CatchmentKARUAH Management RIVER Plan Great Lakes COUNCIL Great Lakes Council 2015 Karuah River Catchment Management Plan The Karuah River Catchment Management Plan was produced with financial assistance from the NSW Government through the Office of Environment and Heritage and Great Lakes Council. This document does not necessarily represent the opinions of the NSW Government or the Office of Environment and Heritage. Thank you to community members of the Karuah River Catchment for your input and willingness to contribute to the development of the Plan. Thank you also to everyone who provided local photos for inclusion in the Plan. Prepared by: Great Lakes Council Natural Systems and Estuaries Section Enquires should be directed to: Great Lakes Council PO Box 450 Forster NSW 2428 telephone: (02) 6591 7222 fax: (02) 6591 7221 email: [email protected] © 2015 Great Lakes Council ii CONTENTS THE IMPETUS FOR CHANGE ..............................................................................................................................4 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ...........................................................................................................................................8 KARUAH RIVER CATCHMENT ......................................................................................................................... 10 THE PAST ................................................................................................................................................................ 12 THE PRESENT ........................................................................................................................................................ 20 THE FUTURE .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 WATER ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Desired outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Key Issues ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 Management Actions .............................................................................................................................. 31 LANDSCAPE, PRODUCTION AND COMMUNITY .................................................................................... 34 Desired outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Key Issues ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 Management Actions .............................................................................................................................. 34 RESILIENT ECOSYSTEMS .................................................................................................................................. 38 Desired outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Key Issues ..................................................................................................................................................... 38 Management Actions .............................................................................................................................. 38 KRCMP IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................................................................................. 41 Coordination ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Monitoring and Evaluation Program.................................................................................................. 41 Reporting and Communication ........................................................................................................... 43 DEFINITION OF TERMS AND LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................. 44 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................................... 45 APPENDIX 1: COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT .................................................... 50 APPENDIX 2: KARUAH CATCHMENT FORUM OUTCOMES REPORT ................................................ 52 APPENDIX 3: AN ECOLOGICAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF THE KARUAH RIVER ........................ 75 APPENDIX 4: NSW RIVER CONDITION INDEX .......................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX 5: RELATED PLANS, DOCUMENTS AND STRATEGIES ..................................................... 83 iii KARUAH RIVER Catchment Management Plan THE IMPETUS FOR CHANGE THE IMPETUS FOR CHANGE The Karuah River Catchment Plan (KRCMP) has been developed to maintain and Figure 1. Location of Karuah River Catchment improve the health of the Karuah River Catchment’s natural resources, so that they can support the sustained wellbeing of the catchment’s community, its industries and its biodiversity. The term of the plan is ten years, that is 2015 to 2025. The Plan has drawn on science and community to identify the catchment’s economic, social, environmental and cultural values. It has also worked closely with the general community and expert natural resource managers to identify threats to those values. The Plan identifies a set of desired outcomes or objectives for improvements in the catchment’s health. These outcomes will flow from the implementation of a comprehensive set of recommended actions. The Karuah River Catchment The Karuah River Catchment is located on the lower north coast of NSW. It is bordered by the Manning River Catchment to the north, the catchments of the Great Lakes to the east and the Hunter River Catchment to the south. The catchment’s landscape and identity are strongly defined by the Karuah River, its tributaries and its river The catchment is located in a sparsely populated valley. The catchment’s communities have a strong rural landscape. Its two main population centres are sense of place and a strong affinity with the landscape Karuah, which is located at the river mouth (pop. ~ and the catchment's history. 1,000), and Stroud (pop. ~700) which is located near the centre of the catchment. The plants and animals in the Karuah River Catchment are botanically significant and biologically diverse. The Smaller settlements within the catchment include catchment’s environment is influenced by tropical and Allworth, Booral, Stroud Road, Girvan, Limeburners temperate climatic influences, so a number of species Creek, Monkerai and several others. Land use within are at the limit of their natural range and are therefore the catchment comprises areas of State Forest, vulnerable to climate change. agriculture, National Parks, coal mining, aquaculture, private native forests and rural lifestyle properties. The proportion of private land covered by remnant native vegetation is high compared to other regions. The catchment is mostly located within the Great The catchment also has a comparatively large Lakes Council Local Government Area (LGA). A small proportion of land held in public reserves. These proportion of the southern part of the catchment, reserves are also covered by intact remnant vegetation. around the township of Karuah, is located within the Port Stephens Council LGA. A very small portion The headwaters of the Karuah River are located within on the western edge of the catchment is located the Barrington Tops National Park and occupy part within Dungog Shire Council and a small area on the of the The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World northern boundary is within the Gloucester Shire Heritage Area. The catchment’s estuary is located within Council's LGA. the Port Stephens Great Lakes Marine Park. 4 KARUAH RIVER Catchment Management Plan THE IMPETUS FOR CHANGE The Need for a Whole of Catchment Approach Catchment and landscape health are intrinsically linked to river water quality through a complex set of interrelationships between ecological systems, land and water use, and land and water management activities. Therefore, a whole of catchment approach - hill-slope to estuary - is required to understand the pressures and issues facing these complex and interlinked systems. The purpose of the Catchment Management Plan is to maintain and improve the health of the Karuah River Catchment. In 2011/12, scientists from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) undertook an ecological health The Plan’s Broad Framework and assessment of the Karuah River. The assessment found Its Connection to Other Plans that, overall, the Karuah River and its estuary were in moderate ecological condition; however, the assessment and Strategies also revealed indicators of poor and degrading ecological The KRCMP will ensure the long-term health of the condition. These indicators included: catchment. It will provide a framework to guide the • elevated water column turbidity and suspended future management actions required to deliver the solids desired outcomes that