VICTORIAN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES’ ACTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT 2017/2018 VICTORIAN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES’ 2017/2018 ACTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT 1 CONTENTS FOREWORD 3 REGIONAL ACTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS VIC CATCHMENTS OVERVIEW 4 Including regional outputs data, key events, insights and case studies 18 CMA REGIONS 5 Corangamite 19 CMA CHAIRS 6 East Gippsland 23 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES 7 Glenelg Hopkins 27 PARTNERSHIPS 8 Goulburn Broken 31 SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT 10 Mallee 35 North Central 39 INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT 11 North East 43 2017/18 SUMMARY: Port Phillip and Westernport 47 Statewide actions West Gippsland 51 and achievements 12 Wimmera 55 STATEWIDE CASE STUDIES 15 Contact 59 Traditional Owner Engagement & Participation 16 Developing Regional Floodplain Management Strategies 17 We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we work and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. FRONT COVER: HUGHES CREEK, ALISTAIR TAME VICTORIAN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES’ 2017/2018 ACTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT 2 This investment also includes $22 million to support the Our Catchments Our Communities strategy, helping form FOREWORD better partnerships between government and community, and so deliver better on-ground outcomes. 19 major projects, many detailed in the report, are delivering for regional communities right across Victoria. CMAs fill a vital role in the delivery of a range of Victorian Government environmental policy and programs. As well as Water for Victoria, CMAs are key agents for delivery of Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 and our commitment though Victoria’s Climate Change Adaptation THE ACTION AND ACHIEVEMENTS Plan. REPORT FOR 2017-18 PROVIDES CMAs are also providing vital support FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE for Biodiversity Response Planning; the POSITIVE IMPACT THAT CATCHMENT new area-based approach to biodiversity MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES (CMAs) conservation. Projects being developed ARE HAVING ON VICTORIA’S REGIONAL and implemented through Biodiversity COMMUNITIES. Response Planning are starting to roll out This report shows clearly the important across the state and I will be pleased to role CMAs have in helping to improve see the results in future reports. liveability for Victorians and supporting I would like to congratulate CMAs and more resilient communities in the face of their partner agencies for being chosen current and future dry conditions and in as preferred service providers for the the wake of previous flooding. Australian Government’s new National It is particularly encouraging to see CMAs Landcare Program. The work we have are working closely with Traditional all done to develop a strong catchment Owners, taking advantage of their sector and a strong framework for on- unique ability to care for Country. ground delivery has delivered significant This report illustrates the genuine investment by the Australian Government partnerships between CMAs and over the next five years. Traditional Owners, helping to better This report is a celebration of the work integrate Aboriginal values and traditional of the 10 CMAs, their partners and ecological knowledge in natural resource their communities. It also highlights the management. extraordinary scale of this undertaking It is pleasing to see evidence of the rapid right across the state; from the dryland progress with the rollout of the Victorian areas of the Mallee to the forests and Government’s Water for Victoria policy coastal parks in the south-east. and our largest ever investment of $222 million in healthy waterways and catchments. The report highlights work to improve the condition of 10 flagship waterways and deliver dedicated environmental water to improve the health of our rivers, wetlands and Hon Lisa Neville MP Minister for Water estuaries. VICTORIAN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES’ 2017/2018 ACTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT 3 At the half-way point of delivering Westernport and Corangamite CMAs projects funded through the Victorian partnered to deliver the Victorian Ramsar Government’s four-year $222 million Site Management Plan. VIC Water for Victoria initiative, the State’s 10 The Victorian Government’s key natural CMAs are proud of what’s been achieved resource management strategies (see to date. page 10) all emphasise the importance As well as the many fantastic results of genuinely engaging with Traditional CATCHMENTS’ coming out of each of the regions, as Owners to manage Country. The CMAs detailed in the case studies provided are proud of their track record in in this report, there are numerous collaborating with Aboriginal Victorians other examples of the benefits of the and a number of examples are outlined CHAIR collaborative efforts between CMAs and on page 16. It’s important to note that communities across the State that have we don’t just talk the talk – 3% of our improved the health of our much-loved workforce are Indigenous, compared to creeks, wetlands, estuaries and rivers. 0.9% in the broader public sector. OVERVIEW This is because CMAs fully understand Genuine Traditional Owner engagement the ripple effect changes in one part was critical to successfully delivering of the landscape have on another many of the projects funded through and the importance of involving local the Australian Government’s National communities in the prioritising of Landcare Program, which wrapped activities to deliver often long-term up in June 2018. Once again the case and integrated outcomes. For example, studies highlighted in this document the four CMAs who are the caretakers illustrate the huge effort that has gone of the rivers that flow into the Murray into supporting communities to protect River work with each other, river and improve biodiversity on private and operators, water authorities, farmers public land thanks to this funding. As and communities to make sure that well as improving the lot of many icon every drop of water is used multiple threatened species, these actions provide times as the flows make their way along many valuable benefits for farmers. thousands of kilometres of waterways. Planting native trees and shrubs provides Doing so helps the State’s Ramsar-listed shelter for stock, attracts pollinators Murray River wetlands cope with climate and improves soil health; managing pest change and river regulation and also plants and animals reduces competition improves water quality for farmers and for crops and water; and hosting field communities. This also supports activities days and events encourages practice such as fishing, boating or simply change and builds social networks. enjoying time out in nature, which is so Most importantly, as we head towards important to people’s wellbeing. what looks like a dry 2018-19, all these Wimmera CMA partnered with Glenelg efforts help build the resilience of our Hopkins CMA to deliver the Victorian communities, so they remain vibrant Government-funded Habitat Tender and productive in the face of a changing project, which successfully protected climate. 2408ha of high quality native vegetation by supporting private land managers to manage areas of remnant vegetation. North East, East Gippsland and West Gippsland CMAs worked with Parks Victoria to protect and enhance the EPBC-listed Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens and Port Phillip & DR. PETER VENKEER VICTORIAN CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES’ 2017/2018 ACTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT 4 VICTORIA’S INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IS WORKING TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE CMA REGIONS OUR RIVERS AND LANDSCAPES WHILE SUPPORTING PRODUCTIVITY FROM OUR LAND AND WATER RESOURCES. NORTH CENTRAL The North Central region covers 30,000 square kilometres (13% of the state). It is home to 250,000 people, is valued for its internationally recognised environmental GOULBURN BROKEN assets and supports a diverse agriculture sector. The Goulburn Broken region covers over 24,000 square kilometres of which two thirds is under private ownership. It extends north from the outskirts of Melbourne to the Murray River. It yields 11% of the Murray Darling Basin’s water despite making up only 2% of its area. MALLEE The Mallee region covers almost 40,000 square kilometres making it the largest catchment area NORTH EAST in Victoria. It runs along the Murray River from The North East region extends across 19,000 square Nyah to the South Australian border and south kilometres between the Murray River in the north, Victorian through vast dryland cropping areas and public Alps in the south and the Warby Ranges in the west. The reserves. region is home to 100,000 people, provides 38% of the Murray Darling Basin’s water and is 55% public land. WIMMERA The Wimmera region covers 30,000 square EAST GIPPSLAND kilometres straddling the Wimmera River. The East Gippsland region covers 22,000 Agriculture is the dominant land use, economic square kilometres and is approximately 80% driver and employment sector. A quarter of the publicly-owned land mainly as significant 50,000 people who live in the region depend State forests, national and coastal parks. directly on agriculture for their income. WEST GIPPSLAND GLENELG HOPKINS The West Gippsland region covers 18,000 square kilometres from The Glenelg-Hopkins region covers 26,000 square kilometres Warragul to the Gippsland Lakes and from the Great Dividing Range to and is characterised by flat volcanic plains in the south, with the Wilsons Promontory. It provides the majority of Victoria’s electricity, 60% Grampians, Dundas Tablelands and Central