NACC Set to Catalyse Community Conservation in the Northern Agricultural Region

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 NACC Set to Catalyse Community Conservation in the Northern Agricultural Region
The Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) is pleased to advise that we have been selected by the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program to deliver the Regional Land Partnerships (RLP) program within the Northern Agricultural Region.

This will enable NACC to continue working in partnership with the land managers, local community, Landcare groups and Traditional Custodians to ensure our agricultural lands, threatened species and natural ecosystems are valued and resilient.

The RLP program marks a significant change in the delivery of NRM in the Northern Agricultural Region. Previously NACC received grant funding to undertake NRM projects in the region, but earlier in 2018 NACC tendered to the RLP open tender and was successful in being awarded the contract for delivery of RLP services from 1 July 2018.

Under these new arrangements, NACC has been contracted to deliver the following NRM services in the Northern Agricultural Region Management Unit:

  • Gnow or Never: Supporting Communities to Save Malleefowl: A five year project which aims to secure Malleefowl populations in the wild, engage local communities in its conservation, and encourage the local community to identify with it as a flagship for threatened species conservation. A priority initiative of this project is to restore landscape protection and connectivity between the arid shrublands and salt lakes in the east – to the Shark Bay World Heritage Area in the north. This project is linked with other Malleefowl projects across Australia aiming to increase the quantity and quality of habitat for the Malleefowl in particular reducing fragmentation. This project will also work with Aboriginal Australians and key stakeholders to manage monitoring sites for the National Malleefowl Monitoring Database.
  • Search and Rescue: A partnership approach to translocations and monitoring for Scaly-leaved Featherflower: This one year project (ending 30 June 2019) will see NACC and its delivery partners monitor known habitat for the threatened Scaly-leaved Featherflower and survey for additional populations. The project aims to halt the decline and improve the conservation and recovery of existing populations through securing new wild populations, undertaking feral pest control and safeguarding genetic diversity through seed collections and storage.
  • Supporting Smarter Farms: Improving Land Use Management in the NAR: This project will involve an initial planning phase in which NACC will develop and trial a market based instruments (MBI) framework which will focus on supporting landholders to implement actions which will contribute to reduced soil acidity, increased potential for soil organic carbon and increased on-farm native vegetation and biodiversity.
  • Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator (RALF): As part of the Core Services to be delivered under RLP, NACC is required to have at least one RALF in the Management Unit. Given the vastness of our region, NACC made the decision to employ two part-time staff. Over five years, these two staff will work together to increase the awareness and uptake of sustainable agriculture practices in the region. A strong emphasis of this role will be working to engage and inform landholders, community groups and agricultural industries about emerging ideas, relevant information and activities which can contribute to improved sustainability, productivity and profitability on-farm.
Credit: Jarrad Thomas.

NACC General Manager Katherine Allen said “Our new operating environment presents new challenges, but we are excited about the opportunity that we have -, to continue to catalyse community conservation in the NAR”.

If you would like any more information about information about these projects please contact our office on 9938 0100 or via email on nacc@nacc.com.au.

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.