NRM, Knowledge and Partnerships, Partnerships, Partnerships

Every two years’ people working in the NRM sector from across Australia come together to share their knowledge and contribute to the future direction of NRM in Australia.

This year NRM Regions Australia, along with the North East Catchment Management Authority, hosted Australia’s 7th National NRM Knowledge Conference in Wodonga, Victoria, with the theme of Creating Resilience through Natural Resource Management – how do we do it?

The 2019 conference organisers set out to ensure this year’s event was a little different and that attendees took a little more home to their region this year.

The highly interactive conference incorporated workshop or feedback components into many of the more traditional conference sessions like plenary and concurrent sessions. For instance, a number of the plenary sessions were also accompanied by ‘provocateurs’ who were engaged to make us think a little outside the box.

It was particularly pleasing to see WA’s very own Sue Middleton on stage as a provocateur early on Day One.

Sue’s message of provocation was interestingly, not provocative at all. In fact, she merely advocated for common sense in the environment, farming and conservation space. Sue also encouraged delegates to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, particularly when it comes to partnerships.

Throughout the concurrent sessions and problem solving sessions, delegates were able to contribute to the collective ‘Call to Action’ which is set to be one of key outcomes of the event. NACC NRM will share this document as soon as it is finalised and ask for your thoughts on it.

Over the three days of the conference, two sessions were especially impactful on me.

The first of these was the concurrent session on Ecosystem Resilience – Innovation. This session showcased a number of projects discussing food security strategies, a community feral Deer control program and how to engage young people in Landcare. I really enjoyed the model that Intrepid Landcare are using to engage young people who not only want to know about their local environment but also want to be actively involved in protecting it.

The second session that made a lasting impression was a session by Trudi Ryan who shared her knowledge and some practical tips on values-based communication and messaging and gave some great examples of how we can frame our messages to be most impactful for our audience.

Although the travel schedule was rough, it was heartening to see so many people make their way to regional Victoria to support the event and the region certainly turned on the charm. Whether by luck or good planning, I’m not sure, but the conference coincided with the City of Wodonga’s Sustainability Festival and thanks to a heads up from an ex-NACCer turned Victorian, we were able to attend a fabulous and inspiring ‘We Eat Local’ event and were treated to amazing local produce put together by some very talented local chefs. Watch this space for the opportunity to support local producers in the future.

I find that conferences are fabulous opportunities to network with new and old colleagues and like-minded professionals, but they can often you leave feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

I can honestly say that I walked away from the 2019 National NRM Knowledge Conference feeling hopeful, energised and excited to explore new opportunities for the Northern Agricultural Region and NACC NRM.

Warm Regards
Katherine Allen
CEO, NACC NRM

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CEO’s Report

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.