The Next Steps in Regional Drought Resilience Planning

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 The Next Steps in Regional Drought Resilience Planning

The long-awaited rain may have arrived at last, but the past year has been a stark reminder that drought is a constant in Australia’s history. The adverse effects of drought are also expected to become more frequent and severe as our climate continues to change. To help communities better prepare for or minimise the impacts of drought, the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF) provides support to develop regional drought resilience plans that focus on locally applicable solutions and responses.  

NACC NRM has now begun work to coordinate the next phase of drought resilience work for the shires of Chapman Valley and Northampton, and the City of Greater Geraldton. Funds were recently made available by the FDF and WA Government to progress implementation of priorities identified in the Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP) that was completed last year for this pilot region in the Mid West.  

The RDRP for the Mid West pilot region is a living document, with more than 70 priority actions identified under the FDF’s three strategic priority areas of social resilience, environmental resilience and economic resilience. Stakeholder consultation facilitated the contributions of almost 600 individuals representing 140 organisations to the RDRP and its evidence base, the Drought Vulnerability Assessment, with vital input from a Project Advisory Group of key stakeholders. The RDRP was delivered in partnership between NACC NRM, Mid West Development Commission (MWDC), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. 

NACC NRM has now re-established the Project Advisory Group to determine the most pressing and impactful priorities from the RDRP and work them through a project design process. Along the way, we’ll liaise with stakeholders, project proponents and partners to design viable projects aimed at helping our local communities and rural businesses to continue to improve their preparedness for and resilience to drought. 

Read more about the Regional Drought Resilience Plan and implementation phase for the Mid West pilot region (Greater Geraldton, Northampton and Chapman Valley).

Further south in the Northern Agricultural Region, drought resilience planning is now rolling out across other local government areas too, thanks to an additional Future Drought Fund injection. 

North Midlands: The North Midlands RDRP will include the shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Irwin, Mingenew, Morawa, Perenjori and Three Springs. Consultation is now underway and if you’d like to know more, head to the Mid West Development Commission website or get in touch with the Project Officer Gilly Johnson at rdrp-northmidlands@outlook.com. 

Wheatbelt: The Wheatbelt RDRP will cover 37 shires, with Dandaragan, Gingin, Victoria Plains, Moora and Dalwallinu shires being the northernmost local government areas included. (The shires of Wagin, Lake Grace, Kondinin, Kulin and Dumbleyung were involved in the RDRP pilot and are now implementing priority actions identified in the plan.) The Wheatbelt RDRP will be developed through consultation with stakeholders and technical analysis to explore innovative actions to build resilience, adaptability and preparedness to drought in the region for agriculture, water, landscape, communities and regional economies. Visit the Wheatbelt Development Commission website for further details. 

For more information, please contact NACC NRM’s Regional Drought Resilience Project Officer Yvette Hollings. 

E yvette.hollings@nacc.com.au | P (08) 9938 0117 | M 0447 298 063 

This project is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.  

Yvette Hollings – Regional Drought Resilience Project Officer 

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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.