Collaboration is the Key to Success

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In mid-September, our RALF Lizzie King attended a great field walk and Ag Chats session in Kalannie!

The event included eight different speakers and was an excellent collaboration between Smart Farms Small Grant recipient and Kalannie farmer Bob Nixon, The Liebe Group and the Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group (YYCMG). 

What was initially planned as a field walk to look at the revegetation work that the Nixon family have been undertaking on their property as part of the Smart Farms Grant expanded to become something much more.

After realising that the Liebe Group were also planning an AgChats session focusing on carbon farming, Bob suggested combining the two events and asking a few more speakers to be involved to give a broader picture of the challenges and opportunities involved for farmers with regards to carbon. From there came the event ‘Addressing the environment, soil health and economics of Wheatbelt farms’. 

The afternoon began with a full bus and a caravan of utes heading out to the Nixon family farm. After an overview from Bob, the first stop was to look at a DPIRD trial site on the property, hearing from DPIRDs Gaus Azam, who discussed the degradation of Wodjil soils and building soil health. This was followed by a look at one of the ‘Blue Sky Corridors – Addressing the triple bottom line for Wheatbelt farms ’ revegetation sites and hear from Dan Wildy about the carbon model the Nixon family are working with.

With spring field days, AGMs, sports finals and everyone trying to catch up before harvest, it really is the season for event fatigue, which was one of the reasons it was such an excellent opportunity to collaborate and such a successful event because of this. The event comprised something for everyone with a varied agenda meaning participants who might be purely interested in the carbon credits hear about the bigger picture of building biodiversity, reducing wind and water erosion, reducing runoff and recharge, which means slowing the spread of salinity.

The site visit was followed by the official ‘AgChats’ part of the day, back at the Kalannie Sports club, there were short (10 minute) presentations from four speakers, including our own RALF Lizzie King – then question time. With plenty of questions and lots to talk about afterwards, this was an excellent format for engagement. 

It was a great turnout with over 50 attendees and loads of information and engagement. It cemented that Carbon is undoubtedly the hot topic at this point in time. To learn more about what’s happening in the carbon space from Kerrie House see here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i0gv00dw7g9ezz2/Northampton%20take%202-20210825_220530-Meeting%20Recording%204.mp4?dl=0

Congratulations to Bob and the Nixon Family, Liebe Group and the YYCMG on pulling together such a wonderful event. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to be involved. 

For more info, please get in touch with our Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators: Annabelle (E) annabelle.garratt@nacc.com.au or (P) 0448 986 879 or Lizzie (E) lizzie.king@nacc.com.au or (P) 0447 361 335.

Lizzie King – Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator

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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.