticides and sediment run-off by implementing a new, sustainable farming system. With the farm located near a waterway and 10 per cent of the property prone to occasional flooding, improved farming practices on this property will have significant benefits for the quality of water in the catchment. Funding enabled Mario to transition his farming system from full tillage to zonal cultivations. Reduced cultivation of crops made the soil less prone to erosion. The zonal cultivator system allowed sugar cane to be planted without disturbing the inter-row space, while controlled traffic left the inter-row undisturbed and thereby minimised tillage. By transitioning to a system of zonal tillage, the amount of soil disturbance and movement of pollutants from planting will be reduced by approximately 50 per cent. Mario intends to develop a farm nutrient management plan for all of the blocks on his farm—this will allow him to apply the correct amount of nutrients and minimise losses. This project also involved the purchase of a new laser levelling mechanism that will help level the soil to minimise water logging and run-off, reducing erosion and the movement of nutrients attached to soil particles. By reducing excessive cultivation and passage of machinery, the structure and health of the soil will be improved over time. Improved soil structure and health will also improve crop productivity and result in more efficient use of nutrients. The combination of new practices being used to minimise the movement of pollutants and off-farm run-off will greatly improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef from this property.

The water quality grants component of Reef Rescue provided training, extension services and funding for on-ground works to land managers in priority catchments so that they could adopt improved practices that reduced pesticide, fertiliser and sediment run-off into the Great Barrier Reef. This aspect of the program achieved its land manager engagement targets in the first four years of the Caring for our Country initiative, having contracted more than 2900 individual land managers to undertake on-ground projects, including:

 reducing sediment loss from agricultural land through practices such as reduced tillage, retention of crop residues, minimisation of the effects of machinery through controlled traffic farming, establishment of good levels of ground cover between permanent planting and managing pastures to maintain adequate levels of ground cover  reducing losses and improving fertiliser efficiency on farmland  using pesticides more efficiently and reducing losses to waterways  undertaking strategic fencing activities and providing off-stream watering points for stock management and pasture/stock monitoring  improving the efficiency of use and management of irrigation water. Reef Alliance was the successful partnerships component of the Reef Rescue delivery model, acting as a collaborative network of six regional natural resource management (NRM) groups from the Burnett Mary, Fitzroy, Mackay Whitsundays, Burdekin, Cape York and Wet Tropics regions and five peak agricultural industry bodies, supported by conservation groups such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These organisations originally proposed the Reef Rescue program and successfully delivered the grants and partnerships components. Reef Alliance developed and refined an innovative delivery model that enabled agricultural land managers to use multiple pathways to engage with a program that was tailored to regional and industry circumstances, yet retained a clear focus on delivering water quality benefits. Repairing bank erosion in the Upper Johnstone catchment, Queensland

A grazing property on the Atherton Tablelands in the Upper Johnstone catchment received funding from Reef Rescue to reduce sediment loss from eroded areas and restrict cattle access to the gully and Williams Creek. The property owner also provided in-kind and cash contributions.

Before this project commenced, considerable work had already been done to repair bank erosion and sediment loss on the property. Funding from Reef Rescue supported fencing to prevent cattle access at two of the three cattle crossings and revegetation of the gully with approximately 3000 trees. Two off-stream watering points will be installed for the cattle as an alternative source of water, and water from the troughs will be used to irrigate the planted tree seedlings in periods of little rainfall. The trees will be planted using jute matting to reduce weed cover and water loss from the young plants.

Revegetating the gully will hold the creek banks in place and minimise soil loss from erosion, particularly in intense rainfall events. Gully fencing and off-stream watering will stop the cattle from drinking from the creek, thus preventing disturbance of banks and sediment run-off.

The water quality grants and partnerships component of Reef Rescue was supported by a $22 million monitoring and reporting program over five years, which was co-funded by and implemented with the Queensland Government. As one part of this monitoring and reporting, water quality report cards were produced. The first Reef Plan Water Quality Report Card was published in 2011 and used historical data and trends to estimate the status of key water quality indicators for the period preceding 2009. This information acted as a baseline point of comparison for measuring progress towards achieving Caring for our Country outcomes. In addition, Reef Rescue was further supported by a $10 million research package over two years. An integrated portfolio of 18 research projects aimed to increase understanding of the link between land management practices and environmental impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. These research projects focused on ensuring that the benefits of intervention could be demonstrated, learning could take place and future refinements could be identified.

The second report card for 2010 was published in 2013 and observed major positive change in the catchments. Overall, across the Great Barrier Reef region, there has been good progress by land managers towards Reef Plan targets. Twenty per cent of sugarcane growers, 11 per cent of graziers and 18 per cent of horticulture producers have adopted improved management practices (GBR, 2013). The modelled pollutant load reductions in the report card confirmed the good progress in management practice change. It shows that estimated average annual pollutant loads were reduced in 2009—2010 – nitrogen by four per cent, phosphorus by two per cent, sediment by two per cent and pesticides by eight per cent (GBR, 2013). Sugar cane partnerships, Mackay Whitsunday region, Queensland

Caring for our Country provided over $15 million over three years to improve the land management of sugar cane farms and water quality in the Mackay Whitsunday NRM region on the central Queensland coast. Sugar cane occupies 18.5 per cent or around 167 000 hectares of the total land area of the region. Landholders received grants to adopt practices that reduced the amount of nutrients, chemicals and sediments leaving their farms and affecting reef water quality. Partners provided information to landholders such as on-site risk assessments and helped them to develop property plans.

Sugar cane farmers who participated in the initiative targeted soil (through machinery modifications of controlled traffic, zonal tillage units and GPS guidance); chemical use (shielded sprayer units); fertiliser use (nutrient management plans and improved application through use of sub-surface compost and variable rate technology); and irrigation (recycling).

There were 412 sugar cane growers involved in the first two years of the project. One participating grower owns two farms west of Mackay and said that the incentives helped him to make changes on the farms sooner, rather than over a five- or ten-year time frame. He converted his farm to a controlled traffic system and incorporated rotational legume fallow crops to increase ground cover, reduce run-off and improve soil structure. Funding helped him to modify his equipment to match the new row spacing and purchase a legume planter.

Many growers in the sugar industry participated in the initiative, and graziers and horticulturalists were also involved. Improvements to water quality and achievement of Reef Rescue outcomes far exceeded original expectations. The project has reduced the amount of suspended sediments, particulate nitrogen loads, particulate phosphorous and pesticides entering the reef lagoon. Horticulturalists nurturing the reef, Mackay Whitsunday region, Queensland

Caring for our Country supported producers of bananas, lychees, mangos, eggplants and macadamia to improve their land management practices in the Mackay Whitsunday region, reducing sediment run-off and impacts from nutrients and chemicals on the Great Barrier Reef. Caring for our Country provided more than $368 000 in water quality grants which were managed by Reef Catchments. On average, producers contributed about 60 per cent of the total project costs.

There was a steady uptake of the water quality grants to complete on-ground projects. An additional 11 irrigation or stormwater subprojects were carried out, including installing fertigation systems (injecting fertiliser using irrigation systems) and sediment detention basins. One of these projects was completed by an organic banana farm owner from Calen who was keen to improve his irrigation system. Funding helped him to implement an under-canopy micro-sprinkler irrigation system with fertigation capabilities: previously, the cost had been prohibitive for implementing this new system. The irrigation system reduced losses from evaporation and run-off from dissolved nutrients by using targeted nutrient applications through fertigation, and maintaining inter-row ground cover.

Additional projects delivered from the water quality grants included nine soil sub-projects, including maintaining grassed inter-rows between tree crops; six nutrient sub-projects, including improved fertiliser application; and six chemical sub- projects, including the adoption of ‘knockdown’ chemicals for weed control. Anecdotally, many producers said they would not have thought about or started their activities for at least five to ten years, if at all, without the water quality grants. Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships Program, Queensland

The $10 million Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships Program is a component of the Reef Rescue initiative, actively engaging Indigenous communities in managing and protecting the reef’s marine resources and cultural diversity by:

 expanding Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreements across the Great Barrier Reef  strengthening communications and knowledge sharing  enhancing compliance  engaging with communities  building community capacity through grants and sponsorship opportunities. The program is working with approximately 40 of the 70 Traditional Owner groups within the Great Barrier Reef to undertake sea country management activities such as transferring traditional ecological knowledge. This program is closely coordinated with other Caring for our Country Indigenous partnership initiatives such as Working on Country.

Over five years, the program has effectively delivered expansion of Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements, including enhanced compliance, and strengthened communications between local communities, managers and stakeholders to build a better understanding of Traditional Owner issues for managing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Through Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements, many Indigenous people are able to practice ‘living maritime culture’: providing traditional food for their families and educating younger generations about traditional and cultural rules, protocols and activities in sea country. There are six Traditional Owner management agreements which now cover 42 860 square kilometers of sea country and involve 14 Traditional Owner groups. Three new agreements are in the final stages of accreditation and assessment.

The Indigenous Community Compliance Liaison Program has been an effective way of communicating with community ranger groups on potential incidents in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Forty-one days of compliance training has been delivered to 36 Indigenous community groups, with over 300 participants. This training has resulted in increased joint field surveillance activities with Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers in high-risk areas.

Numerous initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen lines of communication and collaboration with Indigenous groups in the Great Barrier Reef, including forums, conferences, exchanges, formal and informal tertiary education and training, photographic competitions, leadership activities and scientific workshops. These measures have successfully improved engagement of both women and youth in sea country management. In addition, over $1 million has been provided to Traditional Owners under the small grants component of the program.

The Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships Program successfully engaged the majority of Traditional Owners with connections to the Great Barrier Reef.

The mid-term Review of Caring for our Country assessed the overall Reef Rescue investment as appropriate, efficient and effective. Stakeholders identified the program as a goodmodel for engaging multiple industry and regional partners to address landscape-scale issues. Similarly, an independent paper on the program delivery model reflected these views. The Review also identified that devolution of funds to regional NRM bodies and industry groups and the partnerships established through the Reef Alliance encouraged greater effectiveness, promoted efficiency and allowed for greater community legacy and ongoing behavioural change through local ownership. Land managers co-invested an average of $1.80 for every $1 of Reef Rescue investment, illustrating that there is a real desire to improve practices for the future sustainability of the environment and livelihoods. Outcome 3.1

Deliver actions that sustain the environmental values of priority sites in the Ramsar estate, particularly sites in northern and remote Australia.

Aquatic habitats are significant environmental assets and Caring for our Country investments made significant progress towards restoring and protecting the environmental values of priority Ramsar-listed wetland sites and other high ecological value aquatic ecosystems. Ramsar wetlands are recognised as internationally important for containing representative, rare or unique examples of ecosystems or for conserving biological diversity. In addition to being internationally protected, Ramsar sites are identified as a matter of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act.

High ecological value aquatic ecosystems in coastal and inland areas have been identified by the Australian Government as priorities for management, as they perform important landscape functions; provide habitat, breeding sites and refuge for nationally threatened species; or may be of outstanding historical or cultural significance. These aquatic ecosystems include rivers, wetlands, floodplains, lakes, inland saline ecosystems, groundwater-dependent ecosystems and estuaries. Some of these sites are recognised by a number of international conventions such as the World Heritage Convention and East Asian–Australasian Flyway Site Network.

Ramsar and high ecological value aquatic ecosystems face similar environmental pressures, including physical loss, modification or encroachment on the wetland, loss of biodiversity, pollution and increased nutrient input, changes to water regimes, over-utilisation of resources and the introduction of invasive species. Caring for our Country prioritised projects to help mitigate these pressures on significant natural assets and result in the adoption of improved management practices. Actions to address key threats varied across sites but included activities such as controlling weeds, restoring habitat, controlling feral animals, managing public access, managing fire regimes, monitoring and managing water quality and increasing habitat connectivity through structural improvements. Currawinya Lakes Ramsar wetland, Queensland

The Currawinya Lakes (Currawinya National Park) Ramsar wetland covers around 151 300 hectares in south-west Queensland’s Paroo River catchment and has a diverse array of native plants, mammals, birds and reptiles. The site is also highly significant to local Indigenous communities for its archaeological, traditional and contemporary social values. The site includes stone arrangements, native wells, trees with bark removed for canoes and shields, stone artefacts and burial grounds.

Caring for our Country provided funding to the Queensland Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management to implement an integrated pest control program to maintain and improve the ecological character of the lakes. Priority pest animal control methods and pest hotspots were identified using current and historical pest management data, including knowledge from Traditional Owners. The data has been used to help direct feral pig control using methods such as ground baiting, trapping and shooting in over 10 000 hectares in the Caiwarro section of the Currawinya National Park. Controlling feral pigs was important, as they disturb and reduce habitat for native species. Working in partnership with Traditional Owners, site inspections were conducted to determine the location and conditions for fencing.

During the dry season, flora and fauna surveys, habitat threat assessments and water quality monitoring were conducted over 50 000 hectares of the wetland. These findings contributed to the pest control program. The project will continue to deliver benefits for the protection and improvement of the Currawinya Lakes Ramsar wetland.

For the majority of projects, it was important to develop landscape-scale interventions to effectively protect environmental values. Site managers were also supported to improve their management capacity through the development of site management plans as well as investment in projects to control serious on-ground threats such as inappropriate land management practices and invasive animals and plants. In 92 per cent of the funded sites, actions to address key threats were undertaken and were deemed to have had a moderate impact on stabilising threats at 57 per cent of the sites. It was essential to establish partnerships and improve stakeholder knowledge, skills and governance of sites to achieve condition change and long-term outcomes.

In the Ramsar estate, Caring for our Country investments focused on identified priority sites in which the ecological character was particularly under threat and management plans or ecological character descriptions were already in place to guide strategic funding allocations. Caring for our Country also prioritised sustaining the environmental values of Ramsar sites in northern and remote Australia. Northern and remote Australia contains some of the continent’s most intact high conservation value landscapes and environmental assets. Of the 22 sites that were identified as priorities for investment, the Currawinya Lakes (QLD), Ord River Floodplain (WA), Eightymile Beach (WA), Roebuck Bay (WA), Coongie Lakes (SA) and Cobourg Peninsula (NT) were located in northern and remote Australia.

While funding was available for all Ramsar sites, the following sites were prioritised for investment.

Queensland

Currawinya Lakes (Currawinya National Park) Great Sandy Strait Bowling Green Bay

Western Australia

Ord River Floodplain Roebuck Bay Eightymile Beach Lake Toolibin Vasse–Wonnerup System Peel–Yalgorup System

South Australia

Coongie Lakes ‘Riverland’ Bool and Hacks Lagoons

Northern Territory

Cobourg Peninsula

Victoria

Barmah Forest Western District Lakes Gippsland Lakes

Tasmania

Lavinia Jocks Lagoon Apsley Marshes

New South Wales

Macquarie Marshes Myall Lakes Gwydir Wetlands: Gingham and Lower Gwydir (Big Leather) Watercourses

Macquarie Marshes Ramsar wetland, New South Wales Caring for our Country provided $700 000 over three years to the Central West Catchment Management Authority to improve the ecological character of the Macquarie Marshes Ramsar wetland. The wetland is located in central-north New South Wales on the lower floodplain of the Macquarie River and covers over 19 000 hectares. It includes private and public land that is rich in biodiversity and supports some of the largest waterbird breeding events in Australia. In addition to water resources, the river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) forests, woodlands, common reed beds and water couch grasslands provide habitat for nationally threatened species such as the Australian painted snipe (Rostratula australis), superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) and Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii). Activities to improve the ecological character of the Macquarie Marshes included controlling weeds and invasive animals such as feral pigs and cats, foxes, European carp (Cyprinus carpio), and lippia (Phyla canescens), Noogoora burr (Xanthium pungens) and Bathurst burr (Xanthium spinosum) weeds. Various partners collaborated to deliver the project activities, including the NSW Department of Industry and Investment; Central West and North West Livestock Health and Pest Authorities; NSW Parks and Wildlife Service; and NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Community and Indigenous engagement was important for raising awareness and maintaining the benefits associated with the activities undertaken. Landholders participated in pig shooting and received training in pig baiting and carp musters. Caring for our Country activities within the Macquarie Marshes exceeded targets to reduce pressures from key threats through weed and pest animal control and habitat restoration. It will take many years to detect noticeable impacts on the landscape; however, long-term annual monitoring regimes have been established and it can be reasonably concluded that reductions in the number of invasive species will contribute to sustaining the environmental values of the Ramsar site. Ongoing work will be required to prevent reinvasion of areas by these species and initial data analysis indicates that periodic grazing may be an effective technique for controlling lippia, an invasive weed. Improved grazing practices have been adopted by up to 20 landholders in 10-year management agreements, which will help ensure the future health of ground cover in the Ramsar wetland. Monitoring activities undertaken by the Central West Catchment Management Authority uncovered the presence of mimosa (Mimosa pigra), which enabled treatments to be implemented to contain the highly invasive weed species.

The building of relationships and community engagement was one of the highlights of the project and will be important for future management of the site. For example, knowledge about weeds was increased through weed control trials in partnership with the University of New England. It took years to develop relationships with some local landholders and gain their trust through consistent communication and involving them in decision making through membership of the pig control steering committee. The lessons learned from this project will inform future regional planning and projects by the Central West Catchment Management Authority. Interlaken Ramsar wetland, Tasmania

In the Interlaken (Lake Crescent) Ramsar site in the central highlands of Tasmania, Caring for our Country matched Tasmanian Government funding contributions with $820 000 to implement a carp eradication program. The Inland Fisheries Service managed this program to protect the nationally endangered golden galaxias (Galaxias auratus) fish and conserve biodiversity and the ecological values of the Ramsar site.

Controlling carp populations in this catchment was a priority to prevent the species from spreading to other catchments in Tasmania. European carp is an invasive species across Australia and poses numerous problems for waterways by reducing water quality, damaging aquatic plants and out-competing native fish communities for food and habitat. Carp can also have economic impacts on commercial and recreational fisheries, farming and agriculture and treatment of domestic drinking water supplies. The Inland Fisheries Service Carp Management Program was recognised as being at the forefront of carp management technologies, with techniques and methodologies shared with local and state governments and regional bodies throughout Australia. One of the major strengths of the project was an inbuilt flexibility to adapt to new challenges.

A public education campaign supported the on-ground activities, including regular communication on the Inland Fisheries Service website and delivery of presentations to interest groups. The project established management protocols and partnerships with public and private agencies such as NRM South, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Anglers Alliance Tasmania, Australian Fishing Tackle Association and Tasmania Land Conservancy.

A major challenge occurred with a carp spawning event in 2009, leading to a population increase. Over 60 per cent of carp from this spawning were eradicated, with efforts continuing to reduce these numbers in the final months of the program. Lessons learned and adaptation of the program prevented the occurrence of further spawning events through techniques such as trapping, netting and radio tracking. These lessons will help inform carp management in other areas throughout Australia.

Since 2008, Caring for our Country funded several projects that addressed identified threats to the ecological character of Ramsar-listed wetlands. These projects assisted a range of government and non-government organisations and landholders to protect, restore and manage wetlands through on-ground activities, information gathering and community engagement and capacity building. Many of the Caring for our Country investments in the biodiversity and natural icons and Sustainable Farm Practices national priority areas also indirectly benefited Ramsar and non-Ramsar sites. Revegetation and rehabilitation of degraded wetlands raised community awareness of their importance and led to increased community involvement in protecting threatened ecological communities and species. In the Myall Lakes Ramsar site on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, a Working on Country project employed three teams of Indigenous rangers to focus on cultural heritage and NRM activities, including cultural assessments, threatened species management, transfer of Indigenous knowledge and improvements to aquatic ecosystems. Their work plays an important role in preserving and managing the unique environmental and cultural values of the region.

Caring for our Country activities at Ramsar sites were aligned with existing management plans where possible and included:

 rehabilitating riparian and adjoining areas  controlling stock access  managing weeds (including Weeds of National Significance) and pest animals  encouraging neighbouring landholders to adopt sustainable farming practices to improve the quality of water entering the wetlands  extension, education and community events  improving land management and floodplain and wetland planning. The Australian Government funds a ‘rolling review’ of Ramsar sites, which is partially funded by Caring for our Country with $236 637. Through the review, states and territories continue to develop site management plans, Ecological Character Descriptions and monitoring and reporting regimes. The rolling review system allows the storage and retrieval of information to address information and data gaps. It provides a more accurate national snapshot of Australia’s Ramsar estate as well as valuable information and analysis across both spatial and temporal scales, which addresses reporting requirements for the Ramsar Convention and provides up-to-date operational information for site managers at various levels of government. A draft set of national indicators for wetland extent, distribution and condition has also been agreed and is being trialled. These monitoring and management tools will assist with managing important aquatic and coastal wetlands in the future. Peel–Yalgorup System Ramsar wetland, Western Australia

The Peel–Yalgorup Ramsar wetland is located 100 kilometres south of Perth. This important shorebird site and habitat for many ecologically significant species covers a total area of 26 530 hectares. The Peel–Yalgorup site is a large and diverse system of shallow estuaries, coastal saline lakes and freshwater marshes, and comprises the most important area for waterbirds in south-west Australia. It supports a large number of waterbirds, invertebrates and estuarine and marine fish. Each year, tens of thousands of waterbirds gather at the site, many of which are protected under international migratory bird agreements. Feral animals and weeds pose key threats to the ecological character of the Peel–Yalgorup wetland and were targeted with Caring for our Country funding. Species of particular concern were foxes, feral cats, introduced fish and the cumbungi (Typha orientalis) weed. The Yalgorup National Park Lakes wetlands include Lake Clifton, which is one of the few places in the world where living thrombolites occur in inland water. Thrombolites are underwater rock-like structures that are formed by microbial activity. They are actively growing and rely on an inflow of fresh groundwater that is rich in calcium and bicarbonate. In Lake Clifton, the thrombolites are considered to be over 2000 years old. The Peel–Yalgorup Ramsar wetland lies within Pinjarup country, a dialect group of the Nyoongar, and features hundreds of culturally significant sites, including artefacts, campsites, ceremonial sites, fish traps and skeletal remains. Through funding received from Caring for our Country, nine community groups were involved in monitoring and undertaking work to implement a management plan for the site. Strategic partnerships were also formed with two Western Australian Government departments. It is estimated that volunteers have performed more than 360 days of work through involvement in workshops, managing data, bird watching, planting days, weed removal and feral animal control. Invasive weed species have been controlled in more than 32 hectares and approximately 438 hectares have been managed for feral animals. Caring for our Country also provided $1.5 million to implement a Water Quality Improvement Plan for the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary, primarily to reduce the amount of nutrients and pollutants entering river systems through stormwater. Outcome 3.2

Deliver actions that sustain the environmental values of an additional 25 per cent of (non-Ramsar) priority coastal and inland high conservation value aquatic ecosystems [now known as high ecological value aquatic ecosystems] including, as a priority, sites in the Murray–Darling Basin.

Under the National Water Initiative, the Australian Government committed to work with states and territories to identify surface and groundwater systems of high ecological value and to protect and enhance these values through appropriate management plans. Since 2008, Caring for our Country has invested in a number of projects to address identified threats to the environmental values of these priority sites. The initiative supported site managers to improve their management capacity, address significant threats from invasive plant and animal species, improve land management practices and rehabilitate degraded habitats and riparian corridors. On-ground works included restriction of stock access and erosion control. It is recognised that ongoing work will be required to control invasive weeds and pest animals such as rabbits, foxes and feral cats.

Funded activities led to improved water quality, enhanced the condition of riparian vegetation, supported native in- stream ecology, increased habitat connectivity and protected threatened species and ecological communities in and adjacent to the priority aquatic ecosystems. Projects that supported the protection of threatened species included safeguarding nest sites of marine turtles and protecting the values of the Northern Holroyd Plain aquatic ecosystem in Cape York, Queensland.

Community engagement in these projects and improved monitoring and data collection led to increased community awareness about the management of high ecological value aquatic ecosystems.

Caring for our Country prioritised investment in 12 non-Ramsar aquatic ecosystems. The priority sites were identified by state and territory agencies and the Australian Government based on:

 meeting criteria relating to international recognition, diversity, distinctiveness, vital habitat, evolutionary history, naturalness and representativeness  the necessity of urgent action to reduce key threats and where there were good prospects for recovery  sites which were located in the Murray–Darling Basin. Investments in the Murray–Darling Basin helped increase Commonwealth investment in environmental water and assisted ecological restoration and water quality. Actions for addressing key threats were applied at 95 per cent of priority sites and, on average, 90 per cent of the delivery targets were achieved at these sites, building a foundation for restoration in future. In addition to the 12 prioritised sites, Caring for our Country invested in another 32 non-priority sites which were still identified as ecologically valuable ecosystems.

Caring for our Country projects to protect critical aquatic ecosystems were most successful when local communities and landholders were engaged to manage invasive plants and pest animals, revegetate and rehabilitate degraded habitats and riparian corridors, protect and manage threatened species and ecological communities and improve land management practices. Over five years, local community actions helped to sustain and improve the environmental values and water quality of coastal and inland critical aquatic ecosystems.

Non-Ramsar high ecological value aquatic ecosystems prioritised for investment

Paroo River System, Lake Wyara, Lake Numalla and the Barwon–Darling River System (upstream of Bourke) Eulo Artesian Springs Supergroup (NSW and QLD)* and Northern Tributaries (NSW and QLD)*

Lowbidgee Floodplain (NSW)* Cotter River (ACT)*

Lower Ovens River System (VIC)* Lower Glenelg and Discovery Bay (VIC and SA)

Derwent Estuary (TAS) Lower Snowy and Brodribb River Systems (VIC)

Pike Mundic Wetland Complex (SA)* Chain of Bays (SA)

Lake MacLeod (WA) Howard Sand Plains (NT)

* Priority sites for investment in the Murray–Darling Basin.

Lower Ovens River System high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Victoria

In 2010–11, the North East Catchment Management Authority received $595 000 from Caring for our Country to reduce threats from invasive weeds and pest animals over 6500 hectares in the Lower Ovens River System. This ecosystem in the Murray–Darling Basin is a relatively intact and functioning river floodplain with a natural flow regime and includes significant areas of river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis).

The Lower Ovens has a high level of native fish species diversity and abundance. Through support from Caring for our Country, the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research controlled European carp (Cyprinus carpio) with a combination of electrofishing, netting, fish traps and angling, removing 6.8 tonnes of the pest. A community carp muster angling competition attracted 179 volunteers. Reduction in carp biomass will assist native fish species such as the nationally protected trout cod (Maccullochella macquariensis) and Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) to increase their habitat foothold and establish stronger populations.

With the participation of local landholders, a fox-baiting program on 3500 hectares of public and private land has reduced fox populations, which has supported the recovery of native animal and bird species.

In this project, weed control works were undertaken over 3000 hectares. Weeds of National Significance such as willows (Salix spp. except S. babylonica, S. x calodendron and S. x reichardtii), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) and Montpellier broom (Cytisus scoparius) were treated and controlled. Improved management of 100 hectares of remnant vegetation was undertaken across five properties, including fencing and removal of pest plant species.

The weed and pest control activities have helped protect the environmental values of the Lower Ovens River System. Derwent Estuary high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Tasmania

The Derwent Estuary is an extensive river system which covers 8500 square kilometres and supports a range of habitats and species. Nearly 40 per cent of Tasmania’s population lives around the estuary’s margins and the Derwent is widely used for recreation, boating, recreational fishing, marine transportation and industry. Further upstream, the Derwent River supplies the majority of the region’s drinking water supply and is a major source of hydro-electric power. The estuary has been identified as both a high ecological value aquatic ecosystem and a coastal hotspot due to the range of pressures impacting on these ecosystem services. Threats are from urban and industrial development as well as changes in catchment use, including heavy metal contamination, elevated nutrients and low dissolved oxygen levels, occasional sewage contamination, altered environmental flows and physical barriers to fish migration, invasive marine pests and weeds, and loss and degradation of estuarine habitat and species.

Caring for our Country provided the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment with $1.37 million over three years to help implement the Derwent Estuary Program and Water Quality Improvement Plan to improve biodiversity and water quality in the Derwent Estuary from May 2009 to May 2012. The Derwent Estuary Program was implemented in partnership with local governments, industry and communities, successfully reducing water pollution and establishing monitoring regimes to measure pollutants and ecosystem responses.

Activities delivered with the support of Caring for our Country included groundwater remediation, improved stormwater management and dredging practices, mechanisms to reduce sediment run-off from building sites, targeted weed control and enhanced spawning habitat for the critically endangered spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus). Other nationally and internationally protected species to benefit from these works were migratory waders, seahorses and sea dragons, marine mammals, the nationally vulnerable Australian grayling (Prototroctes maraena), the migratory red-necked stint (Calidris ruficollis) and critically endangered lowland native grasses.

The involvement of various stakeholders and partners was instrumental in achieving project outcomes. One of the funded activities involved installing artificial substrates in spotted handfish habitat to assist with spawning: the majority of eggs were found on these substrates, demonstrating the importance of such interventions for the survival of the species. Monitoring was essential for measuring the success of recovery actions, revealing that populations at two sites were stable while fewer fish were observed at two other sites, indicating the seriousness of the threats facing this protected species.

As program needs and risks changed over time, the Derwent Estuary Program was adapted and sediment and erosion control inspections were delegated to council bodies to reduce the reliance on technical expertise from program officers. The changes in practices, restoration works and governance mechanisms will continue to have long-term benefits for the ecosystems within the Derwent Estuary.

Local project staff considered the most outstanding achievements of the project to be, firstly, the construction of a garden at the University of Tasmania which won an award for landscape architecture and has become a successful demonstration site; and, secondly, the raised awareness of water-sensitive urban design within the Tasmanian Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, which contributed to the incorporation of the design into two bypass projects at Brighton and Kingston. Anson Bay high ecological value aquatic ecosystem, Northern Territory

Two successive multi-year Caring for our Country projects were funded in the Anson Bay high ecological value aquatic ecosystem to enhance environmental values of the site and coordinate the control of mimosa (Mimosa pigra), a Weed of National Significance. Over $2 million was allocated to these projects to manage weeds, reduce grazing pressures, control pest animals and revegetate habitat for significant flora and fauna. Anson Bay includes tidal flats, rainforest near the coastline, Peron Islands and adjoining seasonal floodplains of the Daly and Reynolds Rivers and Docherty Creek. The site is a mixture of pastoral properties and Indigenous freehold land run by a number of Indigenous Land Trusts. The coastal floodplains support waterbird breeding colonies and internationally significant migratory shore and waterbirds such as magpie geese (Anseranas semipalmata) and wandering whistling ducks (Dendrocygna arcuata). The coastline also contains important nesting sites for marine turtles and habitat for threatened species such as the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), water mouse (Xeromys myoides) and plant species. Pest animals and weeds, particularly feral pigs and mimosa, pose the greatest threats to the environmental values of the ecosystem. Considerable effort was invested in establishing relationships with pastoralists, involving local Indigenous ranger groups and developing resources to encourage knowledge retention in these groups even when there was a high turnover of individual rangers. Weed management projects in Anson Bay were coordinated by Territory NRM, with on-ground activities delivered in partnership with the Northern Territory Government, Thamarrurr, Asyrikkarrak Kirim, Woodycupaldiya and Malak Malak Ranger Groups, Wangamaty Land Management Group and the pastoral stations of Jindare and Tepperary Group of Stations. Traditional Owners were consulted about proposed works to eradicate mimosa and priority sites were selected for treatment of weed infestations with aerial spraying, ground spraying, and biological control. Buffer zones were also established to prevent weeds from spreading from eradicated areas. A weed strategy was prepared to coordinate efforts at the landscape scale and rangers were trained in control techniques, understanding of seed dynamics and recording of geo- spatial data. Education to identify mimosa was also delivered to school students. A core aspect of the project was implementing control measures that were suitable for local conditions and considering contingencies such as flooding and intermittent access. The prolonged wet season in 2011 delayed access to sites, although the monitoring undertaken to date highlights that weed treatments have been successful. Furthermore, pastoralists have benefited from improved land productivity after the removal of weeds. Other weed control projects are also being undertaken in areas adjacent to Anson Bay, which should assist with containing the spread of mimosa in future. Outcome 4

Improve the water quality management in the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary in New South Wales and all priority coastal hotspots.

Australia’s coastal catchments provide critical aquatic habitats for a number of plant and animal species, as well as having social, cultural and economic values and supporting various recreational activities. Across Australia, these hotspots are impacted by poor water quality from a range of natural and anthropogenic disturbances and require better management and protection to ensure that their ecological values and integrity are maintained for future generations. Coastal environments are made up of intertidal zones, beaches, dune systems, estuaries, inlets and coastal wetlands, islands and reefs. Important coastal vegetation such as mangroves, coastal woodlands and heathlands, near-shore coastal waters and areas immediately adjacent to coastal waters are highly susceptible to processes or activities that affect the coast and its values.

Caring for our Country invested in a number of coastal hotspot locations around Australia to reduce the impact of poor water quality on these critical coastal habitats. An independent review of coastal hotspot projects by eWater recognised several strengths of the investments, including high levels of stakeholder awareness and participation, the use of robust science to underpin plans and strategies and enhanced capability in national and regional restoration. A priority coastal hotspot was identified as a coastal aquatic ecosystem that:  had high ecological, social, cultural and/or recreational values  encompassed one or more matters of national environmental significance protected under the EPBC Act  was under pressure from the impact of population growth and declining or poor water quality  had an existing Water Quality improvement Plan or had one under development. Corner Inlet coastal hotspot, Victoria

The Corner Inlet catchment occupies 600 square kilometres of the central portion of the South Gippsland drainage basin that surrounds and drains into the Corner Inlet Ramsar site in south-east Victoria. The area provides habitat for flora and migratory shorebird populations and also supports a significant fishing industry and water-based activities. Caring for our Country provided $450 000 over two years to improve the water quality in this coastal hotspot. Local landholders were involved in efforts to fence and revegetate riparian zones and adoption of new ways to manage dairy effluents and fertilise pastures. In the Agnes River catchment, farmers focused on riparian protection and gully stabilisation to prevent sediments and nutrients from entering drainage.

According to project staff, the greatest achievements in this coastal hotspot project were the levels of buy-in from landholders for riparian and erosion control works and the amount of native vegetation restored by these activities. With the assistance of the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, landholders prepared and implemented effluent, nutrient and fertiliser plans for dairy operations to prevent nutrient run-off into Corner Inlet.

Under the former Natural Heritage Trust, the Coastal Catchments Initiative invested in the development of Water Quality Improvement Plans to promote nationally consistent water quality planning across Australia. These plans were guided by best practices outlined in the Australian Government’s National Water Quality Management Strategy and Framework for Marine and Estuarine Water Quality Protection. The foundations of the Natural Heritage Trust initiative were used to determine priority coastal hotspot sites for investment under Caring for our Country in partnership with state, territory and local governments and regional NRM organisations. It can be difficult to identify changes in water quality as a result of changed practices due to variable flows, climate factors and estuarine dynamics. However, investing in the implementation of appropriate planning frameworks had obvious benefits for water quality.

The coastal hotspots of the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria and Tuggerah Lakes Estuary in New South Wales were particularly prioritised for improving water quality management. On-ground works were undertaken to rehabilitate and revegetate these sites. Gippsland Lakes, Victoria

The Gippsland Lakes is the largest coastal lagoon system in Australia and is internationally renowned as a Ramsar wetland. The system provides habitat for approximately 20 000 waterbirds and is an important centre for recreational water activities and commercial and recreational fishing. One of the major threats to the Gippsland Lakes is excessive nutrients entering the lake system as a result of rural and urban land use practices, which can lead to algal blooms.

Caring for our Country invested $5.25 million over three years for planning and on-ground actions to protect the environmental values of this significant wetland system by improving water quality, reducing nutrient inputs from public and private land and minimising the impacts of flooding problems for current and future developments through a flood mitigation program. The Gippsland Lakes Enhancement Program aimed to improve public and private land management practices in key areas, especially in the La Trobe, Moe and Macalister sub-catchments.

The Gippsland Nutrient Reduction Program, known as CORE 4, was delivered in partnership with the dairy industry in the La Trobe, Moe and Macalister districts to change farming practices and identify the best ways of engaging landholders. It involved 42 dairy farmers undertaking on-farm works and effluent management to reduce the amount of excess phosphorous and sediment entering the Gippsland Lakes. Farmers and landholders were exposed to a range of information on nutrient management and reduction strategies. Activities included expanding effluent ponds, establishing and extending effluent irrigation systems, conducting primary laneway works and increasing streambank management and fencing of wetlands.

CORE 4 demonstrated that the approach of farmers talking to other famers about their experiences is a very effective method of encouraging and obtaining acceptance of improved farm management practices. Farmers in the Macalister Irrigation District were assisted with improving irrigation efficiency to reduce excess run-off through irrigation farm planning, converting from flood-to-spray irrigation and constructing run-off dams to capture and re-use irrigation water. In this district, nutrient reduction plans were developed for 15 properties over 3000 hectares, 14 nutrient-reduction water re-use systems were installed and there were 11 nutrient-reduction flood-to-spray irrigation conversions.

Ecological monitoring at regular intervals and after events such as storms measured nutrient and sediment loads entering the lakes. In 2011, 62 per cent of water quality parameters were met and there was a minor algal bloom which had minimal economic impact. Monitoring data has assisted with the prioritisation of actions to improve water quality and will continue to guide future investment decisions.

Caring for our Country priority coastal hotspots

Adelaide Coastal Waters including Port Waterways (SA) Hunter River Estuary (NSW)

Botany Bay (NSW) Great Lakes (NSW)

Gippsland Lakes (VIC) Corner Inlet (VIC)

Port Phillip Bay and Western Port (VIC) Moreton Bay (QLD)

Darwin Harbour (NT) Derwent Estuary (TAS)

Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary (WA) Swan Canning Estuary System (WA)

Vasse-Wonnerup and Geographe Bay (WA)

The Caring for our Country initiative supported jurisdictions to improve their adaptive management capacity by developing Water Quality Improvement Plans and implementing actions identified in the plans. The plans included an ecosystem-based approach to integrated water cycle management and were designed to address key threats to water quality and environmental flows and deliver significant reductions in the discharge of pollutants to aquatic ecosystems. The development and implementation of Water Quality Improvement Plans is the responsibility of state and territory agencies.

In coastal hotspots projects funded by Caring for our Country, the main strategies to manage water quality and diffuse sources of pollution included improving on-farm management practices, riparian restoration and stormwater management. These strategies were supported by science and had overall successful implementation with the involvement of local communities. Local community groups were engaged in removing foreshore weeds and litter to improve estuary and coastal habitat health; revegetating and rehabilitating degraded areas to restore sensitive habitats; and improving the management of catchments, urban and stormwater run-off to enhance water quality in estuarine and coastal areas.

Caring for our Country improved the protection and management of priority coastal hotspots by engaging community groups and landowners. Participants in the coastal hotspots projects improved water quality in estuarine and coastal areas through activities such as removing foreshore weeds and litter to enhance the health of habitats; revegetating and rehabilitating degraded areas to restore sensitive habitats; and improving the management of run-off from catchments, urban zones and stormwater. The significant natural, social and economic values of these environments were protected through substantial investments and implementation of on-ground management actions. Tuggerah Lakes Estuary, New South Wales

The Tuggerah Lakes Estuary is situated on the central coast of New South Wales and consists of three interconnected coastal lagoons of Lake Munmorah, Budgewoi and Tuggerah Lake. Caring for our Country invested $20 million over five years to implement an Estuary Management Plan in two stages as part of a 2007 election commitment to continue improving and protecting water quality. The project was managed by a range of partnerships with the NSW Government, the Hunter– Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority, Landcare groups and local landholders. There was also Indigenous and youth participation in rehabilitation works, bush regeneration, workshops and school activities.

Activities funded by Caring for our Country in the Tuggerah Lakes included:

 rehabilitating streambanks in Wyong River, Ourimbah Creek, Tumbi Creek and Wallarah/Spring Creek to reduce erosion and strengthen banks  installing improved systems in residential and industrial areas to reduce excess stormwater run-off  building constructed wetlands and catchment improvements to filter nutrients, sediments and stormwater run-off  rehabilitating significant saltmarsh areas to assist with reducing ‘monosulfidic black ooze’—a substance in soil which can deoxygenate and acidify waterways  improving recreational amenities and foreshores for communities  continuing scientific investigations and monitoring of water quality  engaging the community in education programs and providing information on the estuary and works programs. Saltmarshes are a diminishing habitat in the coastal biosphere of New South Wales and several key locations around the Tuggerah Lakes were identified for rehabilitation and protection. One of the challenges entailed balancing competing interests of high ecological protection and public access and recreation. The overall project contributed to the rehabilitation of streambanks and saltmarsh ecological communities, monitoring and reporting of results and community engagement. An Ecological Response Model modelled the movement of nutrients and enabled reporting through annual report cards, fact sheets and an interactive website. Monthly water quality monitoring also assisted with evaluating the achievement of outcomes, adapting the project to the conditions and communicating progress. Over 30 kilometres of key streambanks were revegetated to reduce the amount of sediment loads entering waterways and flushing into Tuggerah Lakes. A number of restoration techniques included using large woody debris and timber piles, installing open weave jute mesh to protect disturbed surfaces, laying down mulch to promote growth and protect exposed sodic soils, installing fencing at several locations, treating weeds, replanting at riparian areas, establishing sandstone rock structures and reshaping banks.

Works have progressed on reducing the impacts of Weeds of National Significance in areas surrounding the lakes, with all targets being exceeded. Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), bitou bush or boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera), lantana (Lantana camara) and bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides) were treated in riparian, wetland and saltmarsh areas. A further 5.7 hectares of saltmarsh and 2.5 hectares of wetland area have undergone passive rehabilitation, allowing native vegetation to regenerate and improve the natural ecological functioning of the treated areas. Vertebrate pest control continues in reserves surrounding the lakes, with this target also being exceeded.

As part of this project, many education and awareness-raising activities were held and there was good support from the local community. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the project and several community organisations were directly engaged. This engagement included ‘catchment crawl’ tours of the area, landholder workshops on rehabilitation techniques, weed control and ‘fish clinic’ workshops for disadvantaged groups to raise awareness about local fish species.

Formal and informal partnerships established through the Tuggerah Lakes project resulted in a detailed monitoring and evaluation program to assess impacts. Local Wyong Council staff received specialised training through a partnership with the neighbouring Great Lakes Council, increasing their capacity to deliver environmental outcomes. Modelling conducted by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage had the additional benefit of strengthening the community education and awareness elements of the project. Lessons learned during the first stage of the project were the advantages of increasing the involvement of partners and the importance of building in sufficient flexibility within contracts to adapt to weather and other unpredictable events. Botany Bay coastal hotspot, New South Wales

Botany Bay is an ecologically significant catchment, as it provides habitat for many migratory and endangered species and communities, contains Ramsar wetlands such as Towra Point Nature Reserve, has cultural heritage and supports recreational and water-based activities. The two main sub-catchments within Botany Bay are the Georges River and the Cooks River. A project to improve water quality in the Botany Bay coastal hotspot between 2009 and 2011 received $1.58 million in funding from Caring for our Country.

Two major achievements of the project included the establishment of a Water Quality Improvement Plan, a catchment-scale decision support system to support water-sensitive urban design and a monitoring network to track progress and refine catchment models. This component of the work attracted significant co-funding from grantees, bringing the total value of the work to $3.2 million. The project also helped proponents in Sydney to secure $10 million in funding from NSW urban sustainability grants.

Caring for our Country funding was used to implement on-ground works, including:

 installation of bio-retention systems to treat 18 hectares of residential stormwater in Strathfield, Rockdale, Hurstville, Bankstown City and City of Sydney council areas  installation of pollutant traps to treat 196 hectares of residential and commercial stormwater in Fairfield and Sutherland Shire Councils, the City of Canterbury and Centennial Parklands  a stormwater harvesting and re-use project to capture stormwater over 27 hectares to be used at the Crest Sporting Complex in Bankstown. Hunter River Estuary coastal hotspot, New South Wales

The Hunter River Estuary comprises an area of more than 20 000 square kilometres and the river itself covers a distance of 467 kilometres. The estuary contains internationally significant Ramsar wetlands which provide important habitat for migratory birds and threatened species and ecological communities. The Lower Hunter region is part of a climatic transition zone for many plant and animal species between the subtropical north and cooler south. The estuary is also valued for fishing, agriculture, tourism, recreation and Indigenous heritage.

Caring for our Country provided funding to improve water quality in the Hunter River Estuary coastal hotspot. The project has enhanced water quality primarily through rehabilitation and restoration activities to mitigate the impacts of acid sulfate soil. A novel floodgate system was installed to flush and neutralise wetland areas prone to acidity from exposed acid sulfate soils. This system had immediate benefits, with waterbirds quickly recolonising an additional 100 hectares. The ability to manage water levels in Ramsar-listed wetlands allowed for rehabilitation of critical habitat for various migratory bird species that are protected by international agreements, such as the eastern great egret (Ardea modesta). Water levels were controlled by installing pipes, pumps and penstock gates. Sediment and nutrient pollution from rural and urban areas was also addressed as a secondary activity.

The greatest legacies of the project were the changes in work culture and practices and a willingness by a wide range of organisations to participate in NRM. Seventy per cent of farmers who were involved in the carbon farming and sustainable grazing component of the project have changed the way they manage their land and made personal investments in carbon farming. Some stakeholders who had never previously been involved in NRM are now enthusiastic contributors. Swan Canning Estuary System coastal hotspot, Western Australia

The Swan Canning catchment comprises 2126 square kilometres and includes much of the Perth metropolitan area. The river is used extensively by the community and is important for its aesthetic, recreational, commercial and environmental values. The diverse aquatic ecosystems and riparian vegetation of this estuarine system have a range of important environmental values. Nationally protected fauna in the estuary include bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the critically endangered western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina).

Caring for our Country provided funding to reduce excessive nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the Swan Canning river system. This funding was complemented with $3.19 million from the Western Australian Government. Activities included biophysical rehabilitation, urban and rural landholder education, an awareness campaign targeting school students and a program to increase the number of volunteers. A ‘dolphin watch’ program, involving hundreds of participants, was very successful at engaging local communities to observe dolphins as an indicator of estuary health.

Following the implementation of two successful nutrient management programs, managers of urban open spaces are now in a better position to reduce the use of nitrogen and phosphorus in the coastal hotspot. The ‘Fertilise Wise’ program trained local land managers to reduce their use of fertilisers in green open spaces, while horse owners in rural areas were targeted with an extension program to promote the better management of waste from horse farms.

One of the main achievements of this project was increased awareness and community and regulator acceptance of an innovative soil strategy, which involved adding artificial materials to soils to improve their nutrient absorption and retention capacity. The project created a framework that could be used for regulation of this new approach to soil and increased knowledge about implementing it. As a result of this project, there is now more active community interest in the estuary. Vasse Wonnerup and Geographe Bay coastal hotspot, Western Australia

The Vasse Wonnerup and Geographe Bay catchment has a high abundance and richness of waterbirds, including the nationally protected black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) and red-necked avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae). The hotspot includes highly diverse sponge, coral and invertebrate communities. It also has cultural and heritage values and supports fishing and recreation.

The project received funding from Caring for our Country to improve water quality in the Vasse Wonnerup and Geographe Bay coastal hotspot. The project implemented fertiliser and riparian management techniques such as establishing urban bio- retention wetlands, controlling stock access to waterways and retrofitting high-risk industrial areas with bio-retention rain- gardens and upgrading major drains. These activities were supported by extensive and ongoing monitoring and modelling in the catchment and engagement with rural, business and school communities to increase awareness of the values of Geographe Bay. Some of the bio-retention gardens have become demonstration sites to raise awareness about the benefits of water-sensitive urban design. The successful Bay-OK marketing program for urban gardens will also become the flagship for all water quality activities in future.

Another highlight of the project was the activities completed by farmers as part of the Smart Soils program. Eighty farmers were involved in monitoring and mapping their soils and then creating nutrient management plans. The high level of engagement is particularly commendable, as improving water quality is not generally the core business of farmers.

Within a five-year monitoring cycle there has been a decrease in nutrients in the Vasse Wonnerup system, which can be attributed to the successful implementation of on-ground works. This decrease is significant, as there is usually a long delay between implementing on-ground works and detecting noticeable improvements. Natural resource managers in the region believe that the project is a useful example for explaining the science to communities and other stakeholders. Outcome 5

Increase the community’s participation in protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats.

Caring for our Country supported almost 600 projects which engaged around 6300 community groups in protecting, restoring and conserving coastal and critical aquatic habitats. On-ground actions comprised removing marine debris and rehabilitating waterways, wetlands and marine habitats. Participants included Indigenous communities, Landcare and Coastcare groups, schools, local governments and volunteers. Community participation was particularly targeted through Community Action Grants (CAGs) and grants through regional base-level funding allocated to regional NRM organisations. CAGs provided small grants to community groups to undertake projects with a focus on protecting and improving local natural resources and environmental assets. Direct funding increased the participation of Indigenous, urban and regional communities in the protection and rehabilitation of aquatic and coastal environments.

Increasing the participation rates of communities in coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats was achieved in several ways:

 establishing networks and partnerships  building knowledge and skills  providing incentives  establishing new community NRM groups  expanding and diversifying existing NRM groups  implementing on-ground works. Establishing networks and partnerships provided access points for engaging new audiences in protecting and rehabilitating coastal and aquatic environments. Partnerships fostered increased participation rates through a diverse range of activities and more coordinated approaches with consistent advice. Paid staff and facilitators played an essential role in developing and maintaining networks and partnerships. Successful partnerships tended to clearly articulate roles and responsibilities and share knowledge. In the Ramsar estate, almost 100 projects across Australia engaged land managers, Indigenous and community groups and volunteers to protect the ecological values of around 1.75 million hectares of Ramsar wetlands through on-ground actions such as reducing the impact of invasive animals and weeds, rehabilitating native habitat and improving land management practices. In addition, 27 projects engaged local landholders and communities to address threats to the environmental values of around 100 000 hectares of coastal and inland critical aquatic ecosystems. Actions helped improve water quality and protected threatened species and ecological communities. Caring for our Country also worked with local landholders to implement management plans to control nutrient flows so that water quality in the Tuggerah Lakes in New South Wales could be improved.

Building knowledge and skills of urban and regional communities was central to achieving increased participation in many Caring for our Country coastal and aquatic projects. Raising awareness and knowledge of the significance of local assets, and building skills to manage threatening processes to these assets, generated increased community participation in the initiative. The ability to address complex NRM issues over broad areas is strongly dependent on communities having appropriate skills and knowledge. Through the Caring for our Country initiative, knowledge and skills were built in various ways, including through formal and informal educational opportunities such as forums, training, workshops, field days, working bees, social events, mentoring and general communication. A range of organisations facilitated these activities, particularly Coastcare groups, catchment management authorities, non-government organisations and local councils. Participation in events and projects had the unintended social outcome of enhancing connectivity within communities. Glenelg Alliance, Victoria

The Glenelg Alliance was a successful collaboration between multiple partners to address threats from invasive plants and animals and rehabilitate waterways within the Lower Glenelg and Discovery Bay high ecological value aquatic ecosystem in Victoria. Caring for our Country provided funding for stakeholder engagement and on-ground works in this region. The ecosystem supports a number of nationally threatened species, including the endangered Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), and contains important breeding sites for various shorebirds as well as providing drought refuge for various aquatic and riparian species.

The Glenelg Alliance was composed of the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, the Victorian Departments of Sustainability and Environment and Primary Industries, Parks Victoria and the Glenelg Shire Council. Conservation Volunteers Australia also engaged with private and public landholders, including farmers and Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners, to undertake environmental works.

The formation of the alliance and strong collaboration between agencies and local landholders achieved increased participation rates and positive biophysical outcomes in a nationally significant region of south-west Victoria. By the third year of the Caring for our Country project, the majority of targeted landholders had been engaged in an area with previously low participation. A lasting impact of the project is stronger relationships and cooperation to address some difficult and extensive problems relating to pest animals, weeds and agricultural practices. “Because of the Caring for our Country funding, the Victorian Government eventually decided to invest in the project. This would not have happened without Caring for our Country”—project manager, Coastal communities protecting beach-nesting birds, VIC.

Another strategy for increasing participation in activities was the establishment of new voluntary community-based NRM groups. It was important that these groups were self-directed and had strong community ownership. These groups provided a non-threatening and local forum for community members and distributed information, skills, technical expertise and financial support to target issues of shared importance. For example, two new Coastcare groups were formed through one project in the Eyre Peninsula to protect shorebirds. Community-based groups were able to mobilise volunteers and engage new volunteers where required. Coastal communities protecting beach-nesting birds, Victoria

Caring for our Country funding contributed to the ongoing implementation of a long-term project in Victoria by BirdLife Australia which aimed to protect Australian shorebirds such as hooded plovers (Thinornis rubricollis), red-capped plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus) and the beach stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris). These birds are nationally protected under the EPBC Act as marine species.

The project raised public awareness about beach-nesting birds, trained local volunteers to monitor the birds, managed threats and researched new ways to protect the species and improve breeding success. Meetings were held with land managers and volunteers to share data and information and to report on progress of recovery efforts. Training workshops were offered to increase the capacity of volunteers and management agencies to monitor, identify threats and implement on- ground management strategies such as fencing and identifying predator tracks around nests. As a result, 384 nesting sites were fenced and over 8250 people were engaged in the project.

The involvement of community groups and monitoring has resulted in the collection of greater amounts of data, with evidence that there has been improved breeding success among the targeted beach-nesting birds.

Economic and social incentives also generated increased engagement and participation in activities to protect and rehabilitate coastal and aquatic environments. Economic incentives could take the form of grants, subsidies, stewardship payments or competitive tenders, while social incentives could be recognition, training or social networking activities. Where appropriate, incentives encouraged innovation or assisted landholders to adopt practices that may have been economically infeasible. Economic incentives were generally most effective when combined with other approaches, including social incentives and building knowledge or skills. The Reef Rescue program involved successful partnerships between industry groups and regional NRM organisations. To date, it has supported more than 2900 individual land managers to adopt improved land management practices, including ground cover management to reduce the discharge of dissolved nutrients, sediment and chemicals into the Great Barrier Reef. Regional delivery partners advise that to date, for every $1 provided through Reef Rescue, participating landholders contribute an average of approximately $1.80 in in-kind funding. Catchment to coast—managing and restoring environmental values in the Cygnet River, South Australia

Caring for our Country funding of $2.11 million across three projects provided financial incentives based on equitable cost sharing agreements for farmers to adopt practice changes in the Cygnet River catchment on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. These incentives led to a substantial increase in participation of farmers and uptake of on-ground works and practices such as fencing waterways and improving grazing and soil management. The aim of the project was to improve water quality and seagrass cover and condition by reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients running into the river and Nepean Bay.

The Cygnet River contains a number of important biodiversity assets, including remnant river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) communities, threatened plants and habitat for the nationally endangered glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus), Kangaroo Island dunnart (Sminthopsis aitkeni) and southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus). The engagement of farmers led to improvements in terrestrial and aquatic habitats and water quality and prevented the degradation of seagrass meadows in Nepean Bay. “From property visits, it is clear that landowners are increasingly looking at the triple bottom line in evaluating whether to undertake on-ground works. This means that a suite of works with a range of private and public benefits is needed to continue to attract landholders to these programs”—program manager

Caring for our Country supported existing groups to expand their social engagement to reach new audiences and diversify their activities to address new and emerging threats to coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats. Funding was provided to capitalise on existing momentum and active involvement in community groups like Coastcare.

New audiences included schools, Indigenous communities and urban residents. By expanding the engagement, the existing capacity to deliver NRM was boosted. A culture of peer mentoring developed in many communities, with more experienced community members or farmers offering information and support to others. Water quality improvements in the Great Lakes —a community partnership, New South Wales

The Great Lakes are located on the mid-north coast of NSW and include the catchments and estuaries of Wallis Lake, Smiths Lake and Myall Lakes. These wetlands have been designated a water quality coastal hotspot and are ecologically significant, providing habitat and drought refuge for a diverse number of native flora and fauna species, including large numbers of waterbirds. Parts of the wetlands are subject to international migratory bird agreements. The Myall Lakes are also a Ramsar wetland and support significant oyster, fishing, tourism and recreation industries: it is estimated that the area produces one-third of Australia’s oyster harvest. Through the Coastal Catchments Initiative, Caring for our Country provided $1.24 million to implement components of the Water Quality Improvement Plan developed by the Great Lakes Council. With this funding, wetlands were protected and enhanced, native riparian vegetation was regenerated and sustainable grazing management was introduced. A new capability for managing water quality was formed and benchmarks were established to enable managers to measure changes in future. The greatest legacies of the project are the sustainable farms and urban gardens groups, along with the development of relationships and building of capacity to undertake restoration works with improved knowledge, tools and planning instruments. Funding assisted Great Lakes Council to engage rural and urban communities to protect the health of the region’s waterways from pollutants such as run-off; stock; agricultural chemicals; vegetation clearing; erosion and sedimentation; and boating, fishing and aquaculture. The proponent dedicated great effort to understanding the needs and interests of different communities. In total, 569 individuals from across the region participated. Farmers were equipped with knowledge and skills to manage their land sustainably to minimise impacts on waterways and maximise productivity. Funding supported the establishment and ongoing facilitation of eight sustainable farming groups. The groups met on a quarterly basis to share knowledge and learn from one another. Educational activities also provided practical experience with best-practice farm demonstration sites, farm trials, field days and workshops. A sustainable farming incentive scheme offered funding opportunities to assist with implementing new practices such as waterway protection and sustainable grazing. Another aspect of the project was the assistance provided to urban residents to create productive and organic gardens which would have minimal impact on water quality. Forty-one local residents took part, meeting monthly for 12 months to learn about propagation, water use, fertiliser, chemicals and composting. The educational activities were strongly influenced by adult learning principles, including recognising the knowledge and experience of participants, encouraging learning from others, participant-directed learning and offering activities that were locally relevant and action oriented. These activities have generated shifts in attitudes and behaviours on farms and in backyards, ultimately protecting water quality within the region. After learning new knowledge, many participants did change management practices and were more willing to try new things. The social nature of the project also created a stronger sense of community, which resulted in the development of personal friendships and networks of like-minded people. Positive social interactions increased the likelihood that participants will continue to engage with NRM programs in future. The Great Lakes Council is assisting the participants to establish themselves as independent community groups who will continue to work together, focusing on developing leadership skills and sourcing funding. Participants in the project are well prepared to meet the long-term challenge to improve water quality. As a result of the effective participation program, rural and urban landholders will continue to undertake and maintain sustainable practices on their properties through strong neighbourhood-scale networks established to sustain the localised neighbourhood groups. Partnerships protecting sea turtles, Queensland

With a Community Action Grant of $6405 from Caring for our Country, NQ Dry Tropics cooperated with the Sea Turtle Foundation, Gudjuda Traditional Owners, Queens Beach Action Group and Digital Dimensions to help protect sea turtles in far north Queensland. There are six marine turtle species that are protected as either endangered or vulnerable under the EPBC Act. This project brought together a diverse group of stakeholders with different perspectives on managing turtles. A community-based facilitator was the key driver of the project, facilitating collaboration with regular communication in the form of emails, newsletters and meetings. The facilitator was known and trusted by the stakeholder groups and had an in-depth understanding of the objectives and issues of each group.

Since the project was completed, a Whitsunday Marine Turtle Group has been established, which includes representatives from each major stakeholder group. This body has developed a draft Turtle Management Plan which aims to foster a more integrated approach to managing turtles as well as share and document current knowledge from the various stakeholders. Communities are being consulted about the draft plan. “We have passionate and enthusiastic people in the community but they did not know how to direct their effort, and through this project we have been able to really understand the motivation of all groups and help them find common ground to coordinate activities (to protect sea turtles) in an effective and efficient way”— former project manager. Coastwest/Coastcare: engaging communities in caring for the coast, Western Australia

There is strong community interest in protecting the coastline of Western Australia. Caring for our Country provided a funding boost of $1.5 million to the existing Coastwest program administered by the Western Australian Department of Planning. The funding assisted community groups to work in partnership with land managers to undertake rehabilitation and conservation activities.

The Western Australian coastline stretches over 24 000 kilometres. Its range of unique and diverse values is confronted with a number of challenges as a result of climate change, population growth, competing uses and degradation. The original Coastwest program commenced in 1995 and provided communities with opportunities to be involved in coastal management and engage with state government agencies.

Funding contributed to a state-wide and competitive coastal grants scheme to protect environmental values, aesthetic qualities, biodiversity and water quality, as well as building community capacity to deliver environmental works. The grants application process is simple for community groups to access and the competitive nature of the scheme generates high- quality projects that are targeted at local and regional coastal priorities.

Funding also supported five regional NRM groups to deliver and promote the Coastwest program through increasing community engagement and the number of volunteers; providing support and educational materials to community groups; and fostering partnerships between government agencies, community groups, land managers and Indigenous groups. Support from the program has assisted over 50 community groups to expand their influence. The program engaged new audiences that had not previously been involved in coastal management activities. As a result of Caring for our Country investments, a strong network of coastal facilitators were employed and they built the capacity of community groups, delivered knowledge and information and linked the groups with state agencies and NRM bodies. Caring for our Coast, New South Wales

Caring for our Coast was a $4.8 million Caring for our Country project which offered grants to all coastal communities in New South Wales to build their capacity to rehabilitate and conserve coastal environments. The project was managed by the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and delivered in partnership with Hunter–Central Rivers, Hawkesbury– Nepean and Sydney Metropolitan and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authorities. The grants program targeted established NRM groups where there was existing capacity and interest in delivering activities, such as Dunecare, Landcare and Coastcare groups. “It is so important to understand a particular community before community engagement mechanisms are employed. The grants have provided groups with some professional level training to help monitor their outcomes on the environment—this will help them to make better decisions on management and intervention into the future”—project manager.

A variety of on-ground activities such as weeding, planting, erosion control fencing, mapping of weeds and vegetation, planning, engagement and educational activities were delivered. Participation by established groups supported the strengthening of capacity through access to training and the recruitment of new members and volunteers. Capacity building will assist with future management of the project sites and ongoing participation in NRM programs.

Coastal environments are faced with significant pressures from declining water quality, climate change, dune erosion, habitat loss, land clearing and increasing traffic in ports and marinas. Caring for our Country projects provided opportunities for individuals to get involved in delivering on-ground works to address these threats: a practical element which encouraged participation. The physical and practical nature of these works provided an immediate sense of contribution and involvement. The social element also enabled participants to build new networks and facilitated the transfer of knowledge and skills. In the Gippsland Lakes, farmers were engaged to improve on-farm nutrient and dairy effluent management and adopt irrigation practices such as flood-to-spray conversion and drainage capture or water re-use systems. Recognition of volunteers and community organisations was essential for maintaining ongoing enthusiasm and participation, acknowledging the value of their contributions and celebrating achievements. Recognition could also take the form of references to prospective employers and providing professional development opportunities.

Community groups and regional NRM organisations often offered opportunities to participate in on-ground works. Community groups were engaged in 83 Caring for our Country projects to improve the protection and management of priority coastal hotspots. Increasing community participation is important for protecting coastal areas, especially as they cover vast stretches of land. One project in southern Tasmania identified priority areas for establishing new Coastcare groups. On the Goolwa coast of South Australia, $50 000 from Caring for our Country supported coordination to boost volunteer-based conservation activities such as working bees, awareness-raising and development of new resources. Long- standing community groups were mobilised to undertake actions to protect the Goolwa coastal zone near the mouth of the Murray River. Actions comprised weed and erosion control, fencing for dune stabilisation, signage and revegetating with coastal plants. The area contains significant roosting and feeding habitat for the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) as well as high-quality remnant vegetation which supports other flora and fauna. In this project, coastal information was disseminated via signage and a Goolwa Coastcare website and Facebook page. Partnerships with the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority and Alexandrina Council helped to leverage funds to expand on-ground works. Filling the gaps for Coastcare communities in southern Tasmania

The Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania received $536 270 from Caring for our Country to continue to support Coastcare groups and individual volunteers by providing opportunities and resources to help them participate in coastal management in southern Tasmania. “The handbook includes information that we have learned over the last 10 years, some of which has been ground-truthed and some that is purely a community perspective”—project manager.

A flexible program supported coastal groups and organisations to address local priorities while also providing leadership to identify and address emerging issues and community needs. The proponent worked with over 67 groups and organisations on a range of coastal priorities, including biodiversity conservation through habitat restoration and invasive plant and animal control, managing coastal erosion through shoreline protection works and engaging more broadly with communities.

The Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania adopted a range of different approaches to community engagement depending on the target audience. As a result of this project, the Coastcare capacity-building handbook was updated to document the engagement approaches. The handbook was developed as a resource for other groups and provides useful case studies and tips for engagement.

Increasing community participation through Caring for our Country projects was critical to protecting and rehabilitating coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats. Many projects depended on volunteers for on-ground implementation or required engagement to change attitudes and practices. Participation was increased through a variety of mechanisms and a partnership approach, providing mutual benefits and incentives to participants. Community participation in coastal and aquatic projects has important legacies for the future protection of rivers, wetlands and estuaries: new groups were formed, community groups experienced renewed vision and momentum and capacity was built through the development of knowledge and skills by participants. These factors establish a solid foundation for long-term protection of coastal and aquatic environments. Continued investment in Australia’s urban and coastal aquatic habitats—Phase II Caring for our Country 2013–2018

The Australian Government will continue to invest in activities that further protect Australia’s urban waterways and coastal environments by targeting environmental threats and priorities in specific key areas across Australia. These environments provide essential ecosystem services that support local communities and economies, and protecting these values is essential for the ongoing economic and social wellbeing of urban and coastal communities. Climate change, expanding populations and economic development will all place pressures on species and ecosystems in the future. The heavy concentration of populations around Australia’s iconic coastlines and rivers has significant impacts on these environments in the form of increased effluent and nutrients, erosion and modification of habitats.

The Sustainable Environment stream of the second phase of Caring for our Country will be guided by strategic objectives, including maintaining ecosystem services and protecting Australia’s conservation estate. In particular, restoring and maintaining urban waterways and coastal environments will be prioritised.

Urban streams and estuaries are connected to coastal and marine resources, and investing in restoration works to urban waterways will contribute to improved resilience of these assets and improve the liveability of cities. Further information about the next phase of Caring for our Country is available at: www.nrm.gov.au/about/caring/prospectus.html.

In the next phase of Caring for our Country, funding will also be used to build community capacity. It is acknowledged that many coastal and aquatic environments have significance for Indigenous people and partnerships are essential for implementing activities to protect ecological, cultural and spiritual values. The initiative will continue to fund activities that address identified key threats to the ecological character of priority Ramsar-listed wetlands, helping meet Australia’s commitments under the Ramsar Convention. Over the next five years, Caring for our Country will continue to support the development and adoption of improved technologies and land management techniques to reduce critical threats to, and improve and restore, the ecological character of Ramsar sites and high ecological value aquatic ecosystems. Funding will also be allocated to increase capacity to manage these environments in a way that is adaptive to changing conditions, is integrated across natural resource sectors and incorporates landscape-scale approaches. Furthermore, Ramsar wetlands are an important foundation for building landscape connectivity in the National Wildlife Corridors Plan.

Overview of the Caring for our Country Sustainable Environment stream

Strategic objectives Investment themes

 protecting the Great Barrier Reef Maintenance of ecosystem services, including ecological  conserving and protecting species and ecosystems (matters of national and cultural values, now and environmental significance) into the future  restoring and maintaining urban waterways and coastal environments  building NRM community skills, knowledge and engagement  building the National Reserve System Protection of our conservation estate  protecting Ramsar sites and values  protecting World Heritage sites’ outstanding universal value and integrity  building NRM community skills, knowledge and engagement  building Indigenous peoples’ capacity for NRM Enhanced capacity of Indigenous communities to  building NRM community skills, knowledge and engagement conserve and protect natural resources

Future Caring for our Country priorities for coastal and urban environments include:

 working with local governments, regional NRM organisations and relevant industries to reduce the amount of pollution entering waterways  supporting the trial, testing and piloting of innovative river and wetland health technologies  implementing urban ecosystem improvements such as constructed wetlands, bio-retention basins, sediment basins, infiltration systems and buffer strips  implementing erosion control technologies such as riparian restoration to reduce run-off in urban catchments  supporting local communities to manage, protect and restore urban and coastal biodiversity and habitats and improve the connectivity of fragmented ecosystems  implementing projects that reduce degradation and restore habitat around urban waterways to protect near-shore waters from run-off and other pollutants  developing and implementing more targeted Water Quality Improvement Plans in high priority urban catchments  supporting activities to reduce land-based sources of marine debris in urban coastline communities  developing and implementing land and sea country management plans that complement and support corridor and NRM regional plans in the protection and management of biodiversity. The Australian Government is committed to extending the Reef Rescue program for another five years and will continue to help farmers in the catchment to improve farming practices. Reef Rescue will be jointly delivered with the Sustainable Agriculture stream of the second phase of Caring for our Country. It will build on the current successful model by investing in a range of activities to increase the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef such as:

 providing training and extension services and water quality grants to agricultural land managers to accelerate the adoption of improved land management practices  monitoring and reporting the outcomes of Reef Rescue investments  research to develop new technologies to improve the health and resilience of the reef  rehabilitation activities, including restoration of wetlands, mangroves and riverbank vegetation which play a vital role in filtering water running into the reef and provide valuable habitats to support biodiversity  measures that improve the quality of water run-off from urban and industrial lands. Climate change will increasingly impact on the reef in future as a result of higher sea surface temperatures and acidity levels, leading to the destruction of ecosystems through coral bleaching. To maximise the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef to these climate change impacts, the Australian Government is working with key stakeholders to reduce the impacts of other stressors such as exposure to increased levels of sediments, nutrients and pesticides from agricultural run-off that affect the health and resilience of inshore reefs and seagrasses.

The Australian Government will continue to work with existing and new delivery partners to ensure that the objectives of coastal and aquatic habitats are achieved, recognising that protecting and conserving the environment is a shared responsibility. Indigenous partners will be supported to manage significant environmental and cultural values of land and sea country in places such as the Kimberley in Western Australia and Cape York in Queensland. The successful Working on Country stream of Caring for our Country will continue to contribute to national and international commitments on biodiversity and the advancement of Indigenous peoples, including Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage. The number of Working on Country ranger positions will be expanded in the Northern Territory with up to 50 new ranger jobs to provide sustainable employment in NRM and to transfer traditional ecological knowledge, as a component of the Australian Government’s Stronger Futures policy. Many of these Working on Country projects involve the protection of important waterways, wetlands and coastal environments. Caring for our Country will focus on community capacity-building, strategic investments and whole-of-landscape approaches to help restore the health and resilience of aquatic ecosystems for future generations.

References

Alluvium (2012). Evaluation of Caring for our Country outcomes at Ramsar sites and non-Ramsar high ecological value aquatic ecosystems. Draft report, Canberra, November 2012. Australian wetlands: www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/wetlands/index.html. BMT WBM (2009a). Hunter estuary management study. Final report to Newcastle City Council. September 2009. Botany Bay. A water sensitive future. Improving Water Quality in the Botany Bay ‘Hot Spot’. www.nrm.gov.au/projects/open-call/nsw/botany-bay-water-quality. Accessed October 2012. Coastcare: www.coastcare.com.au. Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia: www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/wetlands/directory.html. E-Water (2013). An evaluation of strategies used in the Caring for Our Country program to improve water quality management in coastal hotspots. Canberra, March 2013. Eberhard Consulting (2011). Caring for our Country—Reef Rescue as a program delivery model for natural resource management. May 2011: www.nrmonline.nrm.gov.au/catalog/mql:2646. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: www.environment.gov.au/epbc. Fortune, J. and Maly, G. (2009). Towards the development of a water quality protection plan for the Darwin Harbour region. Phase 1 report. Aquatic Health Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport. Palmerston, Northern Territory. Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009: www.gbrmpa.gov.au/outlook-for-the-reef/great-barrier-reef-outlook-report. GBR (2013). Great Barrier Reef, Second Report Card 2010, Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/assets/gbr-second-report.pdf Hoye, J., Brook, J., Arnott, C. and Collis, F. (2008). Fostering sustainable behaviour in Corner Inlet: a social marketing approach. Report to the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority by Ipsos, October 2008. Landcare: www.daff.gov.au/natural-resources/landcare. Ramsar Convention: www.environment.gov.au/water/topics/wetlands/ramsar-convention. Reef Water Quality Protection Plan 2009: www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/index.aspx. Report on the Review of the Caring for our Country Initiative. April 2012: www.nrmonline.nrm.gov.au/catalog/mql:2697. Rossrakesh, S. et al. (2012). Ensuring protection of Little Stringeybark Creek: evidence for a proposed design standard for new developments. Melbourne waterway protection and restoration science–practice partnership. Melbourne University and Melbourne Water. South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership (2007a). South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Strategy 2007– 2012. Strategy overview. December, 2007. State of the Environment 2011. State of the Environment Committee, DSEWPaC: www.environment.gov.au/soe/2011. Swan Canning Project Great Gardens Workshops. www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au/be-part-of-the-action/get-involved/great-gardens-workshops. Accessed February 2013. Victorian DPCD (2013). 42.01 Environmental Significance Overlay, from Victoria’s Planning Schemes. www.planningschemes.dpcd.vic.gov.au/aavpp/42_01.pdf. Accessed January 2013. Water quality hotspots: www.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/nwqms/wqip/hotspots.html. Water Technology (2008). Corner inlet sediment and nutrient modelling. Final Report. Report No. J677/R05, December 2008. West Gippsland CMA (2010a). Benefits of Work on Strzelecki Dairy Block Flows into Corner Inlet. Media release 2 July 2010. Accessed February 2013. West Gippsland CMA (2010b). Healthy Farms, Healthy Corner Inlet. Media release 10 May 2010. Western Australia Department of Water (2012). Draft Vasse Geographe nutrient status, trends and loads. Department of Water internal report, Government of Western Australia. Western Australia Environmental Protection Authority (2008). Water Quality Improvement Plan for the Rivers and Estuary of the Peel-Harvey System—Phosphorus Management, WA Environmental Protection Authority. Working on Country: www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/workingoncountry. Zavadil, E. et al. (2008). Fluvial Geomorphology of the Tributaries of Corner Inlet Ramsar Site. Alluvium for the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Victoria.

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