Turquoise Coast Regional Forum Connects a Community in Action

In early September, the Turquoise Coast Regional Forum returned to once again enchant and educate the Northern Agricultural Region’s keen coastal community!
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On Friday 4th of September, the Turquoise Coast Regional Forum made a triumphant return to once again enchant and educate the Northern Agricultural Region’s keen coastal community!

Hosted by the Jurien Bay Regional Herbarium Group at the Jurien Bay Country Golf Club, attendees were greeted by blue skies and a smoking ceremony and Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Skye Shaw and Rangers of Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporation (KMAC).

It was a jam-packed speaker schedule covering a broad range of topics that followed last year’s overarching themes of ‘Looking West’ and ‘Looking East’. Kicking off the day was a history of the Jurien Bay Herbarium from Ron Snook, who received life membership in recognition of his remarkable conservation efforts. The Shire of Dandaragan provided an update on the Coastal Recreational Tracks Management Master Plan before hearing from NACC NRM’s Biodiversity Project Officer, Georgia Cella, about the WA Wheatbelt Woodlands. This threatened ecological community (TEC) has been decimated by land clearing and is vulnerable to climate change, further clearing, altered fire regimes and invasive species. Continuing the agricultural theme, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development followed with a discussion about groundwater processes in the WA Wheatbelt, namely salinity. This talk highlighted the different properties of dense, clay-like soils compared to coarse, coastal sandplains, appealing to audience members with a farming background, and others, alike.

Veering back toward the coast, the group heard about the challenge of tackling Pyp Grass (Ehrharta villosa) on a changing coastline. Professors and researchers from the University of Western Australia wooed with the wonder of terrestrial, and marine, plants, celebrating the diversity of Hi Vallee Farm and strength of community in supporting seagrass re-establishment. Before lunch, community members were invited to complete a survey of their natural resource management priorities, as part of an update to NACC NRM’s regional strategy, NARvis – you can find the form here and have your say.

Following lunch and lively discussion, the power of plants remained front of mind, specifically, the ability of WA’s native species to thrive in extremely impoverished soil conditions. Keeping the plant conversation going, NACC NRM’s Coastal and Marine Project Officer, Josh Burney, spoke about weed species impacting Coastal Saltmarsh TEC at nearby Hill River estuary. KMAC Rangers have been contracted to treat weeds at the site multiple times with follow-up site assessments revealing positive results. Presentations finished on a sombre, yet informative, talk about H5N1 bird flu. Attendees learnt where and when this highly pathogenic strain of bird flu originated, how it is currently impacting Australian birds, and how it may impact other Australian species, including mammals. If you come across any sick or dead wildlife, remember:

  • Avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife (including the surrounding area)
  • Record what you see, the location and take photos/videos from a distance
  • Report to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888

Events such as these are valuable reminders of the power of community in coming together to conserve our region’s precious coastal environments. No matter your interest or background, there is a plant or animal to study, ecosystem to immerse yourself in or environmental issue to tackle. The strength and resilience of coastal communities within the NAR continues to drive a wave of inspirational actions – NACC NRM is excited to see the accomplishments of community-led conservation that float to the surface!

This project is jointly funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and NACC NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel. 

Joshua Burney - Coastal & Marine 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.