Archives for January 2014

Reef Catchments and Rio Tinto join forces to restore region’s rivers

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Reef Catchments has partnered with Rio Tinto’s Hail Creek Mine and the Australian Government in a unique venture to help restore natural assets in the Mackay and Whitsunday region.

In the first initiative of its kind in Queensland, a series of two (2) river cross vane structures have been constructed using more than 100 tonnes of locally sourced rock.

The structures have been built in a degraded section of the O’Connell River, north of Mackay.

Reef Catchments Aquatic Habitats Coordinator, Tim Marsden, said the engineered cross vanes had been specifically designed to improve the health of local aquatic eco-systems.

“The cross vane structures will help stabilise river beds and banks, keeping our rivers in good health for future generations to enjoy,” Mr Marsden said.

“They will also help rehabilitate important aquatic habitats and create ideal sites for fish.

“One major benefit will be an increase in the levels of important recreational, commercial and indigenous fish populations – for example, Barramundi, Spangled Perch, Jungle Perch and Rainbow Fish.

“It is the first time these designs have been trialled in Queensland rivers and we are looking forward to seeing the long-term benefits to waterways in Mackay and the surrounding areas.”

The project was co-funded by the Hail Creek Mine Community Development Fund and the Australian Government’s Reef Program Systems Repair funding.

Community Development Fund Chairman and Hail Creek general manager operations Rowan Munro said “We are proud to partner once again with Reef Catchments to deliver sustainable outcomes for the ecosystems in the Mackay and Whitsunday regions.

“Our Community Development Fund continues to provide an opportunity for local projects to make big impacts and we look forward to seeing the benefits for O’Connell River Catchment into the future.”

Project Catalyst attracts leading ag and innovation experts to Mackay and Whitsundays

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · 1 Comment

Global experts in sustainable agriculture and innovation are set to arrive in Mackay and the Whitsundays this February to take part in the Project Catalyst Grower Forum 2014, one of the region’s most significant agricultural events.

The three day forum will bring together more than 120 delegates who are passionate about cutting-edge concepts for more sustainable and profitable sugarcane production.

Now in its milestone 5^th year, Project Catalyst is a pioneering partnership between local growers, Natural Resource Management groups, the Australian Government and global partners The Coca-Cola Foundation and WWF. The program aims to support the rapid adoption of innovative farm practices which improve water quality from cane farms impacting the Great Barrier Reef.

Researchers, industry partners, economists and sustainability experts will come together with more than 70 Queensland cane farmers from Mackay and the Whitsundays, the Wet Tropics and across the Burdekin who have participated in farm innovation and research trials over the past five years.

The 2014 forum will be held on Hamilton Island from February 24^th – 26^th, beginning with a field day in Proserpine.

Reef Catchments CEO Robert Cocco said Project Catalyst linked together a unique network of local sugar producers and global specialists dedicated to improving the productivity and sustainability of the Queensland sugar sector.

“The Project Catalyst Grower Forum is a significant event that celebrates the work of forward-thinking cane farmers whose efforts have directly improved both farm efficiency and water quality,” Mr Cocco said.

“We are proud to be involved in such a unique partnership that provides a platform for the discussion of leading practices and concepts for more sustainable and profitable farming for the future.

“Project Catalyst continues to link local cane farmers with leading organisations nationally and globally to break new ground in sustainable agriculture.”

Cane farmers will have the opportunity to hear from key delegates including:

WWF Vice President of Agriculture Dave McLaughlin (US)

Innovation expert Professor David Cropley, University of South Australia Associate Professor (Engineering Innovation) and scientific consultant for the ABC TV Documentary Redesign My Brain.

To date, Project Catalyst growers have provided major water quality benefits to the Great Barrier Reef by significantly reducing the level of sediment and chemical runoff from farms through adopting innovative and improved farm practices. Over the five years of the project the following decreases have been recorded:

Reduction of particulate nitrogen by 25 tonnes per annum
Reduction of particulate phosphorus by 12 tonnes per annum
Reduction of dissolved inorganic nitrogen by 22 tonnes per annum
Reduction of filterable reactive phosphorus by 4 tonnes per annum
Reduction of pesticides leaving the farm by 190 kg per annum

Project Catalyst 2014 is coordinated locally by Reef Catchments alongside key project partners: The Coca-Cola Foundation, WWF, the Australian Government, Terrain Natural Resource Management (Wet Tropics coordinator) and NQ Dry Tropics (Burdekin coordinator).

For more information contact belinda.billing@reefcatchments.com or mobile 0488 730 021.

New look Australian Government Reef Water Quality grants program for Mackay Whitsunday

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Throughout 2014, Reef Catchments will be working with industry partners to deliver a new look Australian Government Reef Water Quality Grants program (formerly Reef Rescue) to the Mackay Whitsunday region.

The Water Quality Grants program provides funding and assistance to land holders to improve farming practice for better water quality outcomes and is part of the wider Australian Government Reef Programme that aims to reduce land based pollutants reaching the Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Catchments has taken steps support sugarcane farmers and graziers to improve land management, not just through funding new farm equipment, but through the provision of careful farm planning for future farm success and improved water quality leaving agricultural lands.

Sugarcane growers will have the opportunity to work directly with experienced precision planners and local industry providers, including: Mackay Area Productivity Services, Plane Creek Productivity Services and CANEGROWERS Mackay and Proserpine.

Through this network growers will be supported to create detailed three-year property plans to maximise productivity, economic and environmental outcomes. The planning process will have emphasis on the region’s target pollutants – nitrogen and herbicides – and will be reviewed annually.

The precision planners will provide additional agronomic support equivalent to six days of farm extension. Landholders and planners can then produce Water Quality Grant applications in line with property needs identified during their planning process.

Landholders will also be able to access the following activities at no cost, with funding supplied over a three-year period:

• EC mapping to understand soil variability within block for precision management
• Soil testing above regulated requirements, for targeted nutrient management

Graziers in the region will also benefit from improved property planning, working with Reef Catchments Grazing Officer Amanda Bland to undertake property management. This includes mapping weeds and pests, devising strategies for targeted management actions and identifying improvements for fencing and pasture management. Further funding applications will again be put together based on the plans.

Reef Water Quality grants in Mackay Whitsunday will be competitive and the amount of funding provided will be prioritised based on the level of water quality improvement achieved through planned changes, the location of the project (by sub-catchment) and value for money.

However all participants will receive the planning and agronomic support that is so important in improving management for environmental and productivity gains. It is hoped that the many landholders who received equipment funding through Reef Rescue over the past five years will continue to gain from this important next step of the program. Participating landholders will be provided with the resources they need to maximise equipment productivity and achieve long-term operational success.

For more information contact belinda.billing@reefcatchments.com or 0488 730 021.

Attention Landholders – Looking for Broad leaved tea-tree

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Reef Catchments project officers are interested in speaking with landholders that have Broad leaved tea-tree woodlands on their property.

While there are many different types of these woodlands, our focus is on woodland areas that get inundated every wet season.

Why are these areas important?

Reef Catchments are working with landholders to manage the important remnant vegetation communities that exist in our productive farming landscapes.

Degraded by clearing, fragmentation, fire and weed invasion, few healthy areas remain within the region. Improved management through activities such as weed management or fencing could reverse this degradation and may be eligible for funding in the future.

Vegetation will need to be assessed to determine if it is eligible and Project Officers and landholders will then work out what management activities are required.

If you have a patch of Broad leaved tea-tree and are interested in having it assessed contact Reef Catchments to organise a site inspection.

Contact Kerensa McCallie – Senior Project Officer – Biodiversity 0429 033 541 or kerensa.mccallie@reefcatchments.com

Beach Plans essential to a year of caring for the coast

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

CC-volunteers — Volunteers in Bucasia help care for our coast at a planting day during Coastcare Week, December 2013.

It takes a lot of time and effort to care for the coast, as well as the dedication of many working together to make a real and positive different to the natural environment.

The Coasts and Communities Program is a truly collaborative initiative, involving 15 organisations working with the community to undertake strategic management of the coast.

Managing the coast takes planning, and this is where Beach Plans come into play.

In 2013 Beach Plans were developed and approved for two coastal management areas: Blacks Beach Spit, and Town and Far Beach.

Beach Plans identify the natural and recreational values of a beach as well as the processes and threats acting upon it. The plans prioritise activities to be undertaken to enhance the natural environment for all beach users – be they people or coastal animals.

Beach Plans form the basis of all works undertaken along the Mackay coast, and ensure that all involved are working together towards the same goals. Using Beach Plans to guide them, the 15 organisations and hundreds of community volunteers accomplished great things along the Mackay coast in 2013.

Over the year, 168 hectares (an area equal to 247 AFL fields) of coastal environments were cleared of invasive weeds, which will promote native rehabilitation. This was complemented by the planting of 5,312 native seedlings to help replace removed weeds, which will act to stabilise the dunes and provide future habitat for native fauna. The installation of 770 metres of fencing around areas of Nationally threatened coastal vegetation will help to protect the dunes from future degradation.

Through coordination by a number of groups, volunteers removed over 12 tonnes of litter from the coastal environment – litter that would otherwise have ended up in the ocean as a hazard to marine animals like endangered sea turtles. The number of hours spent working to help the coast by volunteers and staff is the true measure of how much we all care for our coast.

We thank everyone who was involved in the program in 2013, and hope to do it all again in 2014.

To volunteer at Coastcare Activities in 2014, or subscribe to emails to find out what projects are happening on our coast, email claire.bartron@reefcatchments.com or call 0429 155 841.

Coasts and Communities is a joint initiative of Mackay Regional Council and Reef Catchments, through funding from the Australian Government and with support from Mackay Regional Council’s Natural Environment Levy.

NRM Planning for Climate Change

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

mangrove — Mangroves and marine communities help mitigate against damage from severe weather events such as cyclones and storm surge.

Reef Catchments has made significant progress in compiling spatial data for the region to determine potential future risks and vulnerabilities with climate change.

RPS East Group were engaged to deliver a series of products that included conducting an audit of the existing carbon sinks in the region. FullCAM (Full Carbon Accounting Model) is the model used by the Australian government to construct Australia’s national greenhouse gas emissions accounts for the land sector.

The model is an integration of biomass, decomposition, soil carbon models and accounting tools. It can be used to construct a picture of existing carbon stores in different vegetation types in a region and likely carbon accumulation rates over time. RPS used FullCAM to generate the status of carbon storage as of 2013 for the MWI NRM region’s vegetation types which is presented below:

Vegetation Type	Area (ha)	Average C sink (T C)
Eucalypt Woodlands	163,112.69	20,796,868
Eucalypt Open Forests	149,002.29	19,742,803
Rainforests and Vine Thickets	136,255.12	14,988,063
Mangroves	32,520.65	4,390,288
Melaleuca Forests and Woodlands	21,990.68	2,913,765
Acacia Forests and Woodlands	8,916.97	1,159,206
Low Closed Forests and Tall Closed Shrublands	4,720.55	755,288
Other Shrublands	3,521.38	572,225
Other Grasslands, Herblands, Sedgelands and Rushlands (not in FullCAM pasture grass used)	4,788.70	299,294
Tussock grasslands (not in FullCAM pasture grass used)	1,465.84	91,615
Other Open Woodlands	273.55	23,252
Casuarina Forests and Woodlands	149.53	19,439
Heathlands	98.35	15,982
Unclassified native vegetation	99.46	13,676
Eucalypt Tall Open Forests	32.13	3,615
Chenopod Shrublands, Samphire Shrublands and Forblands	12.06	1,960
Total	937,429.05	65,787,338

In general, carbon content is highest in forest type communities such as Eucalypt forests, rainforests and Melaleuca communities. The current carbon sink (biomass and soils) in the region (as of 2013) is estimated at around 65 gigatonnes of carbon or 241 gigatonnes of sequestered CO₂.

It should be noted that the FullCAM methodology may underestimate carbon stores associated with mangroves and marine plant communities. This is because the methodology does not consider carbon stored by seagrass communities and only models the carbon in the top 30 cms of soil beneath mangroves. Other research has found that by considering the top 1m of soil beneath mangroves the estimated carbon store is increased tenfold.

These mangrove and marine communities are also important because they mitigate against damage from severe weather events such as cyclones and storm surge.

This work has provided Reef Catchments and the community with an estimate of the carbon currently stored in our natural systems. It also emphasises the importance of maintaining and enhancing these areas to prevent the potential release of CO₂and other greenhouse gases and to assist in mitigating other climate change impacts.

For more information contact Robyn Bell (Climate & Landscape Systems coordinator) on robyn.bell@reefcatchments.com or 0488 733 121.

Your Region. Your Future. Your Say.

Jaime · Jan 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Airlie Beach resident Sam McAuley (right) shares his views on how to mange the region’s natural resources with NRM Plan co-ordinator Alice Spencer.

The community is being invited to have their say on how the natural resources of our region should be managed into the future.

Public meetings are currently being held across the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac region until 22nd February 2014.

Please note due to adverse weather conditions, public meetings have been rescheduled. Up-to-date meeting times are provided at the bottom of this page.

For those who are unable to attend a meeting, but still want to contribute to the development of the plan, please click here to complete our online questionnaire.

Views, feedback and input will inform a new Natural Resource Management Plan 2014-2024 being developed by the community and guided by key stakeholders, with the assistance of Reef Catchments.

NRM Plan co-ordinator Alice Spencer, said it was essential to be involved.

“The plan will focus on our region’s natural assets including productive land and natural landscapes,” Ms Spencer said.

“Input to the NRM Plan is being captured in two phases. Firstly we are meeting with targeted stakeholders such as local government, industry and other related groups to discuss how they may be involved in plan development. And secondly, we will provide the general community with an opportunity to have their say, with open public meetings taking place across the region.

“We are encouraging everyone with an interest in the future of our region’s natural resources and landscapes to attend. From community members to farmers, those from the mining and tourism sectors, as well as those with an interest in conservation, planning and cultural heritage.”

Meetings will be held at the following locations, with refreshments provided.

For more information contact Alice Spencer – alice.spencer@reefcatchments.com or phone 0428 955 490.

DATE	LOCATION	TIME
Mon 3 February	Calen Hotel, 16 McIntyre St, Calen	5pm
Tues 4 February	RSL, 34 Central St, Sarina	6pm
Wed 5 February	Isaac Council community hall, Carmilla	5pm
Thurs 6 February	Pioneer Golf Club, Mirani	6pm
Fri 7 February	Eungella Community Hall	5pm
Wed 19 February	Mackay Show Grounds Homestead 24 Milton Street, Mackay, QLD 4740	5pm
Fri 21 February	RSL, 27 Chapman Street, Proserpine	5pm
Sat 22 February	Dingo Beach Hotel, Dingo Beach	10am

Archives for January 2014

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