Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority Annual Report 2011-2012 BORDER RIVERS-GWYDIR CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY This is the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority (Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA) Annual Report for the period July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. This Annual Report has been structured around reporting our progress against our Catchment Action Plan themes of community, biodiversity, soils and land use and water. It meets all the requirements of relevant NSW legislation. The Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA works to help people in our communities look after their land for future generations. We strive for balanced production and conservation within resilient landscapes. Contents Chair’s Foreword 4 Executive Summary 5 Locating the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA 7 Successes Facilitated by the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA 8 Understanding the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA 10 Governance of the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA 11 Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA Staff and Structure 20 Community Achievements 25 Biodiversity and Native Vegetation Achievements 33 Soils and Land Use Achievements 37 Water Achievements 41 Summary of Funds 45 Financial Statements 47 Compliance Checklist 74 Appendices 75 4 BORDER RIVERS-GWYDIR CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Chair’s Foreword As a board member for the past 3 years and through the Australian Government’s Acting Chair for the past six months it is a Caring For Our Country initiative privilege to welcome you to the eighth Annual for the program ‘Murries on Report of the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Barwon’. This project aims to Management Authority. make a significant difference to the health of the Barwon River 2011-12 has been an extremely busy year for the CMA. and provide new employment We have continued to deliver natural resource management and training opportunities programs under the Australian Government’s Caring For for Indigenous people in the Our Country program, Australian Government’s Carbon North West. Biodiversity Fund and Catchment Action NSW. In addition, we have invested considerable time upgrading our Catchment This year we have seen the departure of 3 inaugural board Action Plan (CAP). This has involved extensive community members, Cr Mal Peters, Ms Michelle Ramsay and Chair, Dr consultation and analysis to develop a strategy that Bob Crouch. I would like to thank them for their contribution supports the community within the Border Rivers and and dedication over the past 8 years and I would also like to Gwydir catchments to withstand the social, economic and acknowledge Bob for his leadership over the past 3 years, a climatic changes that they will face in the future. period of time where our organisation has established itself as a leader in the delivery of natural resource management Over the past year, the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA has extension services and on-ground programs. placed importance on working collaboratively and developing strong partnerships with organisations across our catchment This annual report is a record of our achievements for to further strengthen natural resource management strategic 2011-12 for which our staff and Board can be proud of. I direction (through the CAP), delivery and outcomes. A extend my thanks to the valuable contributions made by the flagship program, Weeds of National Significance (WoNS), community and the hard work of the Border Rivers-Gwydir was undertaken in partnership with landholders, the CMA staff and Board. Northern Inland Weeds Advisory Council, Landcare and the Inverell, Glen Innes Severn and Uralla Shire Councils Leanne Savage to achieve a coordinated approach to weed management. Acting Chair Another successful partnership was between the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA, Granite Borders Landcare and Northern Rivers CMA to engage landholders in the Tenterfield region to deliver the Flood Disaster Recovery Project. All three organisations combined their resources to assist landholders that had been affected by the January 2011 flood event. Over the past year, the We have had several successes within our Aboriginal Cultural Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA Heritage program over the past year. The publication of Bush Tucker, Boomerangs and Bandages has been a huge success. has placed importance on Not only has it been distributed to all schools across our catchment, it is in nearly every national library and most working collaboratively universities and is already on its third reprint. and developing strong Our Aboriginal Reference Advisory Group (ARAG) has partnerships with been reinvigorated and is generating greater awareness of natural resource management and Aboriginal cultural organisations across our heritage issues across the catchment. They have initiated catchment the ‘Kids on Country’ program which gives Aboriginal youth the opportunity to learn all aspects of their cultural heritage on country. The CMA was successful in receiving funding ANNUAL REPORT 2011 – 2012 5 Executive Summary Since inception in 2004, the Border Rivers-Gwydir Our Stakeholders – who we work with Catchment Management Authority has invested over Our stakeholders, the people and groups whose best interests $66 million in the region to foster understanding and we represent include: adoption of best practice in sustainable natural resource > landholders and landholder groups; management. This figure is substantially supported by > Aboriginal people; landholders and the broader community through their significant contribution of over $44 million. > Landcare and other community groups; > schools and education providers; In 2011-2012 the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA invested almost $4.4 million in the region and developed 145 partnerships > industry; with community groups, schools, government departments > local government; and agencies as well as industry which resulted in the > NSW Government; and management of over 83,000 hectares of land for improved > Australian Government natural resource management outcomes. A further 912,000 hectares was subject to aerial control of feral pigs. With the dedication of landholders, community members Explaining simply what the Border and other partners there are now over 1.6 million hectares Rivers-Gwydir CMA is and does under management for control of feral animals and invasive The Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management weed species and soil condition and water quality has Authority is an advocate for natural resources in the improved through projects on 330,144 hectares of land catchment area. Through education, extension, funding across the catchment. and advice, we work with landholders and community to foster practices that yield a positive outcome for natural About the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA resources and productive agriculture. The Border Rivers- Gwydir CMA works to help people in our communities The Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA covers an area of look after their land for future generations. 50,000 square kilometres in Northern NSW. It is bounded by the Queensland border to the north, the Great Dividing Range in the east, runs south to Uralla and west to the Barwon River at Collarenebri. The Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment is home to a complex diversity of plants, birds, animals, soils, land use and communities. There are three principal Aboriginal nations within the Border Rivers-Gwydir catchment area. These are the Kamilaroi, Banbai and Anaiwan nations. Each of these nations comprise of various tribes which are recognised as members of their respective tribal nation. One of 13 Catchment Management Authorities in NSW established under the Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003 the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA is responsible for engaging with its local communities in the management of the catchment’s natural resources. We do this by implementing the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA Catchment Action Plan, known as the “CAP”. The CAP is a 10-year plan, approved by the Minister for Natural Resources in 2006, that outlines clear and specific targets for the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA to achieve in delivering improvements in the condition of our natural resources. It is currently being upgraded to reflect a whole- of-government and whole-of-community approach to natural resource management. This Annual Report documents our achievements in the four CAP “theme” areas: Community, Biodiversity, Soils and Land Use and Water. 6 BORDER RIVERS-GWYDIR CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Why our work is important The vision of the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA is to balance production and conservation within resilient landscapes. Working together, individuals and communities have the Resilience, in this context, is the ability of the system to knowledge, resources and clear vision of what they can absorb disturbance and still retain its basic function and do in their daily lives that will “make a difference” to structure (Walker and Salt, 2006). sustainable natural resource management. The Border The overriding principles of this concept are: Rivers-Gwydir CMA works hard to provide the knowledge and resources required. > We are all part of linked systems of humans and nature (socio-ecological systems). Everyday the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA engages with people as individuals or in community groups to provide > These systems are complex adaptive systems. expert advice, education and training on what can be done > Resilience is the key to the sustainability of to better manage the natural resources in our region. these systems. The Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA is actively involved in its community, working with community groups, schools, government departments and