Conservation Action Planning June 2016 Summary Sustainable Water Resources A Collaborative, Landscape Planning Approach to Water Conservation in the Northern and Yorke NRM Region, South Australia Compiled by: James McGregor (Greening Australia) for the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Cover Images 1 2 3 4 5 6 1) Yappala Springs (courtesy M. Durant), 2) Hutt River Gauging Station, 3) Diamond Lakes, 4) Coonatoo Station Permanent Pools Monitoring (courtesy J. Munro), 5) Murray River Pipeline near Port Augusta (courtesy M. Durant), 6) Beetaloo Reservoir (courtesy J. Munro). Acknowledgements Current and previous participants of the Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning process including Andy Sharp, Anne Hallett, Anne Jensen, Claudia Smith, Dan Rogers, Damian Stahm, Daniel Penny, Danny Doyle, Darren Alcomb, Eric Sommerville, Glyn Ashman, Grant Chapman, Jackie O’Reilly, James McGregor, Jaqueline Frizenschaf, Jason Van Laarhoven, Jennifer Munro, Karla Billington, Kerry Ward, Kumar Savadamuthu, Michael Manou, Nick Calhoun, Nick Whiting, Pam Pilkington. This document may be cited as: McGregor, J. (2015) Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning Summary 2015. Report to the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board and Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. Greening Australia. Version: 30/06/16 Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning Summary 2016 2 Contents Page 1. Background 5 1.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……. 5 1.2. Regional Planning Context……………………………………………………..…………………………………………………..………..... 6 1.3. Sustainable Water Project Area……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………... 7 1.4. Social Context……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………… 13 2. Identification of Conservation Assets 14 2.1. Methodology for Identifying Conservation Assets ……………………………………………………………………………………… 14 2.2. Conservation Assets of the Northern and Yorke Region…………………………..…………………………………………….…. 14 3. Viability of Conservation Assets 19 3.1. Methodology for Assessing Viability …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 19 3.2. Viability of the Conservation Assets of the Northern and Yorke Region …..…………………….……………………….… 19 4. Threats to Conservation Assets 21 4.1. Methodology for Assessing Threats…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21 4.2. Threats to the Conservation Assets of the Northern and Yorke Region.……………………………………………………… 21 5. Setting Conservation Objectives 23 5.1. Methodology for Setting Conservation Objectives………………………………………………………….…………………………… 23 5.2. Conservation Objectives of the Northern and Yorke Region……………………………………………………………………… 23 6. Conservation Strategies, Actions Steps and Key Programs 25 6.1. Methodology for Developing Conservation Strategies, Action Steps and Key Programs……………………………… 25 6.2. Conservation Strategies, Action Steps and Key Programs ……..……………………………………………………………..……. 26 7. Monitoring and Evaluation 29 7.1. Methodology for Developing a Monitoring Program…………………………………………………………………………………… 29 7.2. Monitoring Indicators for the Northern and Yorke Region…………………..……………………………………………………... 29 8. Appendices 30 Appendix 1: Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board Goals………………………………………………………… 30 Appendix 2: Participants of the Southern Flinders Ranges CAP process……………………………………………………………………..31 9. References 32 Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning Summary 2016 3 Tables Table 1 Existing Programs and Legislation ………………….……………………………………………………….……….…...................... 6 Table 2 Selected Demographic Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics………………………………….…………… 13 Table 3 Key Attributes of Conservation Assets ………………………………..……………………………………………………….………….. 20 Table 4 Viability Ratings for Conservation Assets………………………………………………..…………………………………….………….. 20 Table 5 Key Threats to Conservation Assets……………………………………………………………………………………………….…….…… 22 Maps Map 1. Sustainable Water Project Area ………………………………………………………………………………….………………………..... 8 Map 2. Land Use in the Region …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 Map 3. Surface Water Resources ………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………. 11 Map 4. Ground Water Resources ……..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Map 5. Conservation Assets of the Sustainable Water Project Area………………………………………………………………….…. 16 Abbreviations CAP Conservation Action Planning DEWNR Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources GA Greening Australia NRM Natural Resources Management PWRA Prescribed Water Resource Area SA South Australia SAW SA Water Corporation Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning Summary 2016 4 1. Background 1.1. Introduction This document summarises the progress of the Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process to the 30th June 2016. The process commenced in March 2014 and the planning team (refer Appendix 4) has met four times to develop the conservation plan for the region. The focus of the Sustainable Water Conservation Action Plan was on “The Sustainable Use and Management of the Region’s Water Resources” With consideration given to the following water uses: Town Water Supplies Mining and Industrial Private Domestic Supplies Stock Water Urban Amenity Agriculture Recreation and Tourism Viticulture Early European Heritage Horticulture Indigenous Heritage Environmental Water 1.1.1. Conservation Action Planning (CAP) The planning process for the Sustainable Water Project uses the Conservation Action Planning (CAP) framework developed by the US-based conservation group The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org as its basis. This framework is widely used in the development of international conservation projects and is becoming more widely adopted in Australia for planning large scale conservation projects with multiple stakeholders. One of the underpinning goals of CAP planning is to move conservation projects from the site scale (10’s or 100’s of hectares) to the conservation and preservation of functional landscapes (100,000’s hectares) which are able to sustain biodiversity at an eco-regional scale (Low 2003). This CAP utilises the same principals of biodiversity conservation for water conservation. The CAP process typically involves a series of conservation planning workshops with 5-10 participants from multiple organisations. The process is facilitated by a trained CAP coach and uses a standard step-by-step methodology (refer Low 2003) and an Excel-based program, or Miradi software, to guide participants through the development of a 1st iteration landscape conservation plan. Whilst built on solid scientific principles, the approach recognises that there are often large gaps in knowledge and data sets and hence a strong on-going adaptive management ethic is implied throughout the process. It also recognises that a large amount of knowledge exists with local practitioners and therefore incorporates local practitioner input into the planning process. The major steps in the CAP process, as outlined in this document, are: an analysis of the regional context in which conservation is to occur; the identification of conservation assets and nested assets (i.e. ecosystems, communities and species); an analysis of the viability (i.e. health) of the conservation assets and the key threats; the development of measurable objectives to achieve the long-term conservation of the assets; the development of conservation strategies, action steps and key programs to achieve the conservation objectives; the development of a practical monitoring and evaluation program and adaptive management framework. Sustainable Water Conservation Action Planning Summary 2016 5 1. Background 1.2 Regional Context 1.2.1 Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board Region The NRM region extends from the northern Adelaide plains in the south to the Southern Flinders Ranges in the north, and includes the whole of the Yorke Peninsula. In total the Northern and Yorke NRM region covers over 3 million hectares and supports a population of approximately 95,000 people (Northern and Yorke NRM Board, 2009). As opposed to other Conservation Action Plans (e.g. Biodiversity or Soil) which divide the region into three discrete CAP regions, the entire NRM region is covered by a single Sustainable Water CAP. 1.2.2 Water Management Organisations, Programs and Legislation The CAP process is a planning process which complements existing plans and strategies (refer Appendix 3 for Northern and Yorke NRM regional goals). The principle organisations involved in water management in the region are the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board, the State Government Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources and SA Water Corporation. The former organisations underwent a merger in 2010/2011 and now function primarily as one organisation. Local landholders, farmers and pastoralists are also supported by organisations such as Rural Solutions of South Australia in utilising both surface and ground water resources. Table 1: Existing Water Programs, Strategies and Legislation National State (SA) Regional (N&Y NRM) National and State Legislation National Water State Strategic Plan Northern and Yorke Water Act 2007 Initiative Tackling Climate NRM Plan (National) Change Baroota Prescribed Water Amendment Act State Natural Water Allocation 2008 (National) Resources Plan (in Natural Resources Management Plan development) Management Act 2004 Water For Good Clare Valley