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Being Aware about Biodiversity A workshop for local government outdoor officers NOTE TO FACILITATOR Welcome the participants. Thank them for taking the time to come to this important awareness raising session. Provide brief background about how the workshop program was developed. This workshop program was developed in 2010 by the Parramatta River Catchment Group to support outdoor staff working for 11 councils in the Parramatta River catchment. Protecting biodiversity is a challenge for local councils and a requirement of their charter under the NSW Local Government Act (1993). This workshop will outline the main issues for councils and provide tools and information to help manage these complex challenges. About the presenter (Facilitator to insert own information) • Name • Background • Qualifications • Current employment/business • Connection with/ interest in the Parramatta River catchment NOTE TO FACILITATOR Introduce yourself. It is important to establish a connection with the participants. Give some background about your experiences and why you have something to offer on the topic of biodiversity. Give some background (if applicable) of your connection with/interest in the health of the Parramatta River catchment (e.g. previous jobs, grew up nearby etc). List some relevant experience and qualifications. Add any personal anecdotes that may apply to the participating audience – for example “I worked in the depot at xx Council before moving to my current role and I know the challenges that council operations staff face.” What is today about? • Understanding yours and council’s legal responsibilities • Checking your performance • Sharing experiences with peers • Tips for what to do - and not do • Knowing who else to talk to in council NOTE TO FACILITATOR It is important to build trust with the participants, right from the start. Review the objectives of the workshop – one at a time. Highlight the interactive nature of the workshop format, i.e. the participants are encouraged to participate, share their experiences and anecdotes, and (most importantly) to ask questions. Reassure them: “The workshop today is about helping you to do your job.” The information will reinforce what they are doing correctly, and highlight where there is room for improvement (providing some tips and suggestions). Reinforce that there will not be any assessments or tests of the participants. The second dot point: “Checking your performance” There will be some checklists to go through, so they can assess themselves and their practices. They will not be required to hand those checklists in. They are useful tools, and the participants are encouraged to discuss these with their supervisors when they return to work. Overall, the workshop is about supporting them in their every day jobs by providing ideas on how to deal with this very important role of local government; one which creates many challenges for all levels of council operations. Who is here today? Please introduce yourself • Name • Where you are from • Your job at council NOTE TO FACILITATOR Allow some time for this activity, especially if it is being done as a whole group. This encourages the participants to get comfortable, start opening up and find out who else is in the room. GROUP ACTIVITY (in small groups or the whole group) Do this with the whole group or in small groups – depending on how much time available, numbers of people, preference of the facilitator etc. Ask all participants to introduce themselves and their job at council. TIP Even if all of the participants are from the same council, don’t assume that they all know each other well, find out what roles each person does at council. After the introductions are complete, briefly go through the “Housekeeping” for the day: • Remind participants to switch mobile phones off (or to silent) • Location of toilets • Any emergency procedures The main issues: • Looking after habitat • Managing weeds • Using chemicals in the workplace • Understanding impacts on water quality - nutrients - erosion - sediment control - stormwater runoff NOTE TO FACILITATOR Introduce the workshop program (the participants should also have this as a handout). Briefly explain how the workshop will be run: presentation & discussions, stop for tea break, field session/site visit at the end. Explain that there is a lot of information that can be covered on this topic. To avoid overwhelming them, the workshop will concentrate on four main areas. Read through the list and emphasize briefly why each issue is important for biodiversity management. • Looking after habitat • Managing weeds • Chemicals in your workplace • Impacts on water quality (and the main things that affect water quality) Reinforce that their questions, comments and personal observations are welcome throughout the whole workshop. Workshop organised by the Parramatta River Catchment Group NOTE TO FACILITATOR Provide some brief background context of the Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) and how the workshop program came about. This workshop program was developed by the PRCG, an organisation formed by 11 local councils (seen on the map) and a number of state government agencies. Each of the General Managers of the 11 councils has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work co-operatively to sustain the health of the catchment and River. There are also other catchment groups like this in the Sydney region for the Cooks River, Georges River, Coastal Councils etc The idea for a “biodiversity awareness” program came directly from some council officers in the PRCG who recognised the need to support council outdoor staff in dealing with an increasingly complex area of local government operations. Today’s workshop is being funded by your council (or xxx organisation). By the nature of your everyday work, you have a very important role in protecting biodiversity. What is good about Sydney? • What do you like doing in your spare time? • What do you like most about the natural environment in Sydney? • Have you had any interesting experiences with native wildlife or in natural areas? NOTE TO FACILITATOR The aim of this discussion is to start identifying some links between biodiversity and the participants’ own individual lives and jobs. It is to show that everyone has the potential to impact on biodiversity, and that everyone can play a role in protecting biodiversity. Allow approx approximately 5 minutes for discussion and 5 minutes for reporting back. Wrap up the discussion by reviewing the key environmental themes that come out and, as much as possible, link them to the topic areas to be covered in the workshop. It may be useful to use a white board to write up some of the responses as a reference for later on. PROMPT QUESTIONS (to the whole group) Does anyone here like to go fishing? Does anyone have a boat or kayak? Who likes to surf and swim at the beach? Any bushwalkers or birdwatchers here today? GROUP DISCUSSION (to be done in pairs, small groups, tables) If possible, get people who don’t know each other to sit together for this discussion. Discuss the questions on the screen. Ask someone in the group to report back to the whole group some of the interesting things discussed. TIP: Some people may be shy, others will be happy to talk a lot. If a group is having trouble getting started, walk over to them and prompt with questions, e.g. do you like getting outdoors on weekends? What’s your favourite part of your local suburb? If you see that a group is being dominated by one person, engage the group and encourage comments of others in the group. With regard to wildlife and natural experiences, encourage people to share positive or unique experiences of biodiversity in their local environment where they work or live. Recap the discussion by pointing out how fortunate we are to live in Sydney and to be able to have these experiences! Biodiversity and natural places are things to be protected, not to be taken for granted. Left photo: David Harasti Right photo: Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority Biodiversity œ what is it? The variety of living things and their interactions. • Individuals - populations of single species and their habitat needs • Ecosystems - the interactions within and between species • Gene pools - the “coding” for the variety within species Example: Wollemi Pine In Sydney there are thousands of plant and animal species. M ore div erse than all of G reat B ritain! NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the key elements of biodiversity. It is not just about individual species, but protecting and conserving the interactions that sustain them. The concept of “gene pools” or genetic diversity is a complex one. Explain it simply e.g. if there are too few parent animals or plants, their offspring are less likely to thrive. The more diverse the gene pool, the more vigorous a species might be (and therefore the less vulnerable to environmental change or disturbance). The more that can be done to maintain diversity, the more viable that species will become. Biodiversity in the Parramatta River catchment M any im p o rtant fis h b reeding s ites 32 Endangered F au na S p ec ies 31 Endangered P lant S p ec ies 1 2 Endangered Ec o lo gic al C o m m u nities NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the value of bushland and waterways in the Parramatta River catchment in general (not just the threatened species and communities, as important as they are). Some statistics for the Parramatta River catchment are shown. Promote the significance of Sydney Harbour and its tributaries, in comparison to rivers in some large cities of Europe that appear to be clean, but are ecologically “dead”. There are many plants and animals found in the Parramatta River catchment that are at risk and are protected by environmental legislation. Examples (photos from left to right): • Powerful Owl – A large predatory bird that ranges over large areas of habitat, and is vulnerable to clearing and feral animals • Sea Grass Beds – important fish breeding areas that are damaged by sediment runoff and pollution • Coastal Saltmarsh – sensitive plant communities found on the foreshores of the Parramatta River and other coastal estuaries.

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