Community Engagement 2015-16

Bianca McNeair, NACCs Aboriginal Participation Officer, helping out on a coastal display at Larry Lobster festival in Port Denison.

Coastcare groups from NAR south coast at the Regional Coastcare Forum held in Jurien Bay.

PROJECT REPORT

More than 50 activities involving volunteer community members were undertaken this year, including workshops, field trips, presentations and training sessions. Feedback surveys collected from workshops indicated a consistently high level of attendee satisfaction and knowledge gained from the information presented.

The following events were of particular note:

Presentation of NACC projects for Guilderton’s (successful) application for the National Clean Beaches Awards;
Successful funding pitch for a community engagement trailer at Geraldton’s Goodness Festival, and the subsequent donation of a trailer by the Department of Fisheries;
Three “Appreciate Your Beach” interpretative walks;
Two seed collection workshops;
Two Coastal Native Garden workshops;
Photomon workshop at the National Coast to Coast conference in Mandurah;
Seabird tracking presentation at an international bird conference; and
Displays at numerous community festivals and events.

In addition, Coastwest Grant Program funding was secured this year for development of the Coastal Plant Pocket Guide app and the Geraldton Coastcare Group.

Funding provided by Coastwest Grants Program.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Appreciate Your Beach 2015-16

Local Cervantes kids learn the wonders of beach wrack.

Girl Guides visiting Jurien Bay taking part in a marine debris survey as part of an Appreciate your Beach workshop.

PROJECT REPORT

Three Appreciate your Beach workshops were conducted this year as follows:

Jurien Bay – with 100 members of Girl Guides Australia;
Geraldton – during the annual Goodness festival; and
Cervantes – during school holidays.

All events were well attended and feedback surveys indicated that the attendees enjoyed the events and learned from their experiences. The Cervantes workshop was the first such event organised and run by Hamish Longbottom and Vanessa McGuiness, both recently employed at NACC and keen to further develop this program.

In the following years, these workshops along with other community engagement events, will be greatly enhanced by the addition of NACC’s new dedicated Coastal Community Engagement trailer, which is fully kitted-out with engagement activities. This trailer was kindly donated to NACC by the Department Of Fisheries.

PARTNERS

ACTIVITY MAP

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Royalties for Regions Carbon Project – Carbon Farming Awareness 2015-16

Eva site 1 was used to help raise awareness of carbon farming and its potential for farmers and community members in the Northern Agricultural Region.

This project was successful in raising carbon awareness among the farming community and covered information about carbon, carbon credits, policies and methods available for carbon credits.

PROJECT REPORT

The Carbon Farming Awareness project came to a close at the end of June 2016 following an innovative collaboration between Western Australia’s NRM regional groups and the WA Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA).

By its closure, the project had met its aims and successfully increased the awareness of carbon farming and its potential for farmers and community members in the NAR.

The topics covered by the project, and disseminated to landholders, included general carbon information, carbon credits, policies, and methods available for carbon credits.

NACC completed its last project deliverables with a workshop and collaboration section in the project’s final report.

You can read more about the project and its achievements in the Royalties for Regions Carbon Project – Showcase document

PARTNERS

Carbon Solutions to Salinity (Pilot) 2015-16

This degraded saline area in a river has been revegetated and nicknamed the ‘multipurpose paddock’ to allow the farmer to not only reclaim unproductive land but get food and shelter for livestock from it whilst potentially claiming carbon credits.

This is the second ‘multi purpose’ paddock demonstration site for this project. This one is located in Three Springs next to the Yarra Yarra lakes.

PROJECT REPORT

NACC was excited to be given an extension for this project to be carried through the 2015-16 Financial Year. Two more demonstration sites were set up this year, one in Three Springs and the other in Ogilvie. They differed from the original projects, which measured the amount of carbon sequestered by a number of different tree and shrub species, focussing more on on-ground application. The two demonstration sites, both of which were in degraded saline areas, were revegetated in order to rehabilitate the land, whilst providing a potential carbon revenue and other benefits, such as an opportunity for limited grazing – provided that the rehabilitation site was not put at risk of further degradation.

The project aims to turn former degraded farmland into “multipurpose paddocks” – providing increased biodiversity, landscape rehabilitation, carbon (income), livestock fodder and shelter among the multiples uses and benefits. The addition of the demonstration sites followed a very successful visit to the region, and an inspection of this particular project by eleven senior members of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian Ministry of Agriculture – who visited the region in November 2014.

This financial year, the project was funded by the WA State Government and was a collaborative project with DAFWA.

PARTNERS

ACTIVITY MAP

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Demonstrating Principles of Ameliorating Sub Surface pH to improve Soil Health 2015-16

This is the Soil pit of soil acidity treatment demonstrated as part of Innovation project.

Wayne Parker of the Department of Agriculture and Food WA, presenting on an Innovation Project in Yuna.

PROJECT REPORT

One of the major achievements of NACC’s Sustainable Agriculture Program this past year was the successful completion of the Demonstrating Principles of Ameliorating Sub Surface pH to Improve Soil Health Project. Delivered in partnership with Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA), this project established four large-scale demonstration sites using innovative ameliorating techniques in the plants’ full root zone; at depth below 10cm, and provided considerable useful data and farming insights. All four of the projects demonstration sites were implemented with associated field days, presentations and field events throughout the NAR, and generated considerable interest.

One key finding of the project was that effective amelioration of subsoil acidity is not well understood by growers or industry. Highly-acidic soils tend to diminish the health, functionality and production of our farming systems, including a reduction in biomass, soil biota and diversity, and the protection from wind and water erosion. Addressing this imbalance is critical for achieving optimal soil health conditions.

Key outcomes of the project included:

1,305 hectares of farmland involved in demonstrations and soil testing.
30 events conducted.
480 growers and individuals participated.
286 representatives from industry and banking engaged.
5 fact sheets produced.
1 technical report produced.

PARTNERS

Pilot Ranger Project at Ninghan Station 2015-16

Some of the participants of the ranger team spin yarns with NACC’s Aboriginal Participation Program coordinator Greg Burrows (2nd left)

Rangers carry out spraying works against the invasive prickly pear.

PROJECT REPORT

Another new initiative this year has been the establishment of a pilot ranger program at Ninghan Station on the eastern margins of the NACC region, where NACC and Rangelands NRM share numerous common goals and objectives. Ninghan Station is an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), which takes its name from the gently sloping form of Mount Singleton – nyingarn, or echidna, which rises 678 metres from the surrounding plains.

In the 2015-16 Financial Year, NACC’s Aboriginal Participation Team commenced the development of this pilot Aboriginal ranger project on Ninghan Station, initially employing three Aboriginal people carrying-out NRM work on country, including pests and weeds control, management and eradication. Documentation and practise of traditional ecological knowledge is also a major component of the project. Since establishment, the team has completed range of activities, including the building of a veranda on the IPA Visitor Information Building, controlled an outbreak of about 100 hectares of the invasive weed Prickly pear, and assisted in the release of Woylies (raised under a conservation breeding program) on the adjoining station.

Among the new activities planned in the next financial year the rangers involved in this pilot project will assist in Malleefowl monitoring on three Stations in the conservation estate.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Capacity Building for Indigenous Inmates 2015-16

PROJECT REPORT

The Capacity-building for Indigenous Inmates project continues to train Aboriginal men and women with origins from across Western Australia in natural resource management, through on-ground NRM works on Aboriginal Heritage and community sites.

Demonstrating multiple obvious benefits, the project provides participating inmates with a range of useful employability skills in the NRM field, and enhancing their ability to return to work in their own communities upon release.

This project is delivered by NACC and Central Regional TAFE in collaboration with the Greenough regional Prison and the Department of Justice, and to date, has protected about 50 hectares of priority sites throughout the Northern Agricultural Region.

In the past financial year, NACC has continued to work with its partners to deliver this nationally-acclaimed project, achieving a range of social benefits as well as conserving our natural environment.

To complement this project, NACC’s Aboriginal Participation team is looking to engage younger Aboriginal people in NRM activities, such as through establishing Green Army teams, and working with schools to increase knowledge and interest in traditional ecological knowledge and working on country for the benefit of the country, as a means reducing incarcerations within the region.

“Participating in this project has changed my outlook on life. That’s the honest truth, for myself and my kids,” said one of the project participants (name omitted for privacy reasons).

Partners in the Prison Program include:

City of Greater Geraldton,
Department of Justice,
Greenough Regional Prison,
Shire of Chapman Valley,
Central Regional TAFE,
Department of Water,
Department of Parks and Wildlife,
Main Roads,
Western Mulga. and
local landholders.

Prison team work with Central Regional TAFE Talapia project team to monitor aquatic invasive species.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Reconciliation Action Plan 2015-16

PROJECT REPORT

Raising Aboriginal cultural awareness internally, as well as externally, NACC has initiated the development and implementation of a Reconciliation Action Plan this year.

NACC recognises the unique understanding and management skills that Aboriginal people have in knowing about and supporting the region’s natural resources. Aboriginal people’s traditional ecological knowledge is widely recognised as being valuable in enhancing ways to improve conservation outcomes and protect cultural heritage.

A NACC Reconciliation Working Group has been established, which is now helping to develop the organisation’s pilot Reconciliation Action Plan to be approved by Reconciliation Australia.

NACC was proud to be a part of the City of Greater Geraldton Reconciliation Week event in June 2016.

The Aboriginal Participation team attending the Reconciliation Day events held by the City of Greater Geraldton.

PARTNERS

Biodiversity Links (Biolinks) 2015-16

Roadside vegetation near Perenjori provides food and shelter for many animals and enables them to move around safely.

Aerial view of the Moresby Range, an important landscape to improve connectivity in the NAR

PROJECT REPORT

The BioLinks Project presents a concept for a large-scale conservation initiative to connect, restore and maintain the outstanding ecological values of the NAR. It utilises a landscape-scale approach to help inform appropriate levels of reservation, connectivity and off-reserve conservation actions as part of a long-term regional conservation strategy.

During the 2015/16 year, the BioLinks Feasibility Study was completed. This study found that the fragmented nature of the NAR, together with the historical ecological gradients indicates that connectivity across the entire region is not practical or feasible. However, the region does present a significant opportunity to improve connectivity conservation through a targeted landscapes approach. These target landscapes include:

Yarra Yarra Catchment
Wheatbelt Woodlands
Northern Kwongan
Moresby Range
Moore River Region
Hutt River Region
Abrolhos islands

NACC’s BioLinks Project focused on piloting a new, whole-of-landscape approach to corridor design that is underpinned by the following objectives:

Landscape scale: BioLinks applies a long-term, landscape-scale approach to conservation activities that operates across public and private land at both local and regional levels.
Locally connected: BioLinks focuses on building local ownership for conservation by facilitating cooperation between land managers, traditional owners, communities, organisations and government.
Knowledge based: BioLinks ensures that the best available scientific, traditional and local knowledge is shared between partners, to help plan, evaluate and guide conservation work.

PARTNERS

Marlaguwinmanha (Returning to Country) 2015-16

Dann family collecting gulyu (bush potatoe) on country.

Aboriginal Youth learning from country during this project to reconnect to country.

PROJECT REPORT

An exciting new initiative for 2015-16, called Marlaguwinmanha (returning to country), was conducted by NACC Aboriginal Participation Team to support the transfer and documentation of traditional ecological knowledge.

This inaugural event, launched in February 2016, and involved 18 members of the Dann family including four Elders, five Cultural Teachers (Aunties/Uncles/Mums/Dads) and nine youth going back to traditional country to share traditional ecological knowledge.

After many years learning about their culture and family from their Elders, many of the youth were introduced to their families’ traditional country for the first time.

Elders from the Dann family took every opportunity to fulfil their responsibility to pass-on some of the traditional ecological knowledge that they had received from their Elders many years ago, by teaching the youth Wajarri language, native plant species, digging for gulyu (bush potato), hunting for guwiyarl (goanna), and sharing stories.

“It makes you feel like you’ve come home. It is home. It is barna, which is ground we belong to,” said Yamaji Elder Coralie Dann.

This exert was taken from ‘Marlaguwinmanha. Returning back to the bush 2016’ produced by ABC Open Producer Chris Lewis, who also attended the camp to document to project. Note: This beautiful short film account of the excursion was a feature film in the 2016 NIDOC Week across Australia.

Marlaguwinmanha camp is the first camp of its kind and included four generations of this prominent Wajarri family.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Abrolhos Islands Restoration 2015-16

Marine debris collected by local fisherman, BCMI staff and tourists in Wallabi Group.

Proud Central Regional TAFE NACC Scholarship winners with lecturer Alice James.

PROJECT REPORT

The Abrolhos islands are home to an array of protected flora and fauna that have adapted uniquely to the diverse range of island ecosystems and are among Australia’s most important sites for breeding seabirds.

Central Regional TAFE’s Batavia Coast Maritime Institute (BCMI), in partnership with the NACC, are restoring native plant biodiversity at key sites on the islands, through strategic restoration activities featuring local provenance native plant species and threat abatement measures.

Highlights from the 2015/16 financial year include a huge collaborative effort resulting in more than 8,500 seedlings planted on North Island. Species planted included Atriplex cinerea, Rhagodia baccata, Olearia axillaris, Nitraria billardierei, Myoporum insulare, Carpobrotus virescens, Spinifex longifolius, Ficinia nodosa, Frankenia pauciflora, Threlkeldia diffusa and Scaevola crassifolia. Additionally, through this project about 280 hectares has been controlled for priority weeds – including African Boxthorn, Prickly Pear, Tamarisk, Golden Crownbeard and Paterson’s Curse.

Through this project a Wallabi Group Beach Clean Up Community Workshop was held which led to hundreds of kilograms of rubbish being removed from East Wallabi Island, West Wallabi Island, Seagull Island, Long Island, Dick Island and Pigeon Island. As a result, 900kgs of marine debris was removed, sorted, counted, weighed and the data submitted to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.

ACTIVITY MAP

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Jarna Kendle said being a NACC scholarship recipient to assist with expenses while studying the Certificate IV and Diploma in CALM has not only helped financially but has given her confidence knowing she has qualifications on her resume.

“I’ve always been passionate about the environment and wanted to gain qualifications to confidently re-enter the workforce,” she said. “Studying at the BCMI has been amazing with opportunities like being a part of the Abrolhos project and working with industry partners like NACC and the Department of Parks and Wildlife.”

PARTNERS

Regional Landcare Facilitator 2015-16

Regional Landcare Facilitator Stanley Yokwe presents a Green school award to winners, Dongara District High School.

Gunnado farm project planning event with Geraldton Streetwork Aboriginal Corporation.

RLF-Maggie Dent seminar help in partnership with West-Midlands Group.

This is the Perennial pastures project which was run in partnership with Evergreen

PROJECT REPORT

During the past financial year, NACC’s Regional Landcare Facilitator has continued to foster relationships and build NRM capacity in the region, primarily by working with community groups to identify priorities and deliver activities that increase landcare knowledge and participation by individual landholders, volunteers and members of community groups.

Highlights

The key highlights of the RLF program in Financial Year 2015-16 included:

The formation and development of the Northern Agricultural Region Sustainable Agriculture Network (NARSAN).
Collaborative activities in partnership with more than 20 community groups and eight schools to raise awareness of, and participation in, natural resource management and Landcare – through delivery of 24 events, and engaging more than 800 individuals.
NACC’s inaugural Green School Awards, which recognised the environmental contributions made by local schools in the region.
NACC support for three community members to attend the WA State Landcare Conference.
Recording amazing Landcare stories of three local groups – subsequently promoted through YouTube videos.
Significant promotion of NAR Landcare and NRM knowledge and success stories through the NACC Notes newsletter, social media, case studies and media articles.

The RLF Project Reference Group was reinvigorated, with representatives from a wide cross-section of the community, including the Department of Agriculture and Food, Community Landcare, and grower groups contributing to the project’s success.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Pyp Grass Control 2015-16

Volunteers at Jurien Bay tagging Pyp Grass for future control works.

Coastal Pig Face Carpobrotus virescens emerging from dead Pyp Grass in Cervantes.

PROJECT REPORT

Two rounds of Pyp Grass control in the foredunes of Cervantes and Jurien Bay were completed this year. Photo-monitoring shows that Pyp Grass biomass at the seven control sites across both towns is substantially reduced with most remaining plants emerging from native vegetation. In addition, the Jurien Bay Herbarium Group assisted with a follow-up vegetation survey that documents the Pyp Grass removal and vegetation recovery (either native or exotics).

A trial was undertaken in autumn 2016 to determine an effective method for hand-wiping Pyp Grass amongst native vegetation with herbicide residual with minimal impact on the native plants. This trial will help inform further control works in the next financial year.

The Moore Catchment Council was contracted to develop the Guilderton Pyp Grass Management Plan suitable for guiding future control works in the town. This work comes at the request of the community – as Pyp Grass has greatly reduced biodiversity in the foredunes. The management plan will be completed early next year and control works will commence soon after.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Jurien Bay Herbarium Group

Cervantes Coastcare

African Boxthorn Control 2015-16

The Dongara/Port Denison community assisted with planting 3,000 seedlings in areas where African boxthorn has been removed around the Irwin estuary.

Control works around the Irwin estuary make use of skid steers fitted with grabbing buckets to pull up whole plants thereby reducing resprouting from residual roots and increasing operator safety from spines.

PROJECT REPORT

The majority of African boxthorn control works during 2015-16, were undertaken around the Irwin estuary in Dongara/Port Denison. These works comprised a substantial revegetation project in the winter of 2015 to vegetate areas where African boxthorn had been removed followed by wide-scale removal works in autumn 2015. Two rounds of boxthorn removal have been conducted on the southern bank of the estuary and few plants remain. Further removal and monitoring works are planned for this site.

Program staff also assisted the Department of Parks and Wildlife in removing boxthorn from islands in the Jurien Bay Marine Park.

In addition to control works, a Regional Boxthorn Control Strategy has been completed. This report maps the current extent of the boxthorn infestations in the shires of Northampton, Chapman Valley and Irwin, and the City of Greater Geraldton, and identifies priority areas for control works based on multiple criteria such as proximity to conservation reserves, Aboriginal Heritage sites and previous control works. This strategy offers the most effective method for prioritisation of boxthorn control investment.

PARTNERS

Dongara’s Tidy Towns Sustainable Committee

ACTIVITY MAP

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Social Media Boom

Across the board, the NACC team have worked hard to engage with the community, stakeholders and individuals through our social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Crowdfunding, Youtube and Paperli, which resulted in a “social media boom” for the organisation.

With 30 NACC staff and board members active on Twitter and Facebook, NACC has put a major emphasis on engaging with new and existing members, as well as the wider community via our social media channels.

Over the past year, the organisation has seen a significant increase in social media presence, with NACC’s Twitter following increasing from 1,115 followers in June 2015, to 2,877 followers in June 2016. On the same note, over the past year, the NACC team have also been encouraged to engage with the local community via Facebook, which has seen an increase from 384 to 747 Facebook followers, over the past 12 months.

At a local level

NACC Communications Officer Alexia Parenzee interviewing the Threatened Species commissioner for comments for a media release.

Over the past financial year, NACC has seen a major increase in its presence in the local media.

Strong relationships with local media organisations enabled NACC to communicate its achievements and engage with communities in the Northern Agricultural Region, more effectively.

As an organisation, NACC has had numerous opportunities to engage with the local media and during 2015-16, the team has exceeded all media targets delivering 57 media releases and providing 26 comments to the local print and radio media.

Chair Report

NACC’s Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Sally Fenner with NACC Board Chair Jill Wilson at the Mango field day held last year.

Once again it gives me both pleasure and pride to report on the activities of NACC for the past year.

From a governance perspective, we have had Board renewal and we have had three new members since the last AGM: Rob Keogh, Bev Logue and Dean Revell. They are all very skilled and a great asset to the Board. All three have significant experience across the region, and Bev and Rob also have close personal links with Perenjori and Green Head respectively.

While our current financial situation is strong, we continue to be challenged by uncertainties around the security and scope of future funding. We were particularly successful this year in attracting several grants from the WA State Government’s NRM Program Community Capability Grant round. In this I applaud the staff for their skill and express gratitude to the Government. However, we are continually looking at ways to reinforce our future prospects and this year the Board has done considerable work examining strategic issues. The management team has been very supportive with this, and I thank them for their hard work and innovative approaches.

I am particularly pleased with the continuing presence we have across the region. Our popular small grants programs in biodiversity, coastal management and sustainable agriculture are one way we recognise the importance of community participation, but we engage in many other different ways. We pay a lot of attention, and take particular pride, in working with many local community, production and environmental groups (and individuals). We all passionately believe in this region, and want it to thrive economically, socially and environmentally. We will do whatever we can to support, partner or manage activities that support these goals. CEO Richard McLellan has shown exemplary leadership in strengthening our community relationships and we thank him and all the staff for their magnificent work.

There have been many highlights this year, and I am sure you will enjoy hearing about them in more detail from Richard and the staff. I will just mention a few that have caught my eye:

The Aboriginal Participation program has had many successes, including the “return to country” and Indigenous prisoner capacity-building projects, both of which have been lauded in the media and at conferences for their innovation and effectiveness.
Biodiversity continues to be a strength of NACC, with project successes too numerous to mention individually. There have however been many new plantings, much protection initiated, and many people (including students) engaged and supported. I would like to single out the very successful WA Threatened Species Forum, which we hosted in Geraldton last October. A feature of this event was the wonderful cooperation between various partners across the environmental sector – in particular the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Durack Institute of Technology (now Central Regional TAFE) and other WA regional NRM groups. These partnerships, and others like them in our other programs, are critical to furthering our aims. The forum attracted a stellar cast of presenters, officials, and participants and gained NACC many accolades across the country. It also resulted in important alliances being made with influential people in political and government spheres.
NACC’s Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Projects are one of the many successes of our Sustainable Agriculture Program, and cover a wide range of issues including soil structure and fertility, crop nutrition, perennial pastures, salinity management, water use efficiency for citrus, poultry biochar utilisation and livestock management. Small grants are an excellent vehicle for extending our reach. I also commend the work of our Regional Landcare Facilitator who continues to initiate and support many activities throughout the region, including “NARSAN” – a network of local groups collaborating in pursuit of sustainable agriculture in the region.
Our Coastal and Marine program remains very popular, and involves magnificent collaboration with coastal managers, volunteers and community groups. Along with field events and workshops, we facilitated several community-based monitoring programs. I am particularly pleased to note the initiation of a project on estuary monitoring with the WA Department of Water.

Thank you to Richard McLellan and the staff for another stellar year.

Jill Wilson

Chair
NACC

CEO's Message

CEO Richard McLellan at Eurardy station with one of his mentors Prof Richard Hobbs.

I’m probably somewhat biased, but I think 2015-16 has been an extraordinary year for the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council. The team at NACC has done an awesome job this past year – on many occasions way “above and beyond the call of duty” – to deliver outcomes that were well beyond many of our most optimistic expectations.

Recently being awarded seven-out-of-seven WA State NRM Office Community Capability grants is indicative of this success. Likewise, meeting, and indeed exceeding all of our National Landcare Program objectives and outcomes – promised under our contracts to the Australian Government – represented a “job well done” by the team. However, our success over the past year has not just been down to our hard-working team, with considerable credit also due to our many partners and project collaborators, our members and supporters, and numerous other public and private individuals and organisations who have participated in our programs, projects and activities.

The response that we have seen from on-ground projects, events and activities that we organised over the past year has been immense – from the Productive Farming Future Forum that we organised in Coorow, a diverse range of innovative farming trials, more than a hundred of Coastal and Marine community activities, exciting new Aboriginal Participation Program initiatives introduced by our Aboriginal Participation Team, and a range of Biodiversity initiatives – including the inaugural Western Australian Threatened Species Forum that we hosted last October.

The Threatened Species Forum attracted almost 200 delegates, as well as a first-class line-up of speakers headlined by national Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews and Professor Stephen Hopper. The Federal member for Durack, Melissa Price, who also addressed the Forum, later highly praised the event, and NACC, during an address to Parliament in Canberra, saying:

“I was very pleased to attend the inaugural WA Threatened Species Forum in Geraldton last month, coordinated by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council led by CEO Richard McLellan and his great team. The Forum put the spotlight, and indeed the microscope on threatened animals and plants in the state of WA. The event highlighted new conservation methodologies and recent successes in the plight of threatened flora and fauna to over 190 attendees over the two-day event. … The event was run by the efficient and effective NACC on the day, and was brought together by WA’s seven Natural Resource Management groups and the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife. Well done, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of this very special event.”

That kind of feedback, that standard of work, that level of team effort, that degree of partnership and collaboration, and that way in which all of this reflected on our organisation was indicative of so much of the year that we’ve just had at the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council.

I encourage everyone to read the detailed Program reports within this year’s Annual Report, and to share-in and celebrate the successes and great on-ground land- and sea-stewardship outcomes highlighted by all of the program teams. We’re looking forward to an equally exciting year ahead – which will mark 20 years since the Northern Agricultural Integrated Management Strategy group (NAIMS), the predecessor of NACC, first came into being. I hope you will join us for the celebrations, participate in some of our projects and activities, and enjoy another fabulous year at NACC.

Most importantly, I hope you will make a contribution to the future environmental, economic and social sustainability of our region. While we have made significant progress in the past year, we all still have much work ahead of us to ensure the region’s natural resources are well managed, and thus protected, productive and prosperous in the decades ahead. Our natural environment, and the natural resources and ecosystem services it provides, face many challenges. Together, we can make a difference.

Richard McLellan

Chief Executive Officer
NACC

Threatened Species Forum WA 2015

A small section of about 180 attendees at the WA Threatened Species Forum

Australian Government’s Threatened Species Commissioner (Gregory Andrews) with NACC CEO Richard McLellan, Wheatbelt NRM CEO Natarsha Woods and threatened animal mascots.

PROJECT REPORT

In the past financial year, a major project was brought to the region for the first time.

NACC partnered with Natural Resource Management WA (NRMWA) – Western Australia’s seven regional NRM groups – and the Department of Parks and Wildlife to present the inaugural WA Threatened Species Forum – which was held in Geraldton in late October, 2015.

This inaugural event brought together a cross-section of the scientific and the wider community with a common interest in and concern for Western Australia’s threatened animals and plants. More than 180 delegates from across the state and country attended the conference, which promoted the plight of threatened plants and animals in Western Australia, and highlighted new conservation methodologies and recent successes.

One concept that really recurred throughout the conference was the number of stories about threatened species projects which owed their success to great partnerships and collaborative efforts. It was a clear key element for achieving ambitious outcomes in this difficult and demanding domain.

Collaboration was also critical for the success of the Forum itself, and although NACC was the driving force behind the conference, it wouldn’t have been possible without a huge amount of effort and input from a large number of our partner organisations.

Along with providing a rich program of threatened species presentations, to the Forum showcased a range of innovative technologies which help save threatened species.

Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews who said the forum had united experts and the community to focus on threatened species recovery, not only in Western Australia, but also across the country.

“Everyone has a role to play. The Australian Government is investing millions of dollars in partnership with the state government and community groups. I’m excited to see so many Western Australians united in finding new and innovative solutions to halt extinctions” he said. “I want to see more of this momentum; and more importantly, I want Australia’s children now and into the future to see more numbats, bilbies, bandicoots, quokkas, woylies and quolls. Australians love our native animals and plants and it’s time to save them from the ferals.”

Highlights

In order to provide a reusable water bottle for each delegate – as opposed to plastic water bottles –a crowdfunding project was conducted by NACC for the first time (via the Pozible platform) to help keep delegate costs down and to ensure local grassroots community members could afford to come to the event. The team at NACC also created an informative interpretive video, using smartphones and basic editing software, to promote the cause. This can be viewed at http://www.pozible.com/project/199455. The crowdfunding effort was judged a great success. It met its fundraising target, and the complimentary reusable water bottles were very popular at the event.

During the conference, the official social media hashtag for the event #TSForumWA was trending across Australia, achieving a peak trend on Twitter at number one nationally during the day.

PARTNERS

NACC Website Traffic

nacc.com.au website traffic almost doubled from 2014-15

According to Google Analytics, NACC’s website has seen a healthy increase of engagement and activity over the past year.

The amount of visits to the website has increased to more than 65,647 page views from 15,172 users during the past financial year. October 2015 was a particularly busy month on the NACC website, with internet traffic from the inaugural Threatened Species Forum WA directed to our website. This saw the website welcome almost 5,500 new and existing viewers to the website, and more than 13,000 web page views during this period.

Cross-platform promotion for the forum also led the event to trend at #1 on Twitter during the day, with the #TSForumWA making more than 40,000 impressions – the biggest ever for NACC.

Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Planning 2015-16

Community members turned out in force to learn about Coastal Adaptation Planning at an information forum in Geraldton.

The Shire of Irwin has commenced Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Planning to address the impacts of increasing erosion and inundation.

PROJECT REPORT

Draft Coastal Hazard and Risk Management assessment report was completed for the Shire of Irwin this year. Work with the Shires of Gingin and Dandaragan is ongoing, with community consultation on adaptation planning options to follow into the next financial year.

The Coastwest Grant Program provided funding for a CHRMAP Information Forum in Geraldton, where the City of Greater Geraldton has commenced its risk assessment. Discussions with the Shires of Coorow and Northampton indicated their intention to start this planning process next year.

Funding provided by Coastwest Grants Program.

PARTNERS

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Biodiversity Workshops & Field Events 2015-16

NACC proudly supports a wide variety of community events, including regular bird watching events like the Great Cocky Count and Shorebirds 2020.

NACC staff and Chapman River Friends on Clean Up Australia Day.

PROJECT REPORT

NACC’s Biodiversity Team engaged with hundreds of local individuals and groups to expand community knowledge and understanding of natural resource management issues within the Northern Agricultural Region, and to boost their capacity in interacting with local biodiversity issues. During the past financial year, more than 30 biodiversity-themed community events were either hosted or attended by NACC staff. These events included:

Biodiversity hotspot tours
Bird surveys
Bushfood workshops
Clean-up days
Clearing regulation workshops
Community planting days
Dieback information days
Fauna translocations
Flora identification workshops
Invasive species workshops
Radio interviews
Rare fauna searches
Rare flora searches
Recycling days
Regional agricultural shows
Science in school activities
Waterway health tours
Wildflower tours.

Feedback from the more than 800 participants who joined the events indicated a high level of satisfaction, and interest in more of these kinds of collaborative community events in the future.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Biodiversity Community Grants 2015-16

A house mouse (Mus musculus) being checked for signs of consumption of non-poisonous UV baits at Rat Island.

Phil Logue from Perenjori Farming Forward showing local community members the different types of firefighting equipment.

PROJECT REPORT

In 2015-16, the first round of NACC’s Biodiversity Community Grants was launched, and offered up to $10,000 per project to support local land managers and community groups to improve the management and protection of the region’s animals and plants, and ensure its natural values are retained for future generations. In total, eight projects shared in $52,691.
The eight projects funded were:

The installation of local Provenance Plant Nursery Propagation Benches by Drylands Foundation
A bush land fire education, control and management awareness workshop by Perenjori Farming Forward
Community revegetation workshop at Eurardy Reserve by Bush Heritage Australia
A Moresby Range Conservation Park Flora Conservation Field trip by the Department of Parks and Wildlife
Keep the line green in 16 – a restoration work project by Northampton Botanic Line Inc.
A project to design, plan and obtain approvals for a House Mouse eradication program in the Rat Islands cluster, Houtman Abrolhos, by the Conservation Council WA
Mingenew Goes Native! A project by Mingenew Irwin Group to showcase local native flora and encourage the community to increase native plant use and;
Protecting Mallee Box – a project by the Department of Parks and Wildlife aimed to protect a population of Mallee Box (Eucalyptus cuprea) from stock grazing and damage.

A particular highlight from the Biodiversity Community Grants project during 2015-16, was the Conservation Council WA’s project, which aimed to design, plan and obtain approval for House Mouse eradication on Rat Island. It involved developing and field testing the House Mouse eradication plan with students at Central Regional TAFE engaged in ongoing Abrolhos weeding and habitat restoration projects.

Associated training including lectures, labs and field activities to equip students with skills in island ecology and feral animal eradication, and build capacity to carry out similar operations on the Abrolhos islands and elsewhere in the Northern Agricultural Region in the future.

Other fantastic projects funded by NACC’s Biodiversity Community Grants also included a community revegetation two-day workshop held by Bush Heritage Australia at Eurardy Reserve, as well as the bush land fire education, control and management awareness workshop. hosted by Perenjori Farming Forward.

The Biodiversity Community Grants proved to be a very successful avenue to engage more of the community in NRM projects and activities in the region, and will continue with a second round of grants in the next financial year.

PARTNERS

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Aquatic Pest Research in Western Australia 2015-16

Mouth Brooding Female Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)

NACC's Biodiversity Program Coordinator holding a Yabby (Cherax destructor).

PROJECT REPORT

The river systems and riparian zones of the NACC NRM region are a biodiversity hotspot for native birds, reptiles and fish. Invasive pest fish species are detrimental to the biodiversity of these ecosystems and locally include such species as Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), Swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri), Yabby (Cherax destructor) and Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), as well as the introduced Oblong Turtle (Chelodina colliei).

Central Regional TAFE’s Batavia Coast Maritime Institute (BCMI), in partnership with NACC, is currently investigating and monitoring populations of these invasive aquatic pests in the Murchison, Chapman, Greenough and Irwin rivers.

Highlights from the 2015-16 Financial Year include:

189,707 fish captured in total and 148,840 invasive pest fish removed.
Range expansion and range limit of swordtails in Irwin River confirmed.
Commencement of turtle tagging to obtain population estimates growth rates and ranges for introduced Chelodina colliei and native C. steindachneri in Chapman River. Population estimates for introduced species up to 10,000 and for native species just three.
Completed experiments on effects of salinity on low temperature tolerances of Tilapia, finding a significant effect with Tilapia able to withstand temperatures as low as 8ºC at 12ppt but only 10ºC at 36ppt and 9ºC at 0 or 24ppt. Implications for areas of winter aggregation and for modelling of potential range expansion.
Commenced breeding of tilapia for experimental work on breeding, and development of daughterless strain.
eDNA surveys giving lower detection limits and backing up results of trapping surveys so far. This will allow future cheaper and faster surveys.
Pest fish workshop for 25 primary school students.
Pest fish workshop for 8 Indigenous participants.

ACTIVITY MAP

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Protecting Priority and Threatened Flora and Fauna 2015-16

Leedham Papertalk from Bundibunna Aboriginal Corporation showcasing a waterhole on the farm, where he recently protected more than 3,000 ha of remnant bush.

NRM Officers Jude Sutherland and Sarah Gilleland identifying plants while conducting a site visit for NACC’s fencing incentive project.

PROJECT REPORT

Patches of remnant vegetation across the NAR are vital as they provide habitats for many unique species, and help them persist in a changing environment.

NACC’s Protecting Priority and Threatened Flora and Fauna project is based on protecting and preserving remnant vegetation in the Northern Agricultural Region, with the intent to increase connectivity at the local, catchment and landscape scale.

To achieve this, NACC provides financial incentives to land managers to support fencing of high value remnant vegetation. During the past 12 months, 15 new management agreements were established with land managers in the region, protecting more than 4,400 hectares of high value remnant vegetation.

About 3,175 hectares of this vegetation is on land owned by Indigenous land managers, where there have been recent observations of Leipoa ocellata (Malleefowl), listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). The remaining 1,105 hectares provides habitat for a range of other EPBC Act-listed species including (Leipoa ocellata (Malleefowl); Calyptorhynchus latirostris (Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo); and Egernia stokesii badia (Western Spiny-tailed Skink).

While threatened species are the flagship of this project, there are numerous other species that benefit from the improved habitat. As such, when delivering this project, the Biodiversity Team considers site-specific requirements like condition of the vegetation, size of remnant, agricultural activities, soil type and proximity to other habitats.

Demand from land managers to participate in this program continues to grow and expressions of interest have already been received for the upcoming year.

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Bundibunna Aboriginal Corporation’s Leedham Papertalk said the completion of the fencing incentive gave a great sense of achievement to all involved.

“NACC have been great to work with, and I have enjoyed completing the project with the help of the wider Aboriginal community. When the fence was completed we all felt a real sense of achievement after having done it all ourselves. I really appreciate living on a farm with so much remnant bushland and enjoy going for walks in the bush or swimming in the river with my family after it rains.”

PARTNERS

Facilitating land use / practice change to match land capability in a variable climate 2015-16

Moore Catchment Council Farm Demonstration Field Day June 2016

Southern Mango Growers Group Farm Demonstration Field Day January 2016

Stuart McAlpine NAR Soil Health Champion 2015 in fields of healthy canola.

PROJECT REPORT

NACC’s Sustainable Agriculture Program team is dedicated to working with the community and helping land managers tackle issues on their farms, to ensure the sustainability of their land and natural resources into the future. This is achieved through a myriad of individual interactions and a range of core projects.

One of the key projects delivered by the Sustainable Agriculture Program in Financial Year 2015-16 was the Facilitating land use / practice change to match land capability in a variable climate in the Northern Agricultural Region

Highlights:

Key highlights achieved under this project during the 2015/16 Financial Year included:

A short video clip produced – featuring the Northern Agricultural Region’s 2015 Soil Health Champion, Stuart McAlpine, who also represented the NAR at the 2015 Talkin’ Soil Health Conference.
12 demonstration projects funded through NACC’s Farm Demonstration Grants scheme, to showcase a variety of sustainable and innovative farming practices.
Engagement with nine individual land managers to develop farm-specific NRM farm plans. These plans provide farmers with information and tools aimed at increasing the viability and resilience of the natural resources on their farms, and managing key issues identified.
Support for NACC’s Productive Farming Future Forum, attended by more than 70 participants investigating and learning about opportunities for agriculture in a changing climate.

This project is funded through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

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Beach Wrack Quantification 2015-16

Wrack quantification studies also include recording different components of beach wrack.

Beach wrack quantification surveys undertaken by Edith Cowan University researchers included measuring depth of wrack deposits along beach transects.

PROJECT REPORT

Three field trips were completed this year to record beach wrack biomass with photos of wrack from the photo-monitoring program. Researchers from project-partner Edith Cowan University visited five beach monitoring sites in Geraldton, and recorded wrack quantities and composition within the field-of-views for those sites. This will enable wrack quantity estimates to be made from each photo from the entire photo-series from that site, providing long-term data on the total amounts and the seasonal variation in wrack deposition on Geraldton beaches. This in turn will allow estimates of nutrient contribution by beach wrack to the coastal marine system as it breaks down naturally on the beach, thereby highlighting the importance of this resource in maintaining biological productivity in coastal waters.

PARTNERS

Coastal Native Garden Guides 2015-16

On a cold wet day, attendees of Geraldton’s Native Garden workshop had to make do with an indoor demonstration of water-wise reticulation.

Community members presenting their ideas for the best way to plant with natives during the garden planning exercise at the Green Head Native Garden Workshop.

PROJECT REPORT

Two coastal native garden guide workshops were held this year, one in Green Head and the other in Geraldton.

Julie Firth of the Drylands Permaculture Farm in Geraldton delivered a fun and informative event at both locations, which included information on native plant water-wise adaptations to dry conditions, home reticulation 101 and a garden design exercise incorporating information from NACC’s Coastal Garden Guide.

The workshops were booked out, and further workshops are planned in the near future, for those who could not attend.

ACTIVITY MAP

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Healthy Estuaries 2015-16

Friends of Moore River Estuary receive instruction from Department of Water on measuring water quality parameters.

Learning the intricacies of a modern water quality meter can be demanding, but also rewarding when you get the knack.

PROJECT REPORT

This year saw the start of this new and exciting program. Back in 2013, NACC conducted a series of workshops focusing on the health of estuaries in the NAR and community priorities for those systems. Water quality was identified as a primary concern and in response, NACC’s Coastal and Marine Program team have worked hard to establish a community water quality monitoring program, starting in the Moore estuary.

A successful Lotterywest funding application allowed the purchase of a water quality meter and sampling started in February this year with results submitted to the Department of Water’s Water Information Network database.

Further funding has been requested from the Coastwest Grant Program to support expansion of the program to the Hill estuary, and further funding will be sought in the future to ensure all NAR estuaries are included.

Funding provided by a Lotterywest Grant.

PARTNERS

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Seabird Monitoring 2015-16

The Seabird Tracking Reference Group meeting in Lancelin to discuss tracking data acquired this year and project planning for the next.

Seabird Tracking Reference Group setting up tracking equipment and taking regurgitation samples from Noddy Terns on Lancelin Island

PROJECT REPORT

A poor “tern” out by Sooty terns for the 2015 breeding season at the Abrolhos Islands resulted in no trackers being deployed at this location. However, three Noddy terns were fitted with trackers on Lancelin Island – which resulted in 48 tracking days recorded.

Initial data analysis indicates that birds were feeding in upwelling areas associated with canyons on the edge of the continental shelf, and that incubating birds exhibited a different foraging behaviour compared to those that were feeding hatchlings.Further analysis of the data will likely reveal other subtle traits in foraging patterns.

No further trackers will be deployed in the coming years as tracker recovery has proved difficult, although data collection visits to both islands will be conducted to search for birds fitted with trackers that may return for the 2016 breeding season.

PARTNERS

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Community Photo Monitoring 2015-16

Organisations such as the City of Greater Geraldton are taking up the Photomon app to monitor on-ground works such as revegetation.

In its fifth year of operation, the beach photo-monitoring program has built up some impressive data-sets of coastal erosion, this one of Whitehill Road in Drummonds Cove, Geraldton.

PROJECT REPORT

NACC’s popular and innovative Photomon App continues to underpin all of our photo-monitoring programs, which include monitoring of beaches, weed control areas, revegetation sites and dune stabilisation infrastructure. Few problems have been reported by volunteers using the app and data has accumulated steadily.

Spectacular erosion events have been recorded during 2015-16 through the beach monitoring program, and the gradual eradication of Pyp Grass in fore-dunes at Cervantes has also been documented.

A proposal for an Honours Thesis based on analysis of beach photo-monitoring data has been submitted to photogrammetry researchers at Curtin University.

Following continued requests, further resources have been invested in developing Photomon servicers for use by other NRM groups in the NAR and beyond. A funding application to the WA State NRM Office’s Community Capability Grant Program to continue this investment was successful, allowing further development of this service into the future.

Funding provided by Coastwest Grants Program.

PARTNERS

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Beach Clean-ups 2015-16

The annual WA Beach clean-up day event in Geraldton was well attended – here participants are receiving instructions prior to hitting the beaches with bags and gloves.

The Coastal team supported the Green Head community to collect and record this pile of marine debris from their local beaches.

PROJECT REPORT

NACC’s Coastal and Marine Program team played a significant role in three major beach clean-up events this year and supported numerous others organised by Coastcare groups.

The largest event was Geraldton’s Big Beach Spring Clean, held as part of the 2015 WA Beach Clean Up Day, in October, which was organised by the Coastal and Marine Program and saw over 100 volunteers clean up local beaches and bring the rubbish back to a central location for sorting and recording. Local businesses supported the event through donation of spot prizes valued at over $1,000, and provision of fun activities on the day, including live music, and other entertainment.

In addition to the Geraldton event, the team assisted with rubbish sorting, and funding for the annual Turquoise Coast beach clean-up coordinated by Department of Parks and Wildlife and held in the Jurien Bay Marine Park. This year also saw the first NACC-assisted beach clean-up take place in Dongara with information on rubbish being collected which was subsequently submitted to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.

The Coastal and Marine Program team will continue to support community volunteers to keep their local beaches clean and collect data on the rubbish collected.

ACTIVITY MAP

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PARTNERS

Coastcare groups throughout the NAR

Coastal Community Grants 2015-16

Kalbarri Boardriders revegetating dunes at Jaques Point whilst trying not to get distracted by the surf in the background.

Department of Parks and Wildlife in partnership with the Jurien Bay Men’s Shed developed a dive slate for monitoring fish assemblages at sites such as the Jurien Bay Underwater Interpretive Snorkel and Dives Trail.

PROJECT REPORT

Five competitive grants totalling $46,725 were awarded as part of Round 7 this year. Funded projects were as follows:

Weed control and revegetation of dunes at Willcock Drive Geraldton – Batavia Coast Maritime Institute;
Revegetation of North Guilderton dunes – Moore Catchment Council;
Fish monitoring dives slates – Jurien Bay Men’s Shed/Department Parks and Wildlife;
Track closure and revegetation – Dongara’s Tidy Towns Sustainable Committee/ Shire of Irwin; and
Coastal erosion hazard mapping – Shire of Gingin.

This year, in addition to the competitive round, a new component of the Coastal Community Grants Program has been implemented. Community groups were able to complete a simplified application for a Quick Step Grant of up to $2,000. Strong uptake of this new program resulted in the allocation of funds to nine projects, totalling $13,541.

Projects funded included dune revegetation, beach clean-up, production of interpretative materials, and development of local site plans for restoration works.

ACTIVITY MAP

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Aboriginal Green Army Team 2015-16

PROJECT REPORT

In another exciting initiative this past year, NACC’s Aboriginal Participation team supported the City of Greater Geraldton to establish an Aboriginal Green Army Team.

NACC assisted in identifying team leaders and youth participants, while also assisting in development of work plans, work locations and activities, and cultural opportunities for participants.

The Aboriginal Green Army team will employ at least eight Aboriginal people working in NRM into the next financial year.

The Aboriginal Green Army Team showcase some of the revegetation and erosion control works carried out in the region.

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Share Your Story

To encourage more knowledge sharing of Natural Resource Management in the region, and to enable more individuals and environmental groups to get involved, this year NARvis has launched the ‘Share your NRM story’ project.

This has not only encouraged more community members to share their environmental projects in the region, but has also helped to map NRM works being carried out in the

One project in the spotlight is the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor – Turning Emissions into Trees project, initiated by Carbon Neutral during the past financial year.

Carbon Neutral works with organisations around Australia to help them calculate their carbon footprint, reduce their energy use, and offset remaining carbon (CO₂-e) emissions through tree planting programs or investments in clean energy projects.

Carbon Neutral’s most significant multi-species native revegetation project, to-date, lies within the NAR and forms Australia’s largest (and first Australian Gold Standard certified) revegetation project based on carbon capture and biodiversity. This project – known as the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor – aims to reconnect areas of valuable remnant vegetation and link twelve nature reserves within the region.

Productive Farming Futures Forum 2015

Coorow was a melting pot of information about agricultural innovation and climate science at the Productive Farming Futures Forum in February this year.

The inaugural forum sought-out opportunities in agriculture in a changing climate, highlighting a range of different techniques that farmers in the region are using to adapt to climate change and creating local solutions to a global issue.

Amangu/Badimia Yamaji and NAIDOC Elder of the Year Mr Graham Taylor 2015 welcomed the full house – more than 70 guests – who attended the event.

For honoured guest and keynote speaker, Australia’s national Advocate for Soil Heath, Major General the Honourable Michael Jeffery, good soil management: “underpins a sustainable, profitable and more secure future for us all, in a world with a changing climate and more intense economic demands,” he said. ”To save the planet, save the soil”.

The forum was supported by the Australian Government’s NRM Planning for Climate Change Fund and National Landcare Programme, Royalties for Regions, Inspiring Australia and the Mid West Science Engagement Group.

Forum Feedback

Post-forum survey indicated that 72 per cent of responders had experienced impacts or losses that they attribute to climate change.
Survey indicated about 26% knowledge increase about Climate Change in the NAR post forum
34% knowledge increase on methods of adapting agricultural practices in a changing climate post forum

Regional Vision Revised

During the past financial year, The Northern Agricultural Region’s NRM Strategy (NARvis) has reached three major milestones. It incorporated a revised set of regional aspirations and goals, forecast to 2020; It updated regional climate change information and projected impacts, based on the most recent modelling by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and CSIRO, along with mitigation and adaptation options, including inspiring case studies and also incorporated a new Aboriginal History and Culture theme page, to further recognise and support the important contribution of our region’s Traditional Owners in managing natural resources.

These improvements are reflected in the recently released NARvis Summary Document Version 2.

Northern Agricultural Catchments Council

Annual Report 2015-2016

Organisation

Programs

Financials

Chair Report

"While our current financial situation is strong, we continue to be challenged by uncertainties around the security and scope of future funding...we are continually looking at ways to reinforce our future prospects and this year the Board has done considerable work examining strategic issues"

CEO's Message

"I think 2015-16 has been an extraordinary year... The team at NACC has done an awesome job this past year – on many occasions way “above and beyond the call of duty” – to deliver outcomes that were well beyond many of our most optimistic expectations."

Organisation Overview

A growing NACC profile

Program Impact

BIODIVERSITY PROGRAM

Jessica Stingemore, Biodiversity Program Coordinator

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM

Sally Fenner, Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator

COASTAL & MARINE PROGRAM

It has been a great year for the Coastal and Marine Program with increased levels of volunteer engagement and community capacity building resulting from the efforts of a passionate team. Everything is in place for a quick start next year … so bring it on.

Mic Payne, Coastal & Marine Program Coordinator

ABORIGINAL PARTICIPATION PROGRAM

During the past financial year, the Aboriginal Participation Program has not only embraced a new team, but has also developed a new Strategic Plan and introduced new projects and collaborative partnerships – aimed at increasing Aboriginal participation in NRM within the region.

Greg Burrows, Aboriginal Participation Program Coordinator

Project Reports

BIODIVERSITY

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

ABORIGINAL PARTICIPATION

COASTAL & MARINE

NRM Planning for Climate Change (NARvis)

Financials

Funding Trends

"I think 2015-16 has been an extraordinary year...
The team at NACC has done an awesome job this past year – on many occasions way “above and beyond the call of duty” – to deliver outcomes that were well beyond many of our most optimistic expectations."