BIODIVERSITY (National Reserve System)

This program will deliver activities against targets identified in the Caring for our Country Business Plan 2009-10 which identified the Avon Wheatbelt IBRA Region as a high priority for increasing the National Reserve System. A large percentage of the ARB is within the Avon Wheatbelt IBRA Region. The project will also include the Western Mallee IBRA Sub Region (south-east ARB) as it is underrepresented in the National Reserve System.

The program will increase the National Reserve System by working with land managers to legally protect locations through the use of conservation covenants. The locations target priority remnant bushland in the Avon River Basin that have been identified through a strategic conservation plan as significant and irreplaceable. The implementation of management plans will secure these locations as sustainable and functioning ecosystems.

The strategic conservation plan, will identify targets that contain a high level of diversity, including ecosystems under represented in the national reserve system and threatened species.

To complement the National Reserve System work threatened species that are impacted by rabbits will have management activities identified while community groups will be given opportunities to participate in activities aimed at protecting over 100 EPBC listed species in the Avon River Basin. Community participation in knowledge building activities will enable landholder contributions to biodiversity conservation to expand and continue beyond the life of the project.

Indigenous involvement in biodiversity conservation will be facilitated through accessing established networks in the region through WNRM indigenous officers.

View WNRM NRS MERI V1.3.pdf (PDF document 514Kb)

 View WNRM NRS Program Monitoring Plan

For more information contact:

Rebecca Palumbo
Program Manager Biodiversity
Wheatbelt NRM
P: 9690 2265  M: 0428 834 926   E: rpalumbo@wheatbeltnrm.org.au

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE (Wind Erosion)

This program will deliver targets identified with the 2009-2010 Caring for our Country Business Plan, identifying the Avon region as a priority area to reduce the risk of wind erosion through increased adoption of sustainable farm practices.

This project devolves seventy-percent of funds for local, on-ground activities to instigate the voluntary adoption by 800* land managers of the following current recommended practices by 2013:

• recommended management practices to retain crop residues; 
• recommended grazing management practices to maintain at least 40% ground cover;
• integration of perennial plants into agricultural systems; and
• soil quality maintenance, amelioration and monitoring.

The project is underpinned by the Farm Practice Change Model which supports the practical decision making processes of land managers in progressing from motivation, exploration to adoption of an alternative agricultural system. Proposed activities adhere to the rationale that broad-scale soil management issues on agricultural land necessitate low-cost per hectare initiatives that maximise participation of targeted stakeholders.

Land used for agriculture currently constitutes 7.4 M ha (Avon NRM Strategy, 2005) or 63% of the ARB. Traditional agricultural enterprises (cropping, mixed sheep / cropping) in the region are known to contribute to degradation of the soil resource and therefore represent a priority land use to support the further adoption of sustainable land management practices.

While the Wheatbelt NRM contributes to the protection of discrete, high priority biodiversity and water assets, this project is aimed at the widespread adoption of farm practices that enhance the protection of the dispersed soil asset, which forms the basis of the varied and highly valued productive and ecological landscapes found within the region. The proposal recommends an extension program that brings about the quality adoption of sustainable farm practices.

The soils of the ARB can be generally described as being of low fertility and most commonly have duplex textured profiles in which sub-soils have low hydraulic conductivity (Avon NRM Strategy, 2005). Areas susceptible to wind erosion include those with dry soils and a high proportion of fine sands (State of the Environment Report, 2007). Soils with weak structure and water repellent properties may also be susceptible. Soil erosion leads to land degradation and may also contribute to problems in inland waters and the atmosphere. It results in a loss of topsoil, often resulting in reduced soil fertility and structure and poor soil health.

View WNRM WIND EROSION MERI PLAN V1.3.pdf (PDF document 599Kb)

 View WNRM Wind Erosion Program Monitoring Plan (PDF document 177Kb)

For more information contact:

Dan Ferguson

Program Manager - Sustainable Agriculture
Wheatbelt NRM.
P:  9690 2259 M: 0434 976 124 E: dferguson@wheatbeltnrm.org.au

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES (Aboriginal NRM Project)

Building on Wheatbelt NRM's investment (from 2006) the Aboriginal NRM project will incorporate Aboriginal traditional cultural knowledge into natural resource management through recording traditional ecological knowledge, a network of Indigenous Advisory Groups and specific site management activities over the next four years.

This will be achieved through;

• A continuation of the recording traditional knowledge, building on the capacity WNRM has developed, to date. This includes maintaining and building the capacity of Avon Aboriginal Advisory Groups.
• Developing partnerships with Aboriginal and NRM organisations, identifing a further three sites per year of cultural and environmental significance where the Aboriginal community is willing to play an active management role, and to develop processes allowing WNRM to continue integrating cultural ecological knowledge into site management plans.
• Continued employment of the NoongarNyungar Budjar Carers through partnerships with National Reserve System managers in the region to integrate traditional knowledge.
• Assistance to Aboriginal landowners in the region to become more sustainable, both in their farming practices and through caring for the environment.

View Aboriginal NRM MERI PLAN V1.1.pdf (PDF document 489Kb)

For more information contact:

Di Lovell

Indigenous NRM Coordinator
Wheatbelt NRM
P: 9690 2250 M: 0427 902 229 E: dlovell@wheatbeltnrm.org.au